Down the Hatch

Beloved New York Times bestselling author M. C. Beaton’s cranky and crafty Agatha Raisin is back on the case in Down the Hatch.

Having recently taken up power-walking, private detective Agatha Raisin is enjoying a lunchtime stroll through Mircester Park when she hears cries for help. Rushing to investigate, she discovers an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Swinburn, standing beside the body of a dead man.

The victim, known locally as “the Admiral,” was a gardener with a reputation for heavy drinking. The coroner rules that he died from poisoning, and Chief Inspector Wilkes quickly concludes that the death was a tragic accident caused by weedkiller stored in a rum bottle.

Agatha isn’t convinced. Still, she returns to her work at Raisin Investigations until an anonymous tip suggests that the Admiral’s death was anything but accidental.

When local gossip accuses the Swinburns of murder due to a long-running feud at their social club, the distressed couple ask Agatha to clear their names. Despite warnings from the police, she agrees to investigate.

As Agatha digs into the Admiral’s past, she encounters a series of suspicious characters and uncovers a web of secrets, grudges, and hidden motives. Then the case turns personal when someone runs her off the road, nearly killing her.

With another attack soon following, Agatha realizes that someone is determined to keep the truth buried—and will go to any lengths to stop her from uncovering it.