"Tea & Sympathy" by J. New

I'm always game to try a new cozy mystery series, and I recently learned about one set in the UK. When I looked on Amazon, it had pretty good reviews except for a few quibbles about the editing. Since the book was in Kindle Unlimited and I'm a subscriber, I decided to check out Tea & Sympathy by J. New and am glad I did. It's the tale of Lilly Tweed, the former "agony aunt" or advice columnist who was recently let go when the local newspaper downsized. Lilly decides on a career change and follows her dream of opening a tea shop in the market town of Plumpton Mallet.

Though she's no longer dispensing advice at the newspaper, Lilly still gets called upon to offer advice and sets up a letterbox outside her shop so that requests can be discreetly dropped off there. When she gets a desperate-sounding letter from a woman named Carol Ann who believes her life is in danger, Lilly offers to meet with the woman, but alas, Carol Ann's body is found in the river before the two ever meet.

Among the things I liked in the book: Lilly's shop clerk, the American student Stacey Pepper; a cat named Earl Grey (although yes, we’ve had that name for a pet before in a beloved American tea-themed cozy series); and Lilly’s excellent knowledge about which teas are best for which ailments. This book was much shorter than most cozy mysteries I’ve read, but that has its charms as well, as this is definitely a book that can be read in one sitting and a few cups of tea. And this fun, light-hearted read ended with a cliffhanger, so I’ll at least have to read book two to find out what happens next!