Sunday, May 28, 2023

Virtual Book Tour: Earl Grey and Shallow Graves (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery, #1) by Victoria Tait

 

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves
A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery
by
Victoria Tait


Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – England
Publisher: Kanga Press
Publication Date: May 19, 2023
Page count: 240 pages
Digital ASIN: B0BXQL5YS5


SYNOPSIS:

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 neighborhood 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?

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 favorite characters and making new friends in Victoria Tait’s intriguing British cozy mystery.


Buy Earl Grey and Shallow Graves and unearth a killer today!

| Amazon |



REVIEW:

5 stars!

Great characters return in this riveting debut to Victoria Tait's spin-off series, the Waterwheel Café Mysteries.

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the debut novel in veteran author Victoria Tait's latest work, the Waterwheel Café Mysteries, a spin-off of her popular Dotty Sayers mystery series featuring Police Sergeant Keya Varma. The plot is complex, with good investigations and familiar characters that feel like old friends, and there are twists and turns that kept me reading until all was revealed. I was completely delighted with this story, and Keya is now one of my favorite cozy mystery characters. 

I'm so glad Keya keeps getting more assured and confident in her bookish appearances. She still questions herself, but her instincts are good. She's still a bit of a klutz and makes a spectacular splash at a crime scene early in the book. I don't know if that makes her feel like such a kindred spirit, but I felt like I was catching up with a real-life friend as I read. There have been some changes in the department, and I enjoyed Keya's travels around her district in addition to the mystery, which is the book's focus. She and Ryan do well together, and I liked seeing Keya's relationships with series characters from the Dotty Sayers series that appear here as well.

The plot was intriguing, along with Keya trying to get her new café opened. What starts as a sad and baffling cold case revs up when a current murder is discovered, which really puts pressure on Keya's bunch to find the killer. With more than one victim to vindicate, there are quite a few contacts to make.

With its familiar and engaging characters and wonderfully vivid sense of place, I recommend EARL GREY AND SHALLOW GRAVES to cozy mystery readers who enjoy a better-than-amateur sleuth, intriguing plots, and a Cotswolds' setting.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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? 



TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

May 19 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
May 19 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 19 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
May 19 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT
May 20 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 20 – Indie Author Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 21 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 21 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
May 22 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
May 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 22 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW*
May 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 23 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
May 23 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
May 24 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
May 24 – CelticLady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 24 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
May 25 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
May 25 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 27 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
May 27 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
May 28 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
May 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT



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