AGATHA RAISIN, having spent years clawing her way to the top of the cutthroat world of public relations, is tiring of the high life. Pining for a more peaceful existence in friendlier locales, she leaves London, opting for early retirement in the picturesque idyll of the Cotswolds. She settles in Carsely - an outwardly sleepy village in scenic surroundings - and attempts to curry favor with the locals, cheating her way into a quiche-making competition with an entry purchased from an urban deli. But the gambit spectacularly backfires when the philandering judge, Major Andy Cummings-Browne, is found poisoned from a killer quiche. The offending crust? 'Cooked' by Agatha. Finding herself ostracized and shunned in the village, Agatha begins an amateur investigation into the death, applying the skills she would usually reserve for a thorny PR campaign to get at the truth of the matter. Outspoken, opinionated and never afraid to speak her mind, regardless of the consequences, Agatha shakes up the tranquil world of Carsely, unearthing hidden secrets as she goes. With her cleaner Gemma Simpson, lovelorn local policeman Bill Wong and faithful former assistant Roy Silver in tow, she's determined to wring out the truth - hoping to salvage her reputation, and dreams of a perfect life, in the process.
