Hiss and Hers by M. C. Beaton, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Agatha Raisin is looking forward to retirement, but she doesn't want to spend it alone. When the man of her dreams, George Marston — over six feet tall with green eyes and blond hair streaked with grey — moves into her little Cotswold village, she sets her sights upon winning him over. Alas, she's not the only one with eyes for the new man in town … but apparently someone doesn't want him living happily ever after, in Hiss and Hers, the 23rd mystery in this series by M. C. Beaton.

A handyman by trade, George is Mr. Fixit to every eligible woman in town. And even a few not-so-eligible. Not to be deterred, Agatha coordinates a Charity Ball and insists that he have the first dance with her. To her surprise, he agrees. But when George doesn't show up for the dance, she's determined to know why. He does have a good reason, however: he's dead, buried in his compost file with a bag tied around his head, a snake bite having killed him. Agatha sets aside retirement and using the resources of her private investigation agency digs right in to solve the crime … against the orders of the police, of course.

Hiss and Hers is a joy to read, an English village mystery replete with everything that makes this form of crime novel such a pleasure. The employees of Agatha's agency, who play a prominent role here, round out a cast of interesting characters that include a number "old bird" suspects, who may have wanted to see George dead before seeing him with a younger woman. Even after twenty years — the first "Agatha Raisin" mystery, The Quiche of Death, was published in 1992 — this long-running series continues to entertain readers.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Hiss and Hers.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of Hiss and Hers for this review.

Death of a Witch
Grand Central (Hardcover), February 2009
ISBN-13: 9780446196130; ISBN-10: 0446196134

Death of a Policeman
Grand Central (Hardcover), February 2014
ISBN-13: 9781455504732; ISBN-10: 1455504734

Hiss and Hers

An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M. C. Beaton