Pushing Up Daisies: An Agatha Raisin Mystery    by M. C. Beaton Order:  USA  Can Minotaur, 2016 (2016) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Private detective Agatha Raisin lives in the village of Carsely, in the Cotswolds (a small place that generates a remarkable number of dead bodies!) Middle aged Agatha, who has quite a libido, will not slide easily into old age. And, though surrounded by ex-lovers, she's always open to a new one. Sadly, romance is not easy for her to find in Pushing Up Daisies, though there are (as always) corpses in spades, all centered on a shared allotment in the village, that is under threat from the landowner, Lord Bellington, who plans to sell it to a developer. And 'the Hatfields and McCoys have nothing on this lot when it comes to feuds.' As the story opens, Agatha has her eye on a retired New Scotland Yard detective who has settled in the village. He has no interest in her, but her old friend Charles Fraith (whom she had come to regard 'as her property') is very present in this episode, and often very critical of Agatha's choices. But of course, and despite our interest in the lead's entertaining antics, this is a mystery. Lord Bellington is murdered, soon followed by another killing and yet another attempt at one. The baron's son Damian hires Agatha's firm to investigate and she starts digging, to the dismay of some local authorities. The mystery is mediocre but Agatha is always fun as she stubbornly goes her own way, ignoring the wise counsel of well meaning friends. She has a fling (soon regretted) with a much younger employee, uncovers a trove of smuggled diamonds, recovers a giant stolen marrow named Bertha, and ends up in Madeira. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews