Hot to Trot: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, 31)

Agatha Raisin doesn’t want to admit that the marriage of her friend and once-lover Sir Charles Fraith is getting her down. She might be over him romantically but she can’t stand the bride-to-be. An obnoxious upstart as far as she’s concerned. After an unsuccessful attempt to crash the wedding, she tries again to attend a masked ball uninvited. The only trouble is, as she’s leaving, albeit, after an altercation with the new wife Mary, that very same woman is found dead in the stables. Now both Agatha and Charles are suspected of murder. It will be up to Agatha to get them both out of another mess. But before she can do that, she’ll have to confront her feelings about he ex-husband James who’s recently returned to the village as well.

I absolutely adore this series. And I loved Hot to Trot. Agatha is her usual cranky self in this installment, but she’s also lovable, vulnerable, and loyal to the core where her friends are concerned. Mrs. Beaton had a writing style that brought new meaning to the cozy novel with fun, compelling mysteries full of enticing, charming settings, and a raft of characters you couldn’t help but love. Sadly, Mrs. Beaton passed away in 2019.