Hiss and Hers

July 16, 2012
Bestseller Beaton’s disappointing 23rd Agatha Raisin mystery (after 2011’s As the Pig Turns) finds Agatha moony over gardener George Marston, a former soldier who relocated to the Cotswolds after he was wounded in Afghanistan. After a ball in the village of Carsely, Agatha finds George’s body buried in his compost heap, a bag tied around his head. George’s sister hires Agatha and her detective agency to investigate the murder, which was caused by adders biting him inside the bag. To Agatha’s chagrin, she discovers that George was stringing along several women, including one who is mentally unstable and claiming to be his fiancée. Another death and the abduction of Agatha and her associate, Toni, are tangential to Agatha’s romantic problems, as her ex-husband, James Lacey, and friend Sir Charles Fraith remain in her orbit. Agatha’s foolish behavior, a painfully obvious culprit, and disjointed storytelling make this an outing for only the most devoted fans—and those celebrating the series’ 20th anniversary. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein.