Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance:
A British Cozy Mystery with a Female Sleuth
(A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Cotswold, England
Kanga Press (September 5, 2023)
Paperback : 220 pages
ISBN-10 : 1915413486
ISBN-13 : 978-1915413482
Digital ASIN : B0C4BGVLCJ
A canceled wedding. A runaway bride. Can a community cop find the frightened fiancée before the church bells ring?
With her sister’s nuptials nearing, Sergeant Keya Varma plans to dazzle in a drop-dead gorgeous outfit. But when the venue double books and cancels the ceremony, her sibling wonders if she’ll ever tie the knot. Taking the plunge to plead for help, they visit the other bride, dismayed to find she’s just disappeared.
Desperate to track down the wife-to-be, Keya identifies sinister suspects all with a hand in the marriage. As her enquires continues, she questions whether it’s really a shotgun wedding rather than a match made in heaven.
Can Keya untangle the mystery in time to give her sister the Big Day of her dreams?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sergeant Keya Varma is in the midst of some exciting things. Her cafe at Akeman’s Antique Center is getting close to opening and her sister, Zivah is getting married in just a few days.
Then Zivah’s plans go severely awry when she learns her venue has been double booked and she needs to find another place fast that will understand her Indian culture and traditions. Keya thinks they should first contact the other bride to see if she would change her date. When she does she learns the bride is not in control of her wedding, her soon-to-be inlaws are.
Not one to give up Keya wants to try again but when she arrives at the bride’s cottage she finds that the young woman has disappeared. Keya has a bad feeling so she calls in a missing person and an investigation is opened. She soon has a lot of questions and talking to the bride’s family raises even more.
Will she find the young woman? Will she get married? Will she find a way for her sister to have the wedding day she deserves?
I have enjoyed every book I have read by Victoria Tait. But when I read Keya’s prologue I should have closed the book and moved on. Instead, I was intrigued and I always find Keya so entertaining I just kept reading.
The more Keya delved into Natasha’s life the more my heart started to break. I know the signs and they were all there. Keya and her sister are such kind souls and empathetic. Keya did lose it one time and I may not have agreed with everything she said I understood her need to do so. I also didn’t agree with the coroner’s conclusion of the case but he may have done so to make it easier for her family. I can tell you no matter how a child dies it is never easy.
The subplot of the armchair detectives/reporters was so true to life. People trying to gain their fame by capitalizing on the pain and distress of others is so frustrating. At times people do have information about an investigation but spying and sneaking around trying to make a story out of something they know nothing about only hurts people and can take the police away from pertinent information.
Keya Varma is a wonderful protagonist. She is a little bit klutzy but she has a huge heart and great instincts. That is what makes her a grand Rural Enforcement Officer and it will serve her well as her cafe becomes the go-to place in the area.
Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance really tugged on my heartstrings. It is very well-written and is filled with engaging characters. I am looking forward to
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
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
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Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?
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Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in The Waterwheel Café series. If you’ve enjoyed the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series
, then you’ll love meeting some of your favourite characters and making new friends in Victoria Tait’s intriguing British cozy mystery.
The Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries
Coming October 20, 2023
Coming March 15, 2024
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.”