Earl Grey and Shallow Graves: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
(A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery) by Victoria Tait
About Earl Grey and Shallow Graves
Earl Grey and Shallow Graves:
A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
(A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – England
Kanga Press (May 19, 2023)
Number of Pages c. 240
Digital ASIN : B0BXQL5YS5
A 30-year-old skeleton. A missing girl. Can a community police officer read the tea leaves or will a deadly secret remain buried forever?
Sergeant Keya Varma is delighted with her new part-time role as the Cotswolds’ Rural Engagement Officer. She’s also fulfilling her dream of opening a small neighbourhood café. But she gets herself into a stew with renovation works when builders unearth a young girl’s remains.
While Keya and her police colleagues gain ground reviewing the unsolved disappearance of a local girl, her brief taste of success turns to dust when a friend is found dead at her tea shop. Confusion over identities threatens to bury the investigation and our junior police officer is worried that justice won’t be served.
Can Keya dig into the mystery and uncover the real culprit?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I am thrilled that Victoria Tait has spun Sergeant Keya Varma off into her own series!
In this first installment, Keya has gone part-time in her job as Cotswolds’ Rural Engagement Officer so that she can start living her dream by opening a cafe attached to Akeman’s Antique Center. Right now there are a lot of renovations taking place including repairing the waterwheel and making it the focal point of the cafe.
The work on the cafe is moving along nicely but when the crew started to remove the waterwheel for repairs they find a skeleton of a young woman. Keya is going to have to take on this investigation without her friend Dotty. It starts with reviewing a cold case of a local girl that went missing. When another woman is found dead outside the cafe Keya knows there has to be a connection. Will Keya be able to pull the clues together to solve both cases or will they both go cold?
Ms. Tait has kept all the fantastic characters from her Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries Series and now has given Keya the lead role. I love that we get to know Keya better and her family as they prepare for her sister’s wedding. Keya still brings the gang together around Aunt Beanie’s table and the mystery has the antique center connection with one character from there more involved but we get to see Keya work with her police colleagues to solve the mystery. She is still her old klutzy self and she knows it but it is still funny when things go awry. “Oh toda!”
That mystery is complex and so well-written. There is a unique twist that turns everything upside down. I really enjoyed the way Keya took the lead on so many things and worked hard to follow the clues to see that justice was served. She and Ryan worked well together and with a bit of a shake-up at the police station which is a really good thing. Inspector Evans had faith in both of them and they both had great ideas and instincts. I found myself completely caught up in all that was going on and loved that a cold case was involved.
Earl Grey and the Shallow Graves
I am excited to see the completion of The Waterwheel Cafe and how Keya handles running it while still holding her law enforcement position. Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance
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About Victoria Tait
I was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. I’ve drawn on my experiences following my military husband to write cozy murder mystery books with vivid and evocative settings. My determined female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and you’ll experience surprises, humour, and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.
I hope you enjoyed Keya’s first book. Why not join her and her friends as they solve more mysteries in my Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, also based in the Cotswolds. Visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TMJFL7L
Do you like tea, cakes and books? Then why not join our TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and receive your free book gift at VictoriaTait.com
Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?
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For access to exclusive content, giveaways, and freebies, sign up for my newsletter at my website: VictoriaTait.com
Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in The Waterwheel Café series
Purchase Link – Amazon
Coming September 29, 2023
Coming February 9, 2024
The Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries
Also by Victoria Tait
Great Escapes Praise for Earl Grey and Shallow Graves: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
(A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery) by Victoria Tait
Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is an appealing start to the Waterwheel Cafe cozy mystery series. Spending time in Victoria Tait’s quaint English setting with its likable heroine, eccentric supporting characters, local social landmarks, and endless cups of tea is a delightful reading experience
~Book Club Librarian
I highly recommend Earl Grey and Shallow Graves to cozy mystery lovers because of the extremely fun characters, beautiful setting, well-paced plot, and twisty mystery! I can’t wait for Keya’s next book!
~Christy’s Cozy Corners
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
