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The Avid Reader
, July 19, 2024
(view all comments by The Avid Reader)
Trouble is Brewing by Vicki Delany is the fifth A Tea by the Sea Mystery. It can be read as a standalone as the author provides the needed background information for new readers. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the area, the tea shop, the bed and breakfast, and the food. I was disappointed that there was more telling than showing in the story. The mystery is simple. The father of the groom is murdered after the bridal shower. Lily shows little interest in solving the whodunit until an innocent party becomes the prime suspect (of course). I wanted more sleuthing with less baking and romance. I could have done with a lot less of Bernie’s antics (I wanted to shove her off a cliff). The same details are repeated over and over. There were many missed opportunities. Lily would walk away too soon, or the scene ends early. The guilty party stands out (there might as well be a giant neon arrow pointing at the killer). I had an idea as to why this person committed the crime, but I had to wait for the reveal to be sure. The reveal felt anticlimactic. While Trouble is Brewing is a pleasant, lighthearted story, I found it lacking. I am hoping the next A Tea by the Sea Mystery will have more mystery to go with the cozy elements.
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