Dishing the Dirt

Publishers Weekly 07/13/2015 Jealousy prompts Agatha Raisin to visit therapist Jill Devant, who has attracted the attention of Agatha’s ex-husband, James Lacey, in bestseller Beaton’s lively 26th cozy featuring the remarkably intuitive private detective (after 2014’s The Blood of an Englishman). The session at Jill’s office in Carsely, the scenic Cotswolds village where Agatha resides, doesn’t go well, since Jill accuses Agatha of lying about her past. Agatha has further reason to resent Jill because Jill is counseling Gwen Simple, who Agatha is convinced was an accessory to murder in her previous case. When someone strangles Jill, gossip suggests that Agatha was involved, given her quite public disdain for the therapist. Agatha, aided by her loyal team of investigators, sets out to prove her innocence, but as usual her penchant for allowing handsome suitors to distract her complicates her search for the killer. Fans of traditional English mysteries who appreciate oddball sleuths will be rewarded. Agent: Barbara Lowenstein, Lowenstein Associates. (Sept.)