Tempest in a Teapot

Title: Tempest in a Teapot

Author: Amanda Cooper

Publisher: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2014

Pages: 294

Genre: mystery

Obtained: purchased










Summary: After her upscale New York City restaurant closes, Sophie Taylor returns to a small town in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York to her Nana's tea house.  When her old friend Cissy Peterson's future mother- in-law is murdered by poisoning at Cissy's grandmother's tea house, Sophie is determined to find out who committed this heinous crime.

Thoughts: This was the first of three books in the Teapot Collector Mystery series.  I just loved the cover which definitely portrayed a cozy mystery with lots of tea, food, teapots, and cats, which is exactly what was inside.  I loved the setting- the beautiful Victorian tea house of a teapot collector.

There were many characters, some developed much better than others.  The back stories of the characters were interesting and helped with character development, but those that didn't have a back story could have been developed more.  I liked how the author had Sophie, the protagonist, returning to the town that she hadn't lived in for years because the reader found out information about the suspects along with Sophie.  I did not like that Sophie's character didn't always seem consistent.  At the beginning she seemed well mannered, but then when she really got into her investigation, she became pushy and rude.  Since the story took place in a small town, in which the residents had been around for many years, there were plenty of motives to murder.

The writing style of the author was organized and clear, although repetitive in giving particulars to the point that it became a bit annoying at times.  I lost count of how many times the author reminded the reader that there was just one cupcake on the plate that was not red velvet.  The writing was descriptive, but I didn't feel like I was there.  I could picture the characters as I read, though.  The pace was slow, but I did not feel that it dragged.

I really enjoyed this book, mostly because of the setting and tea theme, but it was a good whodunit as well.




                                                              

At the end of this book was a recipe for these delicious Cranberry Pecan Yogurt Scones.  I already had all of the ingredients, except for the pecans.  The directions were easy to follow.    The ingredients were easy to mix, especially with the pastry blender that I received as a Christmas gift.









The pre-baked scones were easy to cut- no sticking.  The process went smoothly and the final product was a huge success.  The scones were not extremely dry, like some.  They were about as moist as I would like a scone to be.  The cranberries and pecans made a scrumptious blend.  The recipe made eight good sized scones.  Although I had them for breakfast, they would be wonderful with tea anytime of the day.  What a great added bonus to this book!







                                               




I purchased Tempest in a Teapot from Mystery on Main Street, a small, independent bookstore in Brattleboro, Vermont.  This is a wonderful bookstore for mystery lovers.  It is quiet and neat and had all types of mystery books imaginable, along with other mystery themed items.  Even though it is not a huge bookstore, there is plenty of room to browse comfortably and there is a pleasant sitting area.  The proprietor is friendly, not pushy at all, and is willing to help customers find any book even if it is not in the store or a mystery book.  If you're in southern Vermont I highly recommend this store!