M.C. Beaton: Pushing Up Daisies (USA 2017)

From the Publisher:
Some truths won't stay buried...
Agatha Raisin, private detective and resident in the Cotswold village of Carsely, isn't wild about wealthy land developer Lord Bellington's plans to turn a community garden into a housing estate. So she attempts to change his mind. "Do you think I give a damn about what a lot of pesky villagers want?" he scoffs. Two weeks later, Bellington's obituary turns up in the newspaper. The villagers are relieved to learn that his son and heir, Damian, has no interest in continuing his father's development plans. The only problem? The police think that Damian is behind Bellington's death. Now it's up to Agatha to dig up the truth. The good news is that a handsome retired detective named Gerald will help Agatha with the investigation. The bad: He's been seen around town kissing someone else. Soon, another murder further entangles Agatha and Gerald in a growing web of intrigue as they work to uncover the killer's identity... before more bodies end up in the dirt.

"Beaton has a foolproof plot for the village mystery." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Agatha Raisin is in top form...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." -- Publishers Weekly

M.C. Beaton: Pushing Up Daisies. The truth won't stay buried. An Agatha Raisin Mystery. St. Martin's Paperbacks, ISBN: 9781250057457 (August, 2017), 298 p., $7.99.

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin - Pushing Up Daisies (UK 2017)

From the Publisher:
Allotment Wars!
Lord Bellington, Carsley's biggest landholder, has enraged locals with his plans to sell off their allotments to make way for a new housing development. So when he turns up dead, nobody mourns his passing.

On another fine summer's day, Agatha visits Carsley's allotments where she is introduced to three old-timers who have just taken over a new strip: Harry Perry, Bunty Daventry and Josephine Merriweather, who are lamenting the neglected condition of the patch. But as Harry starts to shovel, his spade comes across something hard...

The body is that of Peta Currie, a newcomer to the village - but who would want to murder her? Blonde and beautiful, she's everyone's favourite. And then Lord Bellington's son engages Agatha to do some digging of her own, throwing Agatha into a world of petty feuds. jealousies and disputes over land. It would seem that far from being tiny gardens of Eden, Carsley's allotments are local battlefields where passions - and the bodycount - run high!

Praise for M.C. Beaton
'The detective novels of M.C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status.' -- The Times
'Like The Archers on speed' -- Daily Mail

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin - Pushing Up Daisies. Queen of the Village Mystery. Constable, ISBN: 9781472117342 (April, 2017), 232 p., £7.99.

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin - Pushing Up Daisies (UK 2016)

From the Publisher:
Allotment wars!
Lord Bellington has enraged locals by saying he is going to sell off their allotments to make way for a new housing development. So when he turns up dead, poisoned by antifreeze, nobody mourns his passing.

On another fine summer's day, Agatha visits Carsley's allotments where everything looks peaceful and perfect: people of all ages digging in the soil and working hard to grow their own fruit and veg. Agatha feels almost tempted to take on a strip herself... but common sense soon prevails. She doesn't really like getting her hands dirty.

She is introduced to three keen gardeners; Harry Perry, Bunty Daventry and Josephine Merriweather are lamenting the neglected condition of a patch that has become available. But as Harry starts to shovel through the weeds and grass his spade comes across something hard so he bends down and tries to move the object. And then he starts to yell...

The body is that of Peta Currie, a newcomer to the village -- but who would want to murder her? Blonde and beautiful, she's every local male's favourite. And then Lord Bellington's son engages Agatha to do some digging of her own and very soon Agatha is thrown into a world of petty feuds, jealousies and disputes over land. It would seem that far from being tiny gardens of Eden, Carsley's allotments are local battlefields where passions -- and the bodycount -- run high!

M.C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin - Pushing Up Daisies. Queen of the Village Mystery. Constable, ISBN: 9781472117212 (September, 2016), 232 p., £14.99.

M.C. Beaton: Pushing Up Daisies (USA 2016)

From the Publisher:
Agatha Raisin, private detective, resident in the Cotswold village of Carsely, should have been a contented and happy woman...
But in M.C. Beaton's Pushing Up Daisies, things are about to get a little less cozy. Lord Bellington, a wealthy land developer, wants to turn the community garden into a housing estate. And when Agatha and her friend Sir Charles Fraith attempt to convince Lord Bellington to abandon his plans, he scoffs, "Do you think I give a damn about what a lot of pesky villagers want?" So it's no surprise that some in the town are feeling celebratory when Agatha finds his obituary in the newspaper two weeks later.

The villagers are relieved to learn that Bellington's son and heir, Damian, has no interest in continuing his father's development plans. Except the death was apparently murder, and the police see Damian as suspect number one--though Agatha finds plenty of others when he hires her to find the real killer. The good news is that a handsome retired detective named Gerald has recently moved to town. Too bad he was seen kissing another newcomer...

Soon, another murder further entangles Gerald and Agatha in a growing web of intrigue as they work with her team of detectives work to uncover the killer's identity.

M.C. Beaton: Pushing Up Daisies. An Agatha Raisin Mystery. Minotaur Books, ISBN: 9781250057440 (September, 2016), 280 p., $25.99, eBook $12.99.