Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden (Agatha Raisin Mysteries, No. 9)

SUMMARY: Eye of newt, toe of frog . . . and murder most foul!Left with bald patches thanks to the wicked doings of a murderer from a previous investigation, Agatha flees to coastal Wyckhadden to re-grow her lost locks. With hair tonic supplied by a local witch, Agatha_s tresses begin to flow _ but the witch is found bludgeoned to death. The odd elderly residents of Agatha_s elegantly faded hotel seem innocuous, but as she delves deeper she discovers secrets best left and powerful motives for revenge. Balancing the amorous attentions of police inspector Jimmy Jessop with an ever more treacherous search for the killer, Agatha is at her wits_ end _ and ready to cast a spell of her own . . .Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:'Sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non-PC, M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure' Anne Robinson'M.C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly'The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshing, sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine.' Booklist

In order to recuperate from her last escapade and re-grow some hair, Agatha Raisin goes on holiday to the seaside town of Wyckhadden. However, the holiday is not what Agatha hoped for. The weather is crummy, all five of her fellow hotel guests are elderly, and time hangs heavy. A chance discussion with a fellow guest leads her to the door of Francie Juddle, a local woman who claims to have the power of witchcraft. Agatha is not impressed with Francie, but does buy a hair potion and a love potion.

That same night, Agatha sets out to visit Francie and accuse her of fraud. Agatha walks into the cottage unannounced and discovers a very dead witch. The police, in the form of handsome officer Jimmy Jessop, bring her in for questioning and request that she stay in town.

Agatha does so because it is apparent to her that one of the hotel guests must be the killer. Her use of the love potion on Jimmy Jessop yields surprising results. When another murder occurs and Agatha finds herself the center not of danger but of amour, she realizes that there may just be a future for her in Wyckhadden.

Chicago Sun-Times

Beaton has a winnner in the irrespressible, romance-hungry Agatha.

There is nothing more depressing for a middle-aged lovelorn woman with bald patches on her head than to find herself in an English seaside resort out of season. Agatha Raisin, her hair falling out after a run-in with a hairdresser-cum-murderess from a previous investigation, travels to an old-fashioned hotel in order to repair the damage away from the neighbors in her all-too-cozy Cotswolds village. Unhappy about the slow results and prompted by the elderly residents of the resort, she consults the local witch for help. Agatha purchases a hair tonic (and a love potion, just in case!) and is soon sprouting hairs and capturing the fancy of the village police inspector. But the quiet town is stunned by the murder of the witch. Which one of the graying guests is capable of such a brutal crime? The brassy yet endearing Agatha won't stop until she finds the culprit--and, of course, a little love, too After being shaved bald during a previous case, Agatha Raisin goes to a seaside resort and enlists the aid of a local witch to grow her hair back, putting her right in the middle of things when the witch is found dead. Reprint. Sleuth Agatha Raisin, rendered half-bald by a revengeful hairdresser, travels to a British seaside town to recuperate. But her holiday is spoiled by the murder of two local witches