I really enjoy the violet eyed,widowed character of Mrs Pargeter.  In this installment, she is still trying to continue her husband’s “philanthropy” and it involves her in quite a tangled web of stolen identities, gun running, kidnapping, a wedding and a funeral.  For people not familiar with Mrs. Pargeter, I’d suggest reading the series in order to get a sense of the recurring characters and the relationships among them all.  There are some very strong pokes here at certain anti-immigrant right-wing British political groups and the usual fun with class distinctions and Mrs. Pargeter’s views on her husband’s legacy.  Fun mystery read with a great character at the helm.

Hiss and Hers is Agatha Raisin #23 and it picks right up where #22, As the Pig Turns,  left off, with Agatha pursuing (in a romantic sense) the new gardener in the village.  As is to be expected by now, Agatha’s romantic affairs do not go smoothly or happily.  The desired affair  meets a particularly nasty end involving adders, hence the hiss in the title.  Agatha, with the help of her team, investigates to solve who the adder-happy killer is before she ends up bitten.  Great installment in the series and seemingly to me at least, a lighter turn after the last book which was quite dark!