Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496725066
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$19.53; $12.99 Amazon
July 28, 2020
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As the proud proprietor and head pastry chef of Tea by the Sea, a traditional English tearoom on the picturesque bluffs of Cape Cod, Lily Campbell has her hands full, often literally. But nothing keeps her busier than steering her sassy grandmother, Rose, away from trouble. Rose operates the grand old Victorian B&B adjacent to Lily's tea shop...for now. An aggressive real estate developer, Jack Ford, is pushing hard to rezone nearby land, with an eye toward building a sprawling golf resort, which would drive Rose and Lily out of business.
Tempers are already steaming, but things really get sticky when Ford is found dead at the foot of Rose's property and the police think she had something to do with his dramatic demise. Lily can't let her grandmother get burned by a false murder charge. So she starts her own investigation and discovers Ford's been brewing bad blood all over town, from his jilted lover to his trophy wife to his shady business partners. Now it's down to Lily to stir up some clues, sift through the suspects, and uncover the real killer before Rose is left holding the tea bag...
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Lily Campbell has shucked her job as a pastry chef back in Manhattan and moved to Cape Cod to be closer to her grandmother Rose, who runs a B&B by the sea. She's doing what she loves best -- creating delicious delights for her tearoom, Tea by the Sea. But lately there's been a problem: developer Jack Ford wants to buy the Victorian next to Rose's home and turn it into a gigantic golf resort. While both women are against it, Rose is extremely vocal, going so far as to write a letter to the editor about it. When Ford is found dead at the bottom of the stairs on Rose's property, the detective in charge, Williams, is sure that she's done it, and doesn't seem to be looking for anyone else.
Luckily - or not so luckily - there's a new detective in town that is listening to Lily, even if she can't do much about it. But Lily, in between trying to run a business and cook breakfast for guests over at the B&B, has her best friend Bertie to help, along with her new British gardener, Simon. While Lily doesn't want to investigate at all, Rose does, and she knows she has to if she's going to keep Rose safe. But will she put her own life in hot water by looking for a killer...
This is the first in a new series and I did like it quite a bit; although I felt there were a lot of characters to sift through. There were employees at the B&B and the tearoom that offered up conversation and were ever-present along with the main characters. Then there were the guests at the B&B and the suspects, of which there were many. It was a lot to take in at once, and even with clues, it was difficult to point the finger at any one person for quite awhile. It did feel slightly 'cluttered with characters.'
However, I did like the mystery and the way it was carried out, and the descriptions of different types of afternoon teas was very nice. The recipes in the back are a bonus, too. I would have liked to have more description of the seacoast, but perhaps that will be in later books.
When we get close to figuring out the murderer, it comes as a surprise right along the time that Lily figures it out, and I'm glad to say that she doesn't panic and is capable of keeping her head while in a dangerous situation. When the ending comes everything comes together nicely, and I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.
More on Vicki Delany's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/vicki-delany/
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