Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes

Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes by Karen Rose Smith is the first book in A Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series. Daisy Swanson co-owns Daisy’s Tea Garden (housed in a beautiful old Victorian) with her aunt, Iris Albright in Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. Iris has been dating Harvey Fisk who is working to obtain a divorce from his wife, Monica. At a party honoring the 25th anniversary of Harvey’s store, Men’s Trends at Daisy’s Tea Garden, Monica storms in and accuses Harvey of hiding assets (talk about a party pooper). Iris leaves to meet Harvey for a date and Daisy hears a scream. Harvey is dead in their herb garden from blunt force trauma and one of their statues is missing. Detective Rappaport is on the case, and he has decided Iris is the culprit. Daisy with the help of former detective, Jonas Groft query the various suspects. It turns out that Harvey had recently changed his will which angered his children. Could one of them have murdered Harvey? Daisy is worried about her youngest daughter, Jazzi. She has been acting out lately, and Daisy discovers that Jazzi wants to locate her biological mother. Daisy knows she needs to support Jazzi’s decision and help her in any way she can. Business is booming at the tea garden courtesy of Harvey’s murder and Daisy brings on additional staff. Daisy follows the clues in the hopes of catching the real killer and removing Aunt Iris from the suspect list. Who murdered Harvey? Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes is nicely written and has a good pace. The author sets the stage in this book for the series. She establishes the characters, Daisy’s Tea Garden, and the town. I found the characters to be congenial and relatable (except for Detective Rappaport). Daisy is a smart, strong and caring woman who loves her family and is striving to make a success of her new business. She is a widow with two daughters (one biological and one adopted). Thanks to Karen Rose Smith’s description, I can picture Daisy’s Tea Garden in my head. She provides sumptuous descriptions of the tea and food served at the tea garden (recipes at the end of the book). I was not a fan of cantankerous Detective Rappaport, but their does need to be one disagreeable character (someone who readers love to hate). He was like a dog with a bone. He gets a hold of an idea and does not let go. The mystery was appealing with several suspects and misdirection. The investigation mostly consisted of questioning (I wish there had been more action). The murder was not the prominent part of the story. The mystery can be solved before the reveal if pay careful attention to the clues. More time is devoted to the tea garden, Daisy’s family, food descriptions, tea, talking, cats and flirting. There are two possible romantic partners for Daisy. I am sincerely hoping that this will not result in a love triangle in future books in the series. Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes is a lovely cozy mystery, and I will be reading the next book in A Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series. Fans of Karen Rose Smith and A Caprice De Luca Mystery series will be entertained by Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes.

Karen Rose Smith has hit a grand slam homer with her fabulous first in a new series, Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes! I thoroughly enjoyed it and am eagerly looking forward to the next one. The author has the perfect elements – very likable characters, a lovely Tea Garden with scrumptious-sounding food, and a mystery that will stump some of the most diligent readers. Daisy Swanson wears many hats – widowed mother to teen girls Violet and Jazzi, as well as daughter, sister, niece, and business owner/ manager. Her beloved Ryan passed away three years earlier, and she packed up and returned to Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. She and Aunt Iris found the perfect location for a tea shop that also sells pastries baked in-house and serves proper afternoon tea. Tessa, her best friend since high school, is her chef, who also rents the second floor of the Victorian home housing Daisy’s Tea Garden. Iris is dating a man who treats her as she deserves to be in every way except one. Harvey is still married, although is only weeks away from the divorce being final. While Daisy wished he was already divorced, she is not as outspoken about it as her mother, Iris’ sister. Harvey is a wealthy man, owning a specialty store called Men’s Trends for twenty-five years. Harvey rented the tearoom for a full Sunday for an invitation-only celebration of the stores’s anniversary. His adult son and daughter attend and have a mild spat, and Harvey’s soon to be ex-wife crashes the party but is quickly led out by another attendee. Based on things that Harvey tells Iris, she knows he wants to discuss their future as soon as his divorce is final. Iris is excited to meet Harvey one evening after work. It begins no different from others in that Harvey will meet Iris in the garden at the Tea Garden. When Iris sees Harvey, however, he is dead, having clearly been murdered. The detective in charge of the case believes Iris killed Harvey, perhaps in collusion with Daisy. I find the relationships between family members and loved ones fascinating. I learn the most about the ladies in Daisy’s family from the challenges between sisters and how one’s mother can help them grow closer or farther apart. Daisy helps each daughter see her strengths as equal to her sister’s, and she shows Vi and Jazzi that they are equally her beloved daughters, whether by birth or adoption. I really like Daisy and Iris, and Daisy’s new acquaintance, Jonas, and his helpfulness in her family’s needs . There are unique elements to the plot, including twists that change the course of the investigation or how dangerous the bad guy/ gal is. Determining who might be the killer is a challenge, as there is little evidence. I had a tiny suspicion at one point, yet also considered red herrings when they looked better than my guess. The solution was surprising as I had so readily discarded the person. I appreciate seeing that there is more in Daisy’s life than work and finding a killer. The author demonstrates sensitivity through Daisy’s familial relationships and the needs of her daughters. There is a depth to Daisy and Iris that makes them fully three-dimensional, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better in upcoming mysteries. I highly recommend Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes; it is one of my favorite new series in 2017! From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this from the publisher, Goodreads first read, and NetGalley, and here is my honest review.

Absolutely delicious book. I devoured it.