Agatha - Raisin

"He was eighty-two, Agatha," Bill said patiently. "But the clocks... they've all been stopped at exactly 10:15. Including the ones he didn't have batteries for."

The boredom was broken by a frantic knock at her door. It was Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar's wife and Agatha’s only true friend, looking uncharacteristically flustered. Agatha Raisin

"With a diamond-encrusted watch in your pocket?" Agatha guessed, a wild shot that hit the mark. Vane turned pale. "He was eighty-two, Agatha," Bill said patiently

Agatha perked up instantly. "A body?" she asked, already reaching for her handbag and checking her makeup in the hall mirror. Including the ones he didn't have batteries for

She spent the next hour doing what she did best: poking her nose where it wasn't wanted. She discovered that Mr. Henderson had recently come into possession of a rare, diamond-encrusted pocket watch—one that was now conspicuously missing from his velvet display case.

She also noted the suspicious behavior of the village's newest resident, a slick Londoner named Julian Vane, who claimed to be an "art consultant." He was currently trying to sneak out the back door with a heavy-looking briefcase.