Agatha Raisin is back! Need I say more? 

Okay, apparently I do. Coming home from an uncomfortable dinner party, vicar Rory Deere and his wife Molly of the village of Sumpton Harcourt discover one of their parishioners hanging from the large and sinister-looking tree in the middle of the town. Called the witches' tree, its dark and spooky image has haunted villagers for years, and now it's become the centerpiece of what the local police are calling a murder. 

While Rory is feeling guilty for letting his parishioner down, his wife is more interested in getting to the bottom of the mystery. And who better to call on at a time like that than private detective Agatha Raisin? A sharp woman with a fondness for strong men and a head for business and finding answers, Agatha has been known to get to the bottom of a murder before, much to the chagrin of the local police. 

It doesn't take long before word gets out that she's on the case, and the threats get too close to home. But that's not enough to dissuade Agatha from finding out what she can from the local villagers, looking into the life of the spinster Margaret Darby and why anyone might want to murder an elderly woman and hang her body from the witches' tree. 

Amid rumors of witchcraft and the eerie atmosphere of the Cotswolds during the raining season, M. C. Beaton's The Witches' Tree is the perfect book to pick up and read in October. Agatha Raisin is captivating, and this is the ideal way to get into that Halloween mood. Very highly recommended for mystery lovers! 

(And then, don't forget to watch the wonderful Agatha Raisin mysteries on Acorn TV as well as on some local PBS stations. It's fantastic, with perfect casting and wonderful performances!)

Galleys for The Witches' Tree were provided by Minotaur Books (St. Martin's Press) through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.