M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body (UK 2016)

From the Publisher:
Sunday's not a day for rest but for murder!
Agatha Raisin has never been one for enforced holiday cheer, but her friendly little village of Carsely has always prided itself on its traditional Christmas festivities. But this year the bells will not be ringing out Silent Night as Mr John Sunday, an officer with the Cotswold Health and Safety Board, has chosen Christmas as the time to crack down on what he sees as gross misconduct by every man, woman and child in the vicinity.

But finally Mr Sunday goes too far when he rules that there cannot be a Christmas tree atop the church tower this year. Soon after the decree, and just before Christmas. Agatha is sipping a cup of tea and trying to stay awake, as minute by minute of the Carsely Ladies Society meeting at the vicarage drones on, when a sudden scream wakes her from her stupor. The ladies rush out of the building and into the garden to find Sunday lying face down on the ground, very much dead. Agatha is instantly on the case, but with so many people having threatened the life of the victim, it's almost impossible to know where to start!

Praise for M.C. Beaton
'The detective novels of M.C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status' -- The Times
'I'm not sure I wouldn't back Agatha against Jack Reacher in a fight. She has the ruthlessness. The cunning. And the poisoned quiche' -- Daily Telegraph

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body. Queen of the Village Mystery. Constable, ISBN: 9781472121455 (October, 2016), 244 p., £7.99.

M.C. Beaton: Busy Body (USA 2011)

From the Publisher:
This Christmas, be careful what you wish for...
Cranky yet lovable Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, though her cozy village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. Until now. This year, local Health and Safety Board officer John Sunday is threatening to undo some of Carsely's most time-honored traditions. The tree on top of the church? A public menace. The decorations hanging on the lampposts? Hazardous. Even May Dinwoody's homemade toys are deemed unsafe for the children. Bah humbug! The Carsely Ladies Society is in an uproar and will do anything to put a stop to this Scrooge -- only to find that someone else has done it for them... with a kitchen knife. Soon Agatha's detective agency is on the case. But when a man has made as many enemies as Mr. John Sunday, it's hard to know where to start -- or how to stop the killer from striking again.

"Beaton does a brilliant job... Agatha's struggles... continue to tantalize." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Agatha scores again with a cunning mix of satire and mystery." -- Kirkus Reviews

M.C. Beaton: Busy Body. An Agatha Raisin Mystery. St. Martin's Paperbacks, ISBN: 9780312536503 (October, 2011), 294 p., $7.99.

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body (UK 2011)

From the Publisher:
Christmas falls on a Sunday...
A blood-curdling scream stirs Agatha Raisin from her surreptitious slumbers at the Christmas meeting of Carsely's Ladies' Society. In a holly bush in the vicarage grounds, Mr Sunday, an officer from the local health and safety board, is found dead. It seems his latest ruling against a Christmas tree atop the church tower may have been the last straw for the health-and-safety-hounded villagers.

If festive cheer is to return to Carsely, Agatha must find the killer fast. But with so many people having threatened the life of the victim, it's almost impossible to know where to start!

'M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure... Agatha Raisin is the strongest link.' -- Anne Robinson
'The Miss Marple-like Agatha is a refreshingly sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine.' -- Booklist

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body. Better Health and Safety than Sorrow... Robinson, ISBN: 9781849015998 (April, 2011), 294 p., £6.99.

M.C. Beaton: Busy Body (USA 2010)

From the Publisher:
"M.C. Beaton has a foolproof plot for the village mystery." -- The New York Times Book Review
Cranky yet lovable Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, but her cozy little village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. But this year Mr. John Sunday, a self-important officer with the Health and Safety Board, has ruled that the tra- ditional tree on top of the church is a public menace; that lampposts are unsafe for hanging illuminations; that May Dinwoody's homemade toys are danger- ous for children...

Things have reached such a desperate pass that the Carsely Ladies' Society joins forces with the ladies in the neighboring village of Odley Gruesis to try to put a stop to Mr. Sunday's meddling -- only to find that someone has literally put a stop to him with a kitchen knife. Agatha's detective agency is on the case, but when a man has made as many enemies as John Sunday, it's hard to know where to start -- or how to stop the killer from striking again.

M.C. Beaton: Busy Body. An Agatha Raisin Mystery. Minotaur Books, ISBN: 9780312387013 (October, 2010), 277 p., $24.99.

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body (UK 2010)

From the Publisher:
Agatha Raisin has never been one for enforced holiday cheer, but her friendly little village of Carsely has always prided itself on its traditional Christmas festivities. But this year the bells will not be ringing out Silent Night as Mr John Sunday, an officer with the Cotswold Health and Safety Board, has chosen Christmas as the time to crack down what he sees as gross misconduct by every man, woman, and child in the vicinity.

The village shop is told it can no longer have wooden shelves which have been there since the time of Queen Victoria 'in case someone is inflicted with a splinter.' The village school is ordered to leave lights on at night 'to prevent unauthorized intruders from tripping in the dark.' And children are warned to not play with "counterfeit banknotes" after passing around toy money in the playground.

But finally Mr Sunday goes too far when he rules that there cannot be a Christmas tree atop the church tower this year. Soon after the decree and just before Christmas, Agatha is sipping a cup of tea and trying to stay awake as minute by minute of the Carsely Ladies Society meeting at the vicarage drones on when a sudden scream wakes her from her stupor. The ladies rush out of the building and into the garden to find Sunday lying face down in the petunias, very much dead. Agatha is instantly on the case, but with so many people having threatened the life of the victim, it's almost impossible to know where to start!

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body. Better Health and Safety than Sorrow... Constable, ISBN: 9781845299545 (September, 2010), 199 p., £14.99.