KILLING TIME

Agatha Raisin is bedeviled by murders past and present in the Cotswolds.

Sir Charles Fraith, who knows how to get Agatha’s attention, tells her about a murder that took place in 1660. He wants Agatha, a former star in public relations, to stage a big event to introduce Château Barfield wines, and since he knows she can never resist a puzzle, he uses that historical murder to tempt her into helping. Signing on, Agatha enlists the help of her friend Roy Silver, another PR expert with a stylish flair. Agatha already has plenty to do with her detective agency, but her excellent staff can hold things together while she works on the project. In the meantime, a number of break-ins have puzzled the police, and the Mircester Chamber of Commerce hires her firm to find the culprits. Because she thinks of adding an auction to the Barfield extravaganza, Agatha accompanies the antique dealer Mr. Tinkler to an auction, where she gets carried away by the fierce bidding on a clock that she’s determined to make her own. Keeping the clock in his shop for his twin brother to repair, Mr. Tinkler hands it over just before he’s murdered. Agatha promptly begins to get death threats in the form of puzzles, adding to her list of things to solve. She takes time to go meet her lover, John Glass, a retired police officer who works on a cruise ship as a dance instructor, but leaves in a rage when his dance partner intimates that they’re more than just colleagues. Returning home, she concentrates on all her cases and eventually solves them in surprising ways.

Agatha is always a hoot, but behind the extravagant exterior lie a clever mind and an iron will.