Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches is the third book in A Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery series. I recommend reading the series in order to avoid confusion (there are a number of characters and ongoing personal situations). Karen Rose Smith has a relaxed writing style which makes for an easy to read story. I like the various characters that include the kindly Aunt Iris, the kitchen manager Tessa Miller, Foster Cranshaw, Jazzi, Violet, Daisy’s Amish best friend Rachel and various townspeople. While Daisy is busy looking into Derek’s death, she is also dealing with personal drama at home and at work. Foster Cranshaw, an employee & her social media expert, is acting unlike himself and needing extra time off. He refuses to tell Daisy what is bothering him. Jazzi, Daisy’s teenage daughter, wants to have a close relationship with her biological mother, Portia. First, though, Portia needs to come clean to her husband about Jazzi. Sean, Daisy’s father, has concerns and needs some helpful advice. Jonas Croft, Daisy’s boyfriend, is not happy when Daisy cancels plans with him for Violet (Daisy’s eldest daughter). Daisy wonders if Jonas is the right man for her. Violet has some important news to share with Daisy and it is going to change all of their lives. There is a regular customer interested in dating Iris, but first he needs to work up the nerve to ask her out. Murder with Cucumbers Sandwiches is heavy personal drama and light on mystery. There are multiple suspects for Daisy to question in her attempt to identify Derek’s killer. Detective Rappaport wants to keep her nose out of the investigation (as he tells her several times). I do wish the author had put more work into the mystery and had made it the focus of the story. My favorite quote from Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches is “children give us hope that a new generation will treat the world more kindly than we did”. Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches is a light cozy mystery with an unpleasant food critic, a jittery employee, a tearful teen, a hopeful beau, delectable delights, two affectionate felines, tasty tea, and a worried mom with a penchant for sleuthing.

Visiting Daisy’s Tea Garden is a sweet indulgence! The Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series is a favorite! It uses the perfect recipe of afternoon tea, mystery, family challenges, and sweet romance. Daisy, her family, and friends exemplify what we big city dwellers miss in the anonymity of crowds and traffic. After Daisy’s husband died, she packed up her daughters and returned to Willow Creek where her family and friends are. She and Aunt Iris, a tea aficionado, opened Daisy’s Tea Garden. Daisy’s best friend and kitchen manager, Tessa, lives in the upstairs apartment. Daisy’s has been successful with locals and tourists, often preparing and serving special afternoon tea service on request. Derek Schumacher is a food critic/ blogger, a tough one. Daisy and her staff watch his column regularly since he is coming to Daisy’s for his blog. They see the cruel things he says about other tea shops and are stunned when reading a threat in the comments of his blog. Derek visited Daisy’s when planned, taking several cucumber and pimento sandwiches to go. Daisy anxiously awaits seeing the blog that could change their customer base. Sadly, the results weren’t what they hoped. The morning after Schumacher’s visit, a detective arrived at Daisy’s. Schumacher died the previous evening from an as-yet unidentified substance. With his visit to the Tea Garden and the sandwiches in his refrigerator, the suspect is someone at Daisy’s. The tea shop begins to look like a ghost town when it comes out he died from something in the sandwiches. Crises are on the home front, also. Vi is making a special weekend trip home from college, making Daisy wonder if she and Foster, who works at the Tea Garden, broke up. Jazzi’s birth mother Portia is going to tell her husband about Jazzi. Since Jazzi found and met her, Portia wants to visit or talk with Jazzi with his blessing. Jazzi is on edge when she doesn’t hear back from Portia at all. Jonas, who Daisy recently began to date, struggles with Daisy’s daughters being her first priority when they need her. Daisy’s dad goes away on a week-long fishing trip alone, which is completely unlike him. I appreciated seeing how Daisy and her family handle each situation faced. There is far more on Daisy’s plate this time than their delightful scones and delicate tea sandwiches. Almost every family member is in crisis, along with the Tea Garden. Other than those Derek had given nasty reviews to, there must be other suspects! Daisy takes the opportunity to meet Derek’s mother Harriet and Aunt June when Cora Sue, whose aunt was a good friend of Derek’s mother, took her on a condolence call. Interestingly, the family had no hard feelings against Daisy as owner of the Tea Garden. When a freelance investigative journalist came into the Tea Garden, Daisy learns about more suspects. I love the realistic family times in the novel as much as the mystery. It brings a good touch of daily reality and reflects family love and loyalty without one distracting from the other. Plot twists enhance both, and it was a challenge to guess who the killer was - and I didn’t! The end is full of surprises on all fronts. I highly recommend novel and series to those who appreciate tea and tea shop treats, hard to solve murders, close families, and sweet romance. From a thankful heart: I received a copy of the e-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest review.