Murder in a Teacup by Vicki Delany

Item: Murder in a Teacup
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted December 2, 2022 by karenbaron in #BookishRecipe, #SummerReadsWithTheBaroness, Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

Murder in a Teacup

by Vicki Delany

Series: Tea by the Sea Mysteries #2
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington on July 27, 2021
Setting: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 309
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Tea & Treachery , Murder Spills the Tea, Steeped in Malice

National bestselling author Vicki Delany's delightful Tea by the Sea mystery series continues, as Cape Cod tearoom proprietress and part-time sleuth, Lily Roberts, stirs up trouble when she unwittingly serves one of her grandmother's B&B guests a deadly cup of tea...

Lily has her work cut out for her when a visit from her grandmother Rose's dear friend, Sandra McHenry, turns into an unexpected--and unpleasant--McHenry family reunion. The squabbling boils over and soon Tea by the Sea's serene afternoon service resembles the proverbial tempest in a teapot. Somehow, Lily and her tearoom survive the storm, and Sandra's bickering brethren finally retreat to Rose's B&B. But later that evening, a member of their party--curmudgeonly Ed French--dies from an apparent poisoning and suddenly Tea by the Sea is both scene and suspect in a murder investigation!
Mercifully, none of the other guests fall ill. They all ate the same food, but Ed always insisted on bringing his own special blend of herbal teas. So it seems, amid the whining and dining, someone snuck up to one of Lily's cherished teapots and fatally spiked Ed's bespoke brew, but who? Was it Ed's long-estranged sister-in-law? Did teenage troublemaker Tyler take a prank too far? Or perhaps the family's feuds have been steeping for longer than anyone realizes? It's up to Lily, Rose, and their friends to get to the bottom of the poisoned pot and bag the real culprit behind the kettle murder plot.

Murder in a Teacup by Vicki Delany has us in the middle of the tearoom and the bed and breakfast’s busiest time of the year. Yep, that means it is set in the summer, and now they also have a murder to solve.

Will Lily reign in Rose and Bernie regarding this newest case?

Lily Roberts, Rose, and Bernie

Lily Roberts has her hands quite busy with her mornings, starting at the bed and breakfast, making the breakfast for the guests, and then running her tearoom at the front of the property. Just add in the murder of Rose’s old friend’s granddaughter’s brother-in-law, then Lily sadly has an overwhelming full plate. Her grandma Rose decides they need to investigate because it is her friend’s family, and she wants to take care of it. Bernie because it gives her another chance to procrastinate on her book. Sadly, Lily gets roped into helping them solve this case because people always seem to talk to her, and she always seems to figure out the clues before Bernie and Rose.

The Mystery

Sandra, Heather, and their guests have a tea party at Lily’s tearoom, where a member of their party, Ed French, is poisoned and dies later that day. So, of course, to save their businesses, Lily and Rose, with the help of Bernie, decide to solve the case. I was stumped throughout the mystery, trying to figure out who could have done it. Even though part of me thought I knew who it was but didn’t want to admit to it. That part of me was correct. I feel bad for many of the people in this story who had to deal with the McHenry and French families.

Five Stars

Murder in a Teacup by Vicki Delany is the second book in this beautiful series. I can’t wait to read the next book. Ms. Delany has a great way of getting the reader to think that they are there trying to solve the case with the characters. It’s always a fun time going into one of her stories. I am giving Murder in a Teacup by Vicki Delany five stars and a recommendation to anyone that loves an excellent cozy culinary mystery.

At the back of the book, Ms. Delany gives us three recipes. They are Chocolate Chip Cookies, Shortbread Cookies, and Curried Egg Salad Sandwiches.

Tea by the Sea Mysteries

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder in a Teacup by Vicki Delany.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

About Vicki Delany

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. 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.