One of the many elderly residents at the Garden Hotel tells Agatha that she should consult the local witch about her hair problem. Agatha is skeptical but decides to visit the witch anyway. For an outrageous price, Agatha gets her hands on some hair tonic and a love potion, just in case. Soon her hair is growing back and she’s catching the eye of the local police inspector.

However, Agatha soon finds herself front and center in another murder case. When she goes back to pay the witch a second visit, she finds the woman beaten to death in her bedroom. Who would want to murder the local witch? Could one of the elderly residents at the Garden Hotel be involved?

This is the ninth book in the series, and the first one I’ve read. I must admit I now understand why so many find this series appealing. Agatha is a true delight, and a complex character. Loveable at one moment and enough to drive the sanest person mad in the next. She never sets out to find trouble, it just has a way of creeping up on her, and her unbridled curiosity is a delight.

It’s always a concern with a series that new readers starting in the middle will be confused. However, I was never lost and Beaton’s writing style is so carefully crafted and subtle that, by the end of the story, I had been “caught up” in Agatha’s world. True genius on Beaton’s part: long time readers won’t be bored and new readers won’t be confused.

What I also enjoyed was the way Beaton seems to construct her Agatha series. It reminds me of a mini-series or television drama. Each book blends into the other, closing with an ending that leaves the reader hungry for the next installment.

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden is a charming cozy that successfully blends mystery, interesting characters, and personal relationships. A true delight for the first time or long time mystery fanatic.

--Wendy Crutcher