I’m Jazzi Swanson. You might know my mom, Daisy Swanson from Daisy’s Tea Garden cozy mysteries. I’m all grown up now at age 25. I live in the lake resort town of Belltower Landing near the Finger Lakes. Taking a different life track than I planned, I bought a bookstore with my partner and best friend, Dawn Fernsby. We named it Tomes & Tea. Dawn and I met at college attending a meeting with a group of adoptees. Since we’re both adopted, we understood so much about each other right away.

I moved from Willow Creek, Pennsylvania in Amish country to Dawn’s home town where I learned to love so many water sports. Our book store and tea bar is becoming a favorite spot for booklovers who sip tea and find their next favorite read. Most days are spent keeping up to date with the latest releases, encouraging customers to take selfies at the shop to post on their social media sites and planning special events to interest readers so they return to Tomes and Tea.

To get around town, I often ride my bike. I like nothing better than to take a ride in the early morning when the sun is popping up. Some days I can convince Dawn to get up early and go paddle boarding on the lake. I don’t date but I have a solid group of male and female friends from our book club where we discuss our favorite reads and latest town goings-on. My favorite place to eat or listen to music with friends is The Wild Kangaroo run by Oliver Patel who has a killer Australian accent. When I see him, my heart takes a decided excited lurch. But past hurts have kept me cautious in the present.

I forgot to tell you I relax in the apartment Dawn and I share above the bookstore. We adopted two adorable long hair kittens, Zander and Freya, who keep us laughing after a day of assisting book-oriented tourists and town residents. I never expected that I’d be helping police solve murders like my mom did! But here I am, visiting suspects on my bookstore breaks, searching for the latest clue and sitting on a bench on the green at the lake putting the pieces of an investigation together. The belltower just struck eight p.m. I’m meeting a friend on the boardwalk near the marina. We’ll probably grab supper at the food trucks. One of the food truck chefs is a suspect the police haven’t cracked yet. But maybe I can.

Murder Marks the Page, A Tomes & Tea Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: March 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

The first in a new series spun off from the Daisy Tea Garden Mysteries, Daisy’s daughter Jazzi Swanson has opened her own book and tea shop, providing a variety of literature and flavored beverages for a rural New York community. But Jazzi has not only inherited her mother’s gift for brewing tasty drinks—she also has a nose for sniffing out murder.

New York State’s Belltower Landing is a lakeside resort town where tourists spend their summer days boating, floating, and paddle-boarding on the water. It’s also the perfect place to cuddle up with a good book and enjoy a cup of tea, courtesy of Tomes & Tea. Owned and operated by Jazzi and her best friend Dawn Fernsby, the book bar is beloved by vacationers and locals alike, but browsers grabbing brews in the off season aren’t enough to help them make ends meet.

Between brainstorming social media publicity ideas for the shop and fending off flirtatious men she has no interest in or time for, Jazzi befriends a woman named Brie who has recently made contact with her biological father. As an adopted child herself, Jazzi is more than happy to give Brie emotional support, especially as her wealthy father’s wife and children see her as a threat.

But Brie is also looking to start a family of her own. Unfortunately, all the potential princes she’s met through a dating app turn out to be frogs. Then, when Brie is found murdered, Jazzi finds herself playing detective. With a list of suspects ranging from jealous half-siblings to less-than-suitable suitors, Jazzi may need to consult some of her shop’s bestselling mysteries to help her uncover a killer…

About the author
I’m Karen Rose Smith. I write mystery, romance and women’s fiction. Murder Marks The Page is my 110th published novel. Families are a strong theme in my novels, whether mysteries or romance. One of the highlights of my career was to see my romance turned into a movie—A Very Country Christmas. Besides writing, my passion is caring for our six rescued cats. I have herb and flower gardens that help me relax. In the winter, I cook rather than garden. And year round I spend most of my time with my husband, as well as my cats who are my purrfect companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding me life isn’t all about work, awards and bestseller lists. I’ve ventured onto TikTok (@Karenrosesmithauthor). You can also chat with me on my Facebook author page at KarenRoseSmithBooks.