M. C Beaton

"Gloria French was a jolly widow with dyed blonde hair, a raucous laugh and rosy cheeks. When she first moved from London to the charming Cotswolds Hills, she was heartily welcomed. She seemed a do-gooder par excellence, raising funds for the church and caring for the elderly. But she had a nasty habit of borrowing things and not giving them back, just small things, a teapot here, a set of silverware there. So it's quite the shock when she is found...

"Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton's cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin-the star of her own hit T.V. series-is back on the case again in Down the Hatch. Private detective Agatha Raisin, having recently taken up power-walking, is striding along a path in Mircester Park during her lunch break when she hears a cry for help. Rushing over, she finds an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Swinburn, in the middle of the green-with the body of an old man...

He was a hairdresser to dye for.

The local ladies all deem Mr. John a wizard, so when Agatha finds a few grey hairs on her head—and the rinse she tries at home turns her hair purple—she makes a beeline for the handsome Evesham hairdresser. And as well as sorting out her hair it soon becomes clear the charming man also has designs on her heart—but their budding romance is cut short when Mr. John is fatally poisoned in his

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Agatha Raisin believes the new village vet has taken a shine to her, but before romance can bloom, he accidentally kills himself.--

In the first story, Agatha is alarmed when her new wizard of a hairdresser seems keen to take on more than just her split ends. She soon discovers that everyone in his salon has a secret, and that he practices a very dark magic indeed. However, James refuses to help. Has he really ceased to care for her? In the second story, after pursuing him for nearly four years, Agatha is finally about to marry James Lacey, the handsome Colonel next door. But...