Agatha Raisin's neighbouring village of Ancombe is usually the epitome of quiet rural charm, but the arrival of a new mineral-water company - which intends to tap into the village spring - sends tempers flaring and divides the parish council into two stubborn camps.
When Agatha, who just happens to be handling the PR for the water company, finds the council chairman murdered at the basin of the spring, tongues start wagging. Could one of the council members have polished off the chairman before he could cast the deciding vote?
Poor Agatha, still nursing a bruised heart from one of her unsuccessful romantic encounters, must get cracking, investigate the councillors and solve the crime.
Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death, M.C. Beaton
The reader of this site may recall that I had a flurry of listening to Agatha Raisin audio books a while ago, when seemingly trapped in never-ending long driving days. They were fun, repetitive sure, a bit on the bitchy side occasionally, and it turns out nothing like the TV series made of the same books. Which made for some amusement and confusion as THE WELLSPRING OF DEATH and THE WIZARD OF EVESHAM were aired on TV whilst I was listening to them in the car. Needless to say TV Agatha is nothing like book Agatha, and I kind of got to the stage where I preferred the TV version. Even with the wonderful Penelope Keith narrating the books.