As The Pig Turns

We're talking pig roasts here.  But wait!  That's not a pig on the spit in picturesque Winter Parva in the cozy Cotswolds; pigs don't have tattoos.  Good thing Agatha Raisin is on hand to spot the telltale heart tattoo in As The Pig Turns (#169).  M.C. Beaton's heroine is not the most likeable person with her small bearlike eyes and howls of indignation when anyone questions her motives too closely, but she is always highly entertaining.  She does have some soft spots, too, or we wouldn't care enough to keep reading about Agatha's adventures. 

In this case, Agatha is a prime suspect.  The victim turns out to be a cop nobody has a good word for, and whom Agatha was heard publicly threatening after he gives her an unfair traffic ticket.  Only thing is, his ex-wife has hired Agatha's agency to find the murderer(s), so she can hardly not be involved in the case.  But whoever is responsible makes it clear to the members of Agatha's staff that they mean business.  Meanwhile, her bright young assistant Toni is upset about Agatha's interference with her love life.  Agatha isn't doing too well on the front, either, if truth is to be told. 

Agatha manages to do a good deed for a true friend, even if it's not accomplished with the suavity she hoped for, and events in the epilogue show a new direction for Agatha's obsession with totally unsuitable men.  Can't wait for the next installment!  Always a fun read.