Thursday, June 6, 2013

"English Tea Murder" by Leslie Meier

Among the birthday goodies I received from my friend Sandra recently was a tea-themed mystery I had somehow failed to hear about, "English Tea Murder" by Leslie Meier. This book is part of the Lucy Stone Mystery series, and I quickly became a fan! Happily, this book was a great stand-alone read that didn't make me feel I was missing out on anything by not having read other books in the series first.

Reporter Lucy Stone lives in the fictional town of Tinker's Cove, Maine, and she and some girlfriends have signed up for a trip to England organized by the local college. It's the first such trip for Lucy, who feels a little anxious about leaving her husband and family behind while she travels. The group is on the plane and headed across the pond when the professor leading the trip suddenly dies of an asthma attack mid-flight. Or, was it an asthma attack after all? It's certainly a dramatic kickoff of their trip to England, and this whodunnit had me guessing who the culprit was deep into the book!

If you've never been to London, you'll enjoy the armchair travel this book provides, but if you *have* been, you may enjoy it even more! I've been to England only once, and my itinerary closely followed that of Lucy and her friends. Author Leslie Meier captures quite well the experience of making it to the tour bus on time, accommodating the preferences of a group of women traveling together, and she gives an accurate first-timer's view of England as well. So many times I found myself thinking, "Yes, that's exactly how it was!" On an excursion to Bath, the characters even mention one of the very shops where I bought souvenirs, and it was fun to relive that experience in these pages. When I went to England, I had tea somewhere every day of my trip, but Lucy and her friends find themselves coming across tea rooms that are closed for one reason or another. So forget who may have killed the professor. The real question in this book is, will Lucy and her friends ever make it to afternoon tea? I highly recommend this book, and I've added the Lucy Stone Mysteries to my growing list of cozy mysteries I plan to follow!

9 comments:

  1. It sounds like a very fun read, Angela. Thanks for sharing it with us!

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  2. Thanks for the 'heads up'. I will look for it. Deb

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  3. Sounds like a great book.

    And tea rooms closing is SAD SAD SAD!

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  4. Gosh Angela, I don't have to even look for good books myself anymore - bloggers recommend some really nice ones. I enjoyed the Avalon Scrapbooking book you suggested and will add this one to my list as well.
    Thanks for sharing your great finds.
    Judith

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  5. This sounds like a fun read! Will have to find a copy! Thanks!

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  6. Oh!! Thanks for the recommendation, Angela. I love London and will be going there this summer. I hope they have it on nook.

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  7. OK, this one is now on my list to read. Sounds good! Thanks for the recommendation.

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  8. My copy just arrived... it's sitting on my desk... now to find time to read it!

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