Review: Murder with Earl Grey Tea

MURDER WITH EARL GREY TEA by Karen Rose Smith

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, (324 pages)

5*****

Blurb: At Daisy’s Tea Garden in Pennsylvania’s Amish country, the tea of the month is Earl Grey to warm those late February days–but cold-blooded murder casts a deadly chill . . . Even though spring in Lancaster County is still a bit far off, Daisy Swanson has much to look forward to: setting a date with her fiancé Jonas, a whimsical Alice in Wonderland tea event, and an anniversary celebration for her parents at a farm-to-table restaurant in Willow Creek. But a grim discovery turns her thoughts to the troubled present. Meeting up for a hike with her friend, Daisy and her fiancé’s dog Felix find the woman dead on a trail, a victim of an apparent hit and run. The tire tracks clearly indicate this was no accident, and now Daisy must follow a twisted trail of clues to uncover what drove someone to murder . . .

Thoughts: I love this series. But that being said, you really need to read them from the beginning in order to understand the relationships with the characters, especially Daisy and all her friends and family. Set in Pennsylvania Dutch country, there is a lot of Amish influence. And the author proves that she knows her background in both the country, the practices, the lives of the Amish and the “English” who live around them.

In this one, Daisy is planning a big anniversary dinner for her parents to be held at her friend Lydia’s restaurant, the Farm Barn. Lydia was born Amish, but left the order to marry her non-Amish husband Neil. Lydia’s parents shun her, but not her twin sister Leah who still talks with her. One day, Daisy sees the two sisters arguing, and later that day, Neil shows up at Daisy’s to hand her a revised bill for the anniversary dinner – a much higher one. She can’t cancel at this late date so she agrees. During the dinner, she sees Lydia and Neil arguing. The next day, Daisy is supposed to meet Lydia for their regular morning walk. What she finds, though is Lydia’s dead body.

And thus begins the mystery of who killed Lydia, Daisy’s friend. There are a lot of suspects and a lot of clues, some of them obscure, but they’re there. And there are several good recipes at the end of the story such as Apple Cider Pork Loin, Cider Sauce, Cabbage Walnut Salad, and Corn Cake.

Recommended (but read the other books in the series first!)

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”