In Peppermint Peril
A Tea and a Read Mystery
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- £10.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for Lorna Barrett and Jenn McKinlay fans, this festive series debut set in small-town Maine introduces book-themed tea party organizer Callie Aspen and her lovable Boston terrier
This Christmas, Callie Aspen returns to her childhood hideout Heart's Harbor, Maine where her great aunt runs Book Tea, a vintage tearoom where every sweet treat contains a bookish clue. Upon arrival in the fairy-tale snowy town, Callie is drawn into the preparations for a special tea party at Haywood Hall, the rambling house of Heart's Harbor's oldest resident, rich but lonely widow Dorothea Finster, who invited her estranged relatives, old friends and the elite of the town to make a mysterious announcement about her will.
Believing they can touch a part of her fortune, everybody is determined to come, despite not liking each other or even their hostess. And Callie's old friend Sheila complicates things by using the tea party to announce her daughter's engagement, even though her daughter isn't sure she's in love with the young lawyer her mother thinks so perfect for her.
Catering to people who each have their own agenda isn't easy for the Book Tea crew, especially once the valuable engagement ring goes missing and a dead body turns up in the conservatory. Can Callie and her great aunt use their love of clues to dig into the crimes and show their unhappy hostess and squabbling guests the true Christmas spirit?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Callie Aspen, the heroine of Avon's so-so debut and series launch, decides to return to her home town of Heart's Harbor, Maine, to spend the Christmas holidays with her great-aunt Iphy, an accomplished baker, who owns the Book Tea Shop. Callie is asked to deliver a fancy cake to Haywood Hall for an exclusive party at which Dorothea Finster plans on revealing the contents of her will. Before that can happen, the old gardener, Leadenby, is found murdered in the conservatory. Handsome Deputy Falk arrives and is soon arresting various suspects only to release them for lack of evidence. Avon ticks all the cozy boxes fairy tale small town, mystery-loving aunt, a tea shop with extravagant chocolate cakes, potential boyfriend cop (who wants the heroine to leave the detecting to the professionals), a cast of eccentric suspects but the parts don't add up to a satisfying whole. The characters remain superficial, changing mood and direction with alarming ease, and the resolution seems forced. A sprightly style suggests Avon is capable of doing better next time.
