Tea with Jam & Dread - (Tea by the Sea Mysteries) by Vicki Delany (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Cape Cod tearoom owner Lily Roberts leaves New England for old England to attend a party for an aristocratic centenarian--but what goes on there is anything but noble . . .

Long ago, Lily's grandmother Rose worked as a kitchen maid at Thornecroft Castle, and now Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Frockmorton, is celebrating her 100th birthday. Rose still has fond feelings for her onetime employer, so a group trip to Yorkshire is planned. It's also an opportunity for Lily to visit her boyfriend, who's currently working in England--and to indulge in some British tea.

Much has changed, however, and the ancestral home is now a luxury hotel, which will be closed for a week to accommodate the big bash, much to the chagrin of Elizabeth's grandson, Julien. Lily overhears an argument among the younger generation about the fate of the family fortune. Little do they know that Elizabeth plans to sell the famous Frockmorton Sapphires out of the family for the first time in centuries . . .

The icing on the cake comes when the jewels suddenly vanish--and things really go nuts when a party guest dies from an allergic reaction to almonds that someone smuggled into Lily's coronation chicken sandwiches. Now she'll have to scour the property to find out who would commit murder in such a manor . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for the Tea by the Sea Mysteries by Vicki Delany

"The narrative delightfully blends intrigue with lovely English charm and a cast of memorable characters." --Library Journal on Tea with Jam and Dread

"The beautifully described Yorkshire setting, details of food service, and the friendship and history between Elizabeth and Rose, who was Elizabeth's kitchen maid years ago, add up to another satisfying entry in the cozy Tea by the Sea series." --Booklist on Tea with Jam and Dread

"Shoals of red herrings abound, but Lily and her delightful friends winnow out the big fish." --Kirkus Reviews on Steeped in Malice

"A continuing delight." --Criminal Element on Steeped in Malice

"Find a comfy chair, raise a cup of fragrant, freshly brewed tea to your lips, and settle down for murder and mayhem in a mystery novel set in a tearoom for a delightful form of armchair travel." --TeaTime Magazine on The Tea by the Sea Mysteries

"Details about tea, baking, and running a tea shop and bed-and-breakfast are woven throughout a satisfying cozy with a beautifully described setting and a cast of charming, small-town characters. Share this new series with fans of Laura Childs' Tea Shop mysteries." --Booklist on Tea & Treachery

"Fans of culinary cozies will be sure to come back for more." --Publishers Weekly on Tea & Treachery

"Bestselling crime writer Vicki Delany has penned more than 40 hair-raising whodunits--and her latest tale follows suit!" --Woman's World (Book Club Selection) for Tea & Treachery

"Adds a sweet edge to the cozy genre...With a pot of Earl Grey and a shortbread made from the included recipes at their sides, readers will feel like this takes them on a mini-trip to the seashore." --Booklist on Murder in a Teacup

"Delany expertly blends a cunning mystery plot with diverting characters and sparkling dialogue. Laura Childs fans will have fun." --Publishers Weekly on Murder in a Teacup

"Quirky characters, a lovely setting, and a surprising denouement make this second installment a charmer." --Kirkus on Murder in a Teacup

"Sympathetic characters, a charming setting, the baking frame, and appended recipes distinguish this cozy, which will appeal to fans of Laura Childs' Theodosia Browning tea-shop mysteries and Cleo Coyle's coffeehouse-set series." --Booklist on Murder Spills the Tea

"Cape Cod provides an appealing backdrop for a food-centric cozy replete with red herrings and likable sleuths." --Kirkus on Murder Spills the Tea

"Kudos to Vicki Delaney for this terrific whodunnit." --Criminal Element on Murder in a Teacup

"It's a crime not to read Delany." --London Free Press

About the Author

Vicki Delany is one of Canada's most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the US. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: The Tea by the Sea mysteries, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year Round Christmas mysteries, and as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library series. A past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and a co-organizer of Women Killing it, a crime writing festival, her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards. She is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. Vicki lives and writes in bucolic Prince Edward County, Ontario and can be found online at VickiDelany.com.