Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

This is an unexpected hike to the Other Side...After time away, Agatha Raisin returns to her beloved Cotswold village of Carsely - and to her handsome neighbour, James Lacey. True, James seems less than thrilled to see her, but Agatha is soon distracted by a sensational murder. The victim, found in a field, is young hiker Jessica Tartinck, who spent her life enraging landowners by insisting on her right to roam. Hope springs eternal in Agatha's breast as she lures the reluctant James into her investigation. There are so many leads to follow, for Jessica's fellow walkers - not to mention the landowners - all seem able to commit murder. Praise for "The Agatha Raisin Series": 'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' - "Publishers Weekly". 'The detective novels of M. C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status' - "The Times". 'Being a cranky, middle-aged female myself, I found Agatha charming!' - "Amazon Customer Review. 'I dream of being able to speak out like Aggie...she's a heroine!' - A. Lucas, Essex, "Reader Review".

The newest Agatha Raisin adventure is quietly humorous but thin in plot. Finishing up her stint at a London PR firm, which she agreed to in Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener (1994), the acerbic 50-something retiree happily returns to her Cotswolds cottage?and her bachelor neighbor and sleuthing partner, James Lacey. Shortly after Agatha's return, Jessica Tartinck, the confrontational leader of a walking group, is murdered in nearby Dembley. When Sir Charles Fraith becomes the chief suspect (he and Jessica had argued about the walkers' right-of-way through his fields), Agatha is asked by a village friend to investigate. Ever eager, Agatha and her cohort James move to Dembley and, posing as man and wife, infiltrate Jessica's walking group. But, as Beaton's readers have learned to expect, Agatha's jubilation is short-lived, and her pseudo-marriage to James doesn't go at all as she hopes. Wending their way through circuitous misadventure, however, the pair solve the murder and forge a deeper relationship than they'd enjoyed before.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In an attempt to save a reclusive baronet accused of murder, Agatha "infiltrates" a local walkers' club. Fourth in the popular series (Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener, LJ 8/94).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.