About the Book
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 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 body count – run high!
My Review
Pushing up Daisies is number 27 in the Agatha Raisin series and the first that I have read. It is a series that I knew nothing about apart from once being told that Agatha is like a Miss Marple who liked a drink and had plenty of boyfriends.
It is very much ‘cosy crime’. There were quite a few murders, all with different methods but no gory details, no forensics or evidence gathering. Most of the investigation involved Agatha shouting at everybody and the police shouting at Agatha.
With not knowing the series I did struggle slightly, not being familiar with the characters or their relationships. There appeared to be an ex-husband and an on/off boyfriend amongst Agatha’s employees.
A very much lighter novel to what I usually read but it is a series that I can dip in and out of in the future when I fancy something a little lighter.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
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