The QUICHE of DEATH by M.C. Beaton...

The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton was published in 2006 by St. Martin's Paperbacks. It is a cozy mystery and the first in the Agatha Raisin series of books. The story follows Agatha Raisin, a successful London public relation firm's owner, who decides to chuck it all in and retire from the business for a simpler life in the small village of Carsley in Cotswold. However, Agatha needs help fitting into her new community. Of course, it doesn't help that she steals her neighbor's housekeeper away within the first week of residence. 

When Agatha hears there is to be a baking competition in Carsley, her competitive nature kicks in. She decides to wine and dine the lecherous contest judge and his wife to get the inside scoop on the competitors and enter the competition herself. One problem...Agatha can't cook, so she buys a spinach quiche from a London quiche shop and submits it to the contest as her creation. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse as Agatha loses the contest, and as it turns out, someone adds an extra ingredient to her quiche, killing the judge. The only way to get out of this pickle is for Agatha to investigate independently of the local police. Along the way, Agatha enlists the aid of her former assistant Roy from her days at the PR firm, her newly acquired housekeeper Gemma, and P.I. Bill Wong, who has a not-so-secret crush on her. 

If you like detective fiction, particularly of the British variety, that is not too heavy on the gore, along with some light comedy and romance, you might enjoy this series as much as I do.  

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