Agatha Raisin is back, taking charge of her detective agency by scoping out cheating partners, taking on corporate spying, and busting ghosts. Agatha Raisin Investigations is doing well, as is Aggie herself.

Until she hears the news.

Her friend, neighbor, and sometimes something more, Sir Charles Fraith is getting married. His bride, Mary Darlinda Brown-Field, is lovely, loaded, and entirely hateful. She makes enemies wherever she goes, but her parents have millions of pounds, and they have made a deal with Sir Charles to grace his estate with more than enough to help keep the lights on in exchange for his name and an entrée to English society.

But when a masquerade ball turns into a murder scene, with Lady Mary playing the victim, it is Agatha and Charles that the local police chief want to arrest for he crime.

Agatha knows that the only way to clear her name is to investigate the crime herself, so she brings every resource she has to find the truth. As Mary had been dressed by her killer in her riding gear, Agatha feels like she needs to start the hunt among Mary’s show-jumping competitors. Tracking them down takes her across the English countryside and all the way to Bordeaux, but Agatha learns about the world of horse shows and Mary’s place in it.

In true Aggie fashion, she helps rescue a stables that Mary had tried to destroy, solves the crime, saves the day, and finds herself the object of affection of three different men and two cats. It’s just another day in Agatha’s world, but for us, it’s another delightful trip to the Cotswolds for a little murder, a little romance, a lot of wine, and lot of fun with Agatha Raisin and her adventures.

Hot to Trot is the 31st book in the Agatha Raisin series, and although we lost our beloved M.C. Beaton last year, the series goes on through the words of Marion’s hand-chosen writer for Agatha, R.W. Green. (In his forward, he talks about the magic of working with Ms. Beaton. Even if you’re not one to read the extra material in a book, be sure not to miss this to see what she saw in her friend Rod Green and how much it meant to him to be chosen to continue this series). Fans of the Agatha Raisin books and of the television series will continue to fall in love with the amateur Miss Marple as she solves crimes in the English countryside and leaves broken hearts behind her wherever she goes.

I was really honored to get to read this in advance, and I loved every moment I got to spend with Agatha again. She feels like an old friend now, and getting a chance to follow along on her latest investigation is always such a treat. I loved Hot to Trot. I love the peaceful English setting, the wonderfully drawn characters, and especially the way Agatha has of pulling the rug out from under people when they least expect it. She is my hero, and I am so grateful to M.C. Beaton for making sure that her story will continue! We are all the better for having more Agatha Raisin books to read.

Egalleys for Hot to Trot were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.