A village-wide squabble in Ancombe over the selling of water rights results in the death of Parish Council Chairman Robert Struthers. Agatha, on a PR job for the water company, tries to put the matter out of her mind. But as the body count rises, she finds herself drawn into the fray. Synopsis - Passions are running high in the otherwise sleepy village of Ancombe, where a spat over the selling of historic water rights has re-opened old wounds. When the fusty Parish Council Chairman Robert Struthers is found murdered at the foot of the wellspring, it pulls into the frame pub owners ANDY and ANGELA BUCKLEY, single mother JULIA OWEN, and local farmer RON ALLEN as possible suspects for his death. In need of improved public relations and embarrassed by the incident, the water company, Ancombe Water, hires Agatha Raisin on freelance basis to repair their tattered image. Whilst Agatha is more concerned about the job in hand, spurred on by the romantic advances of charming company owner GUY FREEMONT, her rivalry with MARY FORTUNE deepens, as she and James Lacey begin an amateur investigation of their own. As the body count rises, and tensions within the village fray further, Agatha makes a crucial mistake, missing a secret hidden under her nose.
