HISS AND HERS

A private detective’s amatory obsessions get her in trouble once again.

Agatha Raisin (As the Pig Turns, 2011, etc.) may be a dogged investigator and no fool, but her penchant for falling for the wrong man always seems to lead to disaster. This time her gardener, George Marston, is the object of her desire. She does everything she can to attract him and is madly jealous of gorgeous TV star Jessica Fordyce and the many other less attractive women who employ him. When Agatha finds George dead, drugged into unconsciousness with a plastic bag filled with deadly adders placed around his head, she’s determined to investigate. So getting hired by his sister just adds a financial fillip. To her chagrin, she discovers that George was quite the ladies’ man. He’d been having it off with many women, including several ladies in a village he left after one of his lovers became overly vindictive. Of the two crack investigators, Toni and Simon, Agatha has placed on the case, Simon unfortunately falls for Jessica and is lucky to escape death when he is bitten by an adder while searching for clues. Agatha’s self-confidence ebbs, but as usual, she keeps stirring the pot until something happens.

Beaton may not supply a great mystery this time out, but as usual, the many amusing characters make it a hoot.