Death by Tea

December 1, 2015
Death by Coffee, the combination bookstore and coffee shop Krissy Hancock and her friend Vicki Patterson have opened in small-town Pine Hills, is struggling to survive. Krissy's solving of a murder shortly after the shop opened brought notoriety, but she and Vicki are hoping that hosting a debate between two book clubs on the merits of a particular mystery will provide another boost. To Krissy's chagrin, the book chosen is one by her father, and, worse, the prop for the event is a cardboard promotional cutout of the author. So she goes back after hours to steal Cardboard Dad. Unfortunately, when Vicki opens in the morning, there is a body, bludgeoned by the silver teapot intended to be the prize for the debate. Krissy, the prime suspect, sets out to clear her name, irritating the crusty detective in charge, embarrassing the handsome young officer also on the case, and raising the ire of the donor of Cardboard Dad. Second in the series, this cozy will appeal to readers who enjoy Mary Daheim'sJudith Flynn or the coffee-shop setting in Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)