A Spoonful of Poison (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No 19) (U)

THIS TIME, SHE S GOT HERSELF IN A JAMAgatha Raisin s detective agency has become so successful that now all she wants is some R t know what to do with it. So it doesn t take much for the vicar of a nearby village to persuade her to help publicize the church f te especially when the fair s organizer, George Selby, happens to be a gorgeous widower. Problem is Several of the offerings in the jam-tasting booth turn out to be poisoned and the festive family event soon becomes a murder scene. Now Agatha must uncover the truth behind the jam tampering and expose the nasty secrets lurking in the seemingly innocent village all while falling for handsome George, who may just have some secrets of his own.Publishers WeeklyWhen elderly Mrs. Andrews blithely jumps to her death off the tower of Saint Odo the Severe during a church charity event in the Cotswolds village of Comfrey Magna, LSD-laced jam proves to be the cause in bestseller Beaton's saucy 19th Agatha Raisin mystery (after 2007's Kissing Christmas Goodbye). Agatha joins the local authorities in the investigation, which focuses on the six women who contributed jam to the church fete, including wealthy Sybilla Triast-Perkins. Agatha and Toni Gilmour, her young detective-in-training, soon find unmasking the lethal jam poisoner complicated by Sybilla's sudden suicide and a murder connected to the theft of the fete's proceeds. Beaton's sly humor enhances the cozy-style plotting, while updates on Agatha's and Toni's respective romantic travails are delightful as ever. The open-ended resolution points to more madcap mayhem to come. (Oct.)Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.