In Peppermint Peril

September 17, 2018
Callie Aspen, the heroine of Avon’s so-so debut and series launch, decides to return to her home town of Heart’s Harbor, Maine, to spend the Christmas holidays with her great-aunt Iphy, an accomplished baker, who owns the Book Tea Shop. Callie is asked to deliver a fancy cake to Haywood Hall for an exclusive party at which Dorothea Finster plans on revealing the contents of her will. Before that can happen, the old gardener, Leadenby, is found murdered in the conservatory. Handsome Deputy Falk arrives and is soon arresting various suspects only to release them for lack of evidence. Avon ticks all the cozy boxes—fairy tale small town, mystery-loving aunt, a tea shop with extravagant chocolate cakes, potential boyfriend cop (who wants the heroine to leave the detecting to the professionals), a cast of eccentric suspects—but the parts don’t add up to a satisfying whole. The characters remain superficial, changing mood and direction with alarming ease, and the resolution seems forced. A sprightly style suggests Avon is capable of doing better next time. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary.

September 15, 2018
A world traveler goes home to Maine for a Christmas visit that will change her life forever.Tour guide Callie Aspen has returned home to spend Christmas in Heart's Harbor and visit with her great-aunt Iphy, who runs a tearoom whose delightful treats contain literary clues. As Callie plans to deliver a magnificent cake to Haywood Hall for a special party, her thoughts linger on the days when she spent a great deal of time at the hall and had a crush on Stephen Du Bouvrais, the heir of owner Dorothea Finster. At 93, Dorothea has decided to throw a party to announce the provisions of her newest will. Callie has stayed away ever since Stephen married Sheila, another old friend, but she's immediately thrust back into family problems when Sheila shows her the heirloom ring to be hidden in the cake so that Ben Matthews, whom she wants to marry her daughter, Amber, can find it and propose at the party. Instead, Ben opens the box to find the ring gone, and soon after Amber discovers the body of Mr. Leadenby, who lives on the estate, stabbed to death in the conservatory. The police arrive in the attractive form of Deputy Falk, whom Callie crosses when he thinks she's questioning his experience. Almost everyone invited to hear the reading of the will has a personal stake in learning its provisions, from the presumptive heirs to the mayor and a teacher who want money to spend on improvements for the town. The police investigation identifies handyman Cole Merton, Amber's true love, as the leading suspect. Much to Falk's chagrin, Callie continues to ask questions that turn up some startling revelations.A delightful debut that combines the ambience of the board game Clue with whodunits in the family-secrets mold of Mary Roberts Rinehart and Leslie Ford.

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November 1, 2018
Elderly Dorothea Finster has planned the event of the holiday season at her mansion, Haywood Hall, in Heart's Harbor, Maine. The elite of the town will be there, along with Dorothea's only relative, Stephen DuBouvais, and his social-climbing wife, Sheila. Dorothea plans to read her will, and many of the townspeople are hoping for bequests for their pet projects. But Sheila plans to turn the event into her daughter's engagement party. Caught in the middle are Callie Aspen and her great-aunt Iphy, who runs the town's Book Tea shop. When Callie delivers the cake, Sheila helps her hide an heirloom ring in one of the layers. Before the event is over, the ring is missing, and Haywood Hall's crusty gardener is dead. Callie and Iphy, both lovers of mysteries, speculate on possibilities. Much to the annoyance of Deputy Sheriff Falk, Callie begins investigating, breaking the holiday cheer by revealing old enmities. This first title in a new series, Book Tea Shop Mysteries, will appeal to fans of Molly MacRae and Jenn McKinlay.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)