Thanks to the Great Teacup Shortage, Cape Cod tearoom proprietress
Lily Roberts is already feeling the strain. But when a family fracas
turns deadly over an antique tea set, she'll really have to pour
through the clues before another crime is brewed up.
With a "beautifully described setting and a cast of charming,
small-town characters" (Booklist), this new installment in
award-winning crime writer Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea Mystery series
is a delightful treat for fans of Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries!
Afternoon tea isn't just about flavorful brews and delicious treats.
It's also about presentation--fine china teacups (never mugs!), with
carefully coordinated saucers and plates. With her fragile stock running
low, Lily has an excuse to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies:
visiting an antiques fair for replacements.
Among other finds, Lily snaps up a charming Peter Rabbit-themed tea set
in a wicker basket, perfect for children's events. But a few days later,
a woman named Kimberly marches into the tearoom, rudely demanding to buy
it back--then later returns and removes an envelope hidden in the
basket's lining.
An acquaintance of Lily's named Rachel is on the trail of the tea set
too. Apparently, she and Kimberly are half-sisters, searching for their
mother's final will. To her annoyance, Lily is dunked into the middle of
this mess--especially when her ex-boyfriend turns out to be involved.
But it's more than a storm in a teacup when one of the sisters is found
dead on the grounds of the B&B owned by Lily's grandmother, Rose.
Is this a simple case of greed boiling over, or are there other suspects
in the blend? It'll take some savvy sleuthing from Lily, Rose, and their
allies to find the answers before a killer shatters more lives . . .
