A SPOONFUL OF POISON: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
M. C. Beaton
St. Martin's Minotaur
Mystery
ISBN: 9780312349127
What more charming setting could there be than a tiny stone village in the heart of the English Cotswolds? M. C. Beaton has a winning recipe when she adds in amateur sleuth Agatha Raisin and her supporting staff of old friends, current employees and hopefully a future beau. Nothing slows Agatha Raisin down when it comes to romance.
“Agatha’s Perception of beauty….was prompted by her hormones. If only Agatha hadn’t seen that handsome man…”
When Agatha is approached to handle a bit of public relations for a neighboring town’s annual church fete, she decisively says no --- until she catches sight of George Selby. Then she quickly changes her mind. Despite the fact that business at her detective agency is overly brisk, she is about to let a handsome man add to her already hectic schedule. Hoping to be looked at as more than a PR person by this green-eyed bachelor, Agatha jumps in with enthusiasm and a head full of wonderful ideas to make this year’s fundraiser at St. Odo the Severe in Comfrey Magna something to remember. In that goal, she is successful. Someone laced several jars of jam entered in the local competition, which causes a couple of deaths and a number of very sick attendees. Now Agatha’s detective agency has a new case: catch the killer.
Keeping George in her crosshairs, Agatha enlists the aid of her youngest detective, Toni, to help her track down the person who poisoned the church fete jam. She soon finds that there is no shortage of suspects. Several of the town’s women seem to have plausible motives, including winning the affections of George Selby. The little hamlet of Comfrey Magna has more secrets than it has citizens, and Agatha exposes a few that put her in grave danger. It appears possible that the killer has struck again when one of the ladies who Agatha and Toni interviewed ends up dead in what looks like a suicide. But is it?
Before the tragedy that ruined the village celebration, the church had raked in much more than it had in past years, a large enough sum that the vicar worries where to put it for safe keeping. Trouble follows the money, and Agatha ends up with even more on her hands. Now she needs to find the killer and the missing loot.
Meanwhile, the cast of characters grows. Sir Charles Fraith, whom Agatha blithely overlooks as a serious candidate for romance, drops in on her now and then, occasionally spending the night at her home. He may have even saved her life this time. At the very least, he saved her some embarrassment. An ex-employee of the agency, Jimmy, takes an interest in pretty young Toni, causing her some uncomfortable moments. And a few others weave themselves in and out of the story to complicate Agatha’s days and her solving of the mystery.
A SPOONFUL OF POISON simply defines the British cozy. As the tension ratchets up, so does the love interest level. And along the way, readers are treated to a glimpse of the quaint countryside that comprises the beautiful Cotswolds. It doesn’t get much better than that.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
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