Down the Hatch by M. C. Beaton with R. W. Green - 3 stars

[Ellen]

Agatha Raisin has a full plate in this latest novel in M. C. Beaton's series. As she is passing by a bowling green she hears a woman's scream. Agatha rushes to find the reason for the distress and finds an elderly couple standing over the body of a man. Immediately Agatha realizes that the bottle next to the body, instead of containing rum as the label states, is instead a deadly weed killer. An inept police inspector rules the death an accident but Agatha knows in her gut that it has to be murder. Case #1.

Agatha and her ex-husband James visit a gentleman who insists that he saw Aslan the lion, giant grinning rats and small wizards dressed in black with orange hats. With a bid of shrewd detecting it is discovered that what the man saw was a group of exotic animals that had obviously escaped. A secret warehouse deep in the woods is found to be housing hundreds of exotics and the dangerous gang who is dealing in the black market are quickly arrested. Except for the leader who escapes and swears revenge on Agatha. Case #2.

Old friend Charles asks Agatha to help with a paternity question that a former classmate of Charles' has been fighting. The man insists that the child could not possibly be his but refuses to submit to a DNA test. Case #3.

As usual, Agatha follows her instincts, which usually prove to be spot on. And as usual she finds herself in dangerous waters this time literally. These cozy mysteries are always fun with a lead character you can't help but like.