Pushing up daisies An Agatha Raisin mystery

It's autumn in the Cotswolds, where Agatha Raisin has retired from public-relations work and established her detective agency. That gin and tonics are not the season's drink doesn't stop Agatha from belting them back, nor does she manage to quit smoking. Her main case this season is finding out who killed Lord Bellington. His son and heir? His daughter, wanting money for a far-fetched animal-rights venture? His jilted mistress? His ex-wife? The tenants of the allotments on his estate, straining under increased rents? Or Agatha herself, who had stopped in to ask him not to sell the tract with the allotments to a developer, incurring his wrath? Hired by Bellington's son, Agatha treks to London and back, into pubs, and across muddy fields in search of answers. Meanwhile, she is dealing with other, more routine investigations involving shoplifting and lost children, as well taking part in an array of romantic interludes of varying intensity. It's fast paced, with lots of twists and turns, hilarity, and quiet moments when you think maybe, just maybe, Agatha will get a grip. Doesn't happen, though, but she does find the killer.--Muller, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist

Agatha Raisin is in top form in bestseller Beaton's 27th mystery featuring the exasperating, vulnerable, endearing owner of a thriving private detective agency in the Cotswolds village of Carsley (after 2015's Dishing the Dirt). When the universally despised Lord Bellington is poisoned by a dose of antifreeze in his crème de menthe, his son, Damian, hires Agatha to find his killer-not that Damian is mourning his father's passing. As heir to the Bellington estate, Damian fears the police consider him the prime suspect. Even as bodies pile up, Agatha's investigation is constantly sidetracked by red herrings and by her own poor impulse control when it comes to cigarettes, gin, and unsuitable men. Fortunately, the intuitive, opinionated, tart-tongued detective can rely on her loyal crew of friends to help out. Agatha may be disappointed in love once again, but a twisty plot, a familiar cast of eccentric characters, and a charming English country setting mean that lovers of cozy mysteries will be satisfied indeed. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein, Lowenstein Associates. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.