Tea & Treachery

Vicki Delany

Jul 2020 · Tea by the Sea Mysteries Book 1 · Kensington Cozies

About this ebook

In this charming new cozy mystery series from national bestselling author Vicki Delany, a New York City expat-turned-Cape Cod tea shop owner must solve the murder of a local real estate developer to help her feisty grandmother out of a jam . . .
 
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 Roberts 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. But 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. So Lily starts her own investigation and discovers Ford’s been brewing bad blood all over town. 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.
 
“A satisfying cozy with a beautifully described setting and a cast of charming, small-town characters. Share this new series with fans of Laura Childs’ Tea Shop mysteries.”
—Booklist
 

Ratings and reviews

Tea & Treachery by Vicki Delany is the debut novel in A Tea by the Sea Mystery series. Tea & Treachery is set in Cape Code, Massachusetts where Rose Campbell, Lily’s grandmother, settled after the death of her husband. She purchased a large Victorian home on the cliffs above the sea which provides her with a beautiful view and plenty of peace. When Lily saw the little cottage on the property, she thought it was the perfect place for a tea shop which has been her dream. When not busy whipping up delectable delights and tea for Tea by the Sea, Lily is helping her grandmother with the bed and breakfast. I like that the author took the time to establish the main characters and provide beautiful descriptions of the B&B, tea shop, Lily’s little cottage, and the beautiful gardens. I could just imagine strolling along through the gardens and hearing the waves below. There are great facts about the history of tea, the various teas Lily’s serves, and food Lily’s whips up. It was interesting to learn about the different types of teas, and how tea time started. The mystery had a variety of suspects from the mayor, the victim’s wife, the mistress, to the son of the man trying to unload the land next to Rose. If you pay close attention to the details, this whodunit can be solved before the reveal. I liked that the mystery had a good wrap up (no questions left unanswered). The new head gardener, Simon McCracken seems to have taken a liking a Lily. There was some mild flirting between Lily and Simon. Bernie Murphy, Lily’s writer friend, provided humor while Éclair, Lily’s labradoodle, gave readers cuteness. Rose, Lily’s grandmother, was a hard character to like. She is stubborn, feisty, set in her ways, selfish, and opinionated. I found her frustrating with her “its my way or its my way” approach. Rose and Bernie together were a bit much. I hope both women will grow on me in future books. Also, Lily need to develop a backbone and learn to say no, or her grandmother will run roughshod over her. Tea & Treachery is an easy to read book and a good start to this new cozy mystery series. There are recipes at the end for coconut cupcakes, scones, and tea bath salts. Tea & Treachery is an engaging cozy mystery with tempting tea treats, a scarcity of scones, a dead developer, curious clues, shaky steps, a whimsical writer, and a burdened baker.

I loved this first in the new Tea by the Sea series! The setting is on Cape Cod overlooking Cape Cod Bay and sounds amazingly beautiful. Three women have a heady taste of the lives they dreamed of and are willing to work hard to keep their dreams a reality. The primary characters are three dimensional, and all others are defined as necessary. There is much humor sprinkled throughout the hard work and camaraderie, and a complex, challenging mystery arises with a death that could cost two of the women and their employees their livelihoods. When octogenarian Rose’s husband died a few years ago, she took their life savings and purchased a mansion on Cape Cod. Almost every cent she had went into it, leaving little for expenses and daily living, so she turned it into a B & B. Granddaughter Lily lives on the property and has a tea shop dedicated to serving traditional English afternoon tea. Lily cooks the breakfasts at the B & B before opening the tea shop. Rose is originally from England and shares her love of all things British with Lily. Rose and her husband lived in Iowa all their married life. Next door to the B & B is a tumbledown mansion that the heir is selling. Lincoln made poor investments and lost most of his inheritance. To keep what he has left, he needs to have the land rezoned before the sale goes through to a developer who is planning a resort hotel. Without the rezoning, it is worth far less. Rose is irate. She doesn’t want a golf course or fancy hotel next to her quiet property for her own peace of mind or the enjoyment of her visitors. Lily and her best friend Bernie find Rose embroiled in a threatening conversation with Lincoln, Jack the developer, and Roy, the town councilman introducing the rezoning. The next day, Lily and best friend Bernie are outdoors before the tearoom opens to find that the gate and part of the fence at the top of the stairs leading to the bay is torn off, and there is a body at the bottom. Jack, the arrogant developer, lies at the bottom, dead. And the fingers are pointed at Rose, despite her advanced age. Lily and Bernie are concerned that Rose might be railroaded without solid evidence, even though Jack was not a well-liked man. Rose, with Bernie’s help, tries to find other suspects. To keep them out of trouble, Lily joins them when possible. When Lily tries to speak with the woman detective who recently moved from Boston and is an excellent investigator, the woman listens to some of what Lily brings her. However, the long-employed lazy senior detective decides to put her on some minor break-in cases to take care of the good old boy network. There are many things I loved about this mystery. There are other cozies set on Cape Cod, or in tea rooms, or B & B’s. The combination of the characters and their various personalities, the setting, the business, the wit, and the intricacies of the mystery itself combine into a delightful, yet challenging novel. I absolutely did not guess whodunit, no matter how hard I tried. The killer and motive were a complete surprise, as were some of the various outcomes. I was very satisfied with the outcome and have high hopes for this series! I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the author, of well-written cozy mysteries that include pets and elegant settings, and middle-age and mature protagonists. From a thankful heart: I received an eARC of this from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest review.

About the author

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestselling author in the United States. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea by the Sea mysteries, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year-Round Christmas mysteries and, as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library series. Vicki lives and writes in bucolic Prince Edward County, Ontario. She is a past president of Crime Writers of Canada and a co-organizer of Women Killing It, a crime writing festival. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards. She is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing.