On a whim, Agatha Raisin decides to leave London to taste the delights of an early retirement in a peaceful village in the Costwolds, where she soon becomes bored. Showing off her cordon-bleu talents at the parish cooking competition should make her popular. But at the first bite of her superb quiche, the referee of the competition collapses and Agatha must reveal the bitter truth: she bought the fatal quiche from a caterer. To exculpate herself, there is only one solution: get hands-on and unmask the assassin herself. Agatha Raisin is a modern-day Miss Marple. A fearless fifty-something, smokes like a firefighter and drinks dry.