Beating About the Bush: An Agatha Raisin Mystery

After being hired by a company that manufactures batteries for electric cars to find the source of an arson attack, Agatha finds a severed leg in the bushes by the roadside. When the police arrive, they discover that it is a fake leg. This sad prank manages to damage Agatha’s reputation as a serious private investigator. When an employee of the company does turn up dead, no one. least of all, the police believe it’s murder. But Agatha has no doubt. While trying to prove it was murder and not an accident, she also learns her long-time friend and sometime beau Charles Fraith is engaged to another woman. With mixed feelings for him, her emotions are thrown for a loop. Trying not to dwell on it, she decides to focus on the case at hand even if the trail of her investigation puts her in danger.

M.C. Beaton has managed to present another fun and well-crafted mystery featuring the cranky but lovable Agatha Raisin. Her Casley village has a cozy network of friends that never let her down, except maybe her ex-husband and next-door neighbor James. Nevertheless, she is prepared to soldier on until she finds a killer or two. So grab a cup of tea and get comfortable while you follow along in Beating About the Bush.