Murder with Chocolate Tea

By Karen Rose Smith

Chocolate Lovers Unite! At Daisy’s Tea Garden, the featured tea this month is Chocolate Tea which Daisy serves with a variety of sweet treats. It seems to go particularly well with chocolate chip cookies.

As always, delicious foods from soups and salads to high tea are served at Daisy’s teahouse. Daisy has a lot of things going on in Murder with Chocolate Tea. She and Jonas are planning their wedding, and she has put one of her enthusiastic employees, April, in charge of a tea celebrating a local covered bridge. Most importantly for the reader, Daisy is trying to solve a recent murder and a cold case.  Is there a connection between the two? Daisy finds herself in danger as she draws closer to discovering the truth.

Daisy’s friends and family have their share of difficulties. Her daughter Jazzi is preparing to go to college. Her daughter Vi’s husband is overworking and over stressing over his new job.  Aunt Iris still has two suitors who are getting impatient. Her kitchen manager’s boyfriend has begun a true crime podcast.  He endangers many in his efforts to discover the truth including those he interviews.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in this mystery. Many friends of the the murder victims are suspected of the crimes, but we don’t get to know them as well as I would like. It’s mind boggling to watch Daisy juggle work and home commitments, but with the help of supportive employees and relatives, she manages well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating:  4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes:  1. #10 in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery Series

    2. The author does a good job of reintroducing characters for the new reader. It could be a standalone, but there is a lot of backstory to be gained by reading the whole series.

Publication:   November 28, 2023—Kensington

Memorable Lines:

Courage is just something that happens when you want to get out of a predicament you didn’t intend to be in, and you don’t have another way out.

Daisy stroked Pepper’s back, and the cat turned over in her lap, showing her white belly. Daisy ruffled it, giving affection and taking comfort. The cats were so good at that.