Insufferable Lord Bellington winds up dead after threatening to turn the community garden in Agatha Raisin's Cotswold village into a housing estate, and his son, Damian—in fact the chief suspect—hires Agatha to find the killer. Then police stumble across another body, and Agatha joins forces with handsome newcomer Gerald, conveniently a retired detective, to figure out what's happening. From New York Times best-selling author Beaton.

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.)