Peter Shandy Series by Charlotte MacLeod

Professor Peter Shandy finally succumbs to Jemima Ames, Chairperson for Balaclava Agricultural College's major fundraiser, the Grand Illumination. He buries his small brick house under an avalanche of tawdry plastic and escapes on a sea cruise. But he returns to find Jemima dead on his living room floor and a murder to solve.

In the sleepy hamlet of Lumpkins Corners, Professor Peter Shandy's reputation as an amateur sleuth was almost as well known as his success in developing a new strain of rutabaga. So when violent and exceedingly unpleasant death visited Horsefall Farm, the third phone call - after the police and the coroner were called - was to Professor Shandy.The cause of death was all too clear: quicklime. The verdict: a tragic accident... moreIn the sleepy hamlet of Lumpkins Corners, Professor Peter Shandy's reputation as an amateur sleuth was almost as well known as his success in developing a new strain of rutabaga. So when violent and exceedingly unpleasant death visited Horsefall Farm, the third phone call - after the police and the coroner were called - was to Professor Shandy.The cause of death was all too clear: quicklime. The verdict: a tragic accident. But that was before a nosy young reporter dug up an ancient Nordic runestone and its curse. Before 102-year-old Sven Svenson took up with an older woman. Before Professor Shandy pieced together a puzzle that pointed to a very clever killer. less

Professor Peter Shandy, Balaclava College's best amateur sleuth, takes on a pest threatening to wipe Britain's lovely hedgerows. With colleagues Dan Stott and Timothy Ames, he leaves the groves of academe for fancy fieldword in the heart of Wales. Never in their wildest dreams did the three expect the bizarre events awaiting them... moreProfessor Peter Shandy, Balaclava College's best amateur sleuth, takes on a pest threatening to wipe Britain's lovely hedgerows. With colleagues Dan Stott and Timothy Ames, he leaves the groves of academe for fancy fieldword in the heart of Wales. Never in their wildest dreams did the three expect the bizarre events awaiting them.... Where Miss Hilda Horsefall's recipe for lye soap becomes as valuable as Dan's knowledge of "The Chronicles Of Narnia" and where pursuing the wild asparagus (the giant hogweed) becomes a dangerous expedition. less