Below is the complete list of M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin books in order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Agatha Raisin Books
- The Quiche of Death (1992)
The Quiche of Death was published in 1992 and is listed as book #1 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Vicious Vet (1993)
Published in 1993, The Vicious Vet is listed as book #2 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Potted Gardener (1994)
The Potted Gardener is a 1994 release and appears as book #3 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Walkers of Dembley (1995)
In the Agatha Raisin series, The Walkers of Dembley is book #4 and was published in 1995. - The Murderous Marriage (1996)
The Murderous Marriage was first published in 1996; within the Agatha Raisin series, it is listed as book #5. - The Terrible Tourist (1997)
The Terrible Tourist was published in 1997 and is listed as book #6 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Wellspring of Death (1998)
Published in 1998, The Wellspring of Death is listed as book #7 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Wizard of Evesham (1999)
The Wizard of Evesham is a 1999 release and appears as book #8 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Witch of Wyckhadden (1999)
In the Agatha Raisin series, The Witch of Wyckhadden is book #9 and was published in 1999. - The Fairies of Fryfam (2000)
The Fairies of Fryfam was first published in 2000; within the Agatha Raisin series, it is listed as book #10. - The Love from Hell (2001)
The Love from Hell was published in 2001 and is listed as book #11 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Day the Floods Came (2002)
Published in 2002, The Day the Floods Came is listed as book #12 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Case of the Curious Curate (2003)
The Case of the Curious Curate is a 2003 release and appears as book #13 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Haunted House (2003)
In the Agatha Raisin series, The Haunted House is book #14 and was published in 2003. - The Deadly Dance (2004)
The Deadly Dance was first published in 2004; within the Agatha Raisin series, it is listed as book #15. - The Perfect Paragon (2005)
The Perfect Paragon was published in 2005 and is listed as book #16 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Love, Lies and Liquor (2006)
Published in 2006, Love, Lies and Liquor is listed as book #17 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Kissing Christmas Goodbye (2007)
Kissing Christmas Goodbye is a 2007 release and appears as book #18 in the Agatha Raisin series. - A Spoonful of Poison (2008)
In the Agatha Raisin series, A Spoonful of Poison is book #19 and was published in 2008. - There Goes the Bride (2009)
There Goes the Bride was first published in 2009; within the Agatha Raisin series, it is listed as book #20. - Busy Body (2010)
Busy Body was published in 2010 and is listed as book #21 in the Agatha Raisin series. - As The Pig Turns (2011)
Published in 2011, As The Pig Turns is listed as book #22 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Hiss and Hers (2012)
Hiss and Hers is a 2012 release and appears as book #23 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Christmas Crumble (2012)
In the Agatha Raisin series, Christmas Crumble is book #24 and was published in 2012. - Something Borrowed, Someone Dead (2013)
Something Borrowed, Someone Dead was first published in 2013; within the Agatha Raisin series, it is listed as book #25. - Hell’s Bells (2013)
Hell’s Bells was published in 2013 and is listed as book #26 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Blood of an Englishman (2014)
Published in 2014, The Blood of an Englishman is listed as book #27 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Agatha’s First Case (2015)
Agatha’s First Case is a 2015 release and appears as book #28 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Dishing the Dirt (2015)
In the Agatha Raisin series, Dishing the Dirt is book #29 and was published in 2015. - Pushing up Daisies (2016)
Pushing up Daisies was first published in 2016; within the Agatha Raisin series, it is listed as book #30. - The Witches’ Tree (2017)
The Witches’ Tree was published in 2017 and is listed as book #31 in the Agatha Raisin series. - The Dead Ringer (2018)
Published in 2018, The Dead Ringer is listed as book #32 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Beating about the Bush (2019)
Beating about the Bush is a 2019 release and appears as book #33 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Hot to Trot (2020)
(With R.W. Green)
In the Agatha Raisin series, Hot to Trot is book #34 and was published in 2020. - Down the Hatch (2021)
(With R.W. Green)
Down the Hatch was first published in 2021; within the Agatha Raisin series, it is listed as book #35. - Devil’s Delight (2022)
(With R.W. Green)
Devil’s Delight was published in 2022 and is listed as book #36 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Dead on Target (2023)
(With R.W. Green)
Published in 2023, Dead on Target is listed as book #37 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Killing Time (2024)
(With R.W. Green)
Killing Time is a 2024 release and appears as book #38 in the Agatha Raisin series. - Sugar and Spite (2025)
(With R.W. Green)
In the Agatha Raisin series, Sugar and Spite is book #39 and was published in 2025.
