Tea & Treachery by Vicki Delany is the first book in the NEW “Tea by the Sea” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Kensington Books, coming July 28, 2020.

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, 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 . . . 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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Dru’s Musing:
I love the author’s writing style with its comfortable tone making it easy to follow along with what the author has intended. The author knows how to tell a story with a solid plot, a well-defined mystery with enough intrigue and suspense to keep me immersed in all aspect. There were plenty of suspects to watch and clues to gather and I had a good time watching their investigation play out as one by one, the suspect pool narrowed until there was only one person who could have done the deed. There were a few moments where I thought, oh no, but the author pulled it out which enhanced my reading pleasure. Boasting a likable cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a coastal small-town atmosphere, this was a fun and delectable book to read and I look forward to more adventures with Lily and her friends. Vicki is a prolific author and adding this new series to her cache of work means more reading time for her fans.

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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher.