Agatha Raisin's ex-husband James has become engaged to a beautiful young woman, and Agatha has been kindly invited to the wedding. This is a difficult pill to swallow, so to take her mind off it, Agatha begins a flirtation with Sylvan, a Frenchman she met at James's engagement party. She also decides to holiday in Istanbul, where unfortunately, she bumps into James and his fiancée, not once but twice - convincing him...
Lord Bellingham, Carsely's biggest landholder, has enraged locals by saying he is going to sell off their allotments to make way for a new housing development. So when he turns up dead, poisoned by antifreeze, nobody mourns his passing ... Agatha is introduced to three old-timers Harry Perry, Bunty Daventry and Josephine Merriweather, whilst visiting the Carsley’s allotments. They are lamenting the neglected...