Publication Order of Agatha Raisin Non-Fiction Books
- The Agatha Raisin Companion (2010)
The Agatha Raisin Companion was published in 2010 and is listed as book #1 in the Agatha Raisin Non-Fiction series.
About Agatha Raisin
M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series is one of the most recognizable modern cozy mystery series, built around a heroine who is funny, abrasive, lonely, vain, sharp, and far more interesting because she is rarely as charming as she wants to be. Agatha is a retired public relations executive who leaves London for the Cotswolds, expecting a picturesque village life of peace, admiration, and social success. What she actually finds is gossip, rivalry, boredom, resentment, and murder.
The series begins with The Quiche of Death, where Agatha tries to make her mark in the village of Carsely by entering a quiche competition. Her attempt to cheat by submitting a shop-bought quiche becomes disastrous when the judge dies, forcing Agatha into amateur detection to clear herself. That first case sets the tone for the entire series. Beaton punctures the fantasy of the perfect English village, showing that behind the cottages, gardens, clubs, and fêtes are jealousy, pettiness, ambition, secrets, and people quite capable of killing.
Agatha herself is the reason the series endures. She is not a gentle village sleuth who quietly notices clues over tea. She is impatient, insecure, bossy, image-conscious, and often socially clumsy. Her background in public relations gives her confidence, nerve, and an instinct for people’s weaknesses, but village life exposes her own. She wants friendship and romance, yet frequently sabotages both through pride, suspicion, or desperation. Beaton makes those flaws comic rather than merely unpleasant, turning Agatha into a character readers can laugh at, wince over, and still root for.
Carsely and the wider Cotswolds setting give the books their continuing charm. The village may look idyllic, but Beaton treats it with a dry, unsentimental eye. Neighbors pry, clubs become battlegrounds, romantic prospects disappoint, and social events often reveal more malice than manners. Recurring figures such as James Lacey, Mrs. Bloxby, Sir Charles Fraith, Roy Silver, and Agatha’s detective-agency colleagues add continuity as the series grows from amateur sleuthing into a more professional investigation setup.
The early books follow Agatha as she tries to fit into village life while repeatedly stumbling into murder. Later entries expand her role through the creation of her private detective agency, allowing the plots to move beyond accidental involvement into hired investigation. That shift helps keep the long series flexible. Agatha can still be drawn into local scandals, but she can also take on cases involving clients, old enemies, romantic disasters, and wider Cotswold trouble.
After Marion Chesney, who wrote as M.C. Beaton, died in 2019, the Agatha Raisin novels continued with R.W. Green, a longtime friend of Beaton’s. The continuation books keep Agatha active while preserving the broad shape of the series: brisk mysteries, comic frustration, village intrigue, and a heroine who never becomes too polished for her own good.
Agatha Raisin is best understood as cozy crime with claws. The violence is not graphic, and the books remain fast, witty, and accessible, but Beaton’s view of human nature is sharper than the soft village setting first suggests. The series works because Agatha is both outsider and participant: she longs to belong in Carsely, yet keeps seeing the vanity, cruelty, and absurdity beneath its surface. That tension gives the books their bite, and it keeps Agatha herself from becoming predictable even across a long run of mysteries.