A Body at the Tea Rooms (A Kate Palmer Mystery #3_ by Dee MacDonald
Genre: Cosy mystery
Read: 2nd May 2021
Published: 10th May 2021
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Meet Kate Palmer! A semi-retired nurse with a sweet tooth for cake and a talent for solving crimes.
Kate Palmer is most disappointed when renovations at her sister Angie’s new tea rooms are derailed after a body is discovered in the cellar. She was looking forward to clotted cream teas with a seaside view. Instead she has another murder mystery to solve…
If the village gossip is to be believed, the unfortunate man was connected to the wealthy Hedgefield family. Kate is reluctant to get caught up in the investigation but a curious card in the victim’s jacket pocket sparks her interest. Not to mention the ridiculous rumour Angie is somehow involved! Keen to clear her sister’s name so she can finally eat cake in the charming tea rooms, Kate teams up with handsome retired Detective ‘Woody’ Forrest to untangle the baffling case.
After quizzing the locals over copious cups of tea, Kate begins to realise the Hedgefields, who live in a grand mansion and own half the village, are not as perfect as they make out. They’re hiding a long-buried family secret and plenty of people have a grudge against them, including a number of their ex-employees.
But who could have murdered a member of Lower Tinworthy’s most enviable family? Was it the old gardener? The seemingly sweet cook? Or the bitter maid?
Just as she inches closer to the truth, Angie goes missing. Does amateur sleuth Kate have what it takes to get to the bottom of this extraordinary puzzle and save her sister at the same time?
If you love murder mysteries with a brilliant cast of characters, twisty plots and plenty of cake, A Body at the Tea Rooms will have you hooked until the very last page! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Dee MacDonald's cosy mystery A BODY AT THE TEA ROOMS.
Although this is the third in the Kate Palmer series, this is my first read by Dee MacDonald. I was in the mood for a cosy mystery and Cornwall always does it for me. Having not read any of the previous books in the series, I didn't feel as though I had missed out on anything nor did it impact my experience at all. As the characters are few, I didn't feel lost coming into the series at Book 3. However what was refreshing was that the main characters are older and not the usual younger type who find themselves caught up in crime and mystery in these books.
Semi-retired nurse Kate Palmer moved to Cornwall a year ago and in that time she has several solved mysteries under her belt. She bought the quaint Lavender Cottage in which she lives with her sister Angie who, although being two years older, appears to be going through a second childhood I doubt she really ever left. And then there is Woody Forrest, recently retired Detective Inspector, who having assisted her on the previous cases is now looking forward to enjoying the quiet life with Kate. Also in the mix is Fergus who is somehow or other attached to Kate's sister Angie, though exactly how she isn't quite sure.
The story begins with Kate and Woody having returned from sunny California where she was introduced to Woody's family. On their return to Heathrow they met Aaron Hedgefield who was driving back to Cornwall and offered them a lift instead of taking the four hour coach trip. Having hit it off with Aaron, he invited them to the Tremarron estate sometime. But no sooner were they in the door when they were assailed by Angie who was in a whirlwind of excitement with what had just taken place in the village.
Having come into a surprise inheritance from her ex-mother-in-law, Angie bought the old Locker cafe intending to gut it out and re-open it as a Tea Rooms by day and a bar by night. But in the process of doing so, discovered an old disused cellar and uncovering skeletal remains behind a bricked up wall. So excited by the prospect that this could be an old pirate or smuggler that had somehow met his fate below the old building, Angie began making plans on how to cash in on the find.
Kate's interest was piqued and she couldn't help putting her recently discovered investigative skills to use to identify whose remains they indeed were. Despite Angie's excitement over it being historically linked to smuggling or the like, Woody received information that the body had more than likely been there between ten and forty years. Added to that was the more modern clothing found with the remains, so it was hardly likely to be one of Angie's smugglers.
But when it appears that the body may be linked to the Hedgefield family up at Tremarron, Kate and Woody decide to take Aaron up on his offer of dinner with them in the hope they might be able to discover something more about the family. In the meantime, Kate sets out to investigate what she has already discovered to try and prove what she now suspects...before sharing it with Woody.
But will her investigating get her into hot water and put not only hers but her sister's life at risk? Or will Kate uncover the truth once again? Village gossip, DNA, grand country house, gardeners, cook, an old boathouse and two untimely deaths around the time the remains were sealed behind the wall in the cellar...this book has it all!
A BODY AT THE TEA ROOMS is a delightful cosy mystery that is a very easy read. So easy that I read it in one sitting when I went to bed...and didn't stop until I finished it just after 1am. There are no complexities or twisted tales here. Just like an afternoon in Midsomer on the Cornish coast.
Of course, like all good mysteries, there is a twist at the end which I didn't even anticipate I was in such a relaxed state with the book! But it was a good twist and certainly explained a lot bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion.
Although the third book in the series, A BODY AT THE TEA ROOMS can be read perfectly well on its own...as I read it. Kate and Woody are extremely likeable, even if I could've throttled Angie at times, as they bounce ideas off each in an effort to solve the case.
An enjoyable read, A BODY AT THE TEA ROOMS is perfect for fans of cosy reads and Agatha Christie.
I would like to thank #DeeMacDonald, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ABodyAtTheTeaRooms in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.
Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!
Married twice, she has one son and two grandsons.
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