Vanilla Chai and A Vanishing Victim
A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery
A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
by
Victoria Tait
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting - Cotswold, England
Publisher: Kanga Press
Publication Date: January 5, 2024
Page count: 240 pages
Digital ASIN: B0C4V4CCGT
3rd in Series
Setting - Cotswold, England
Publisher: Kanga Press
Publication Date: January 5, 2024
Page count: 240 pages
Digital ASIN: B0C4V4CCGT
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SYNOPSIS:
A missing child. A half-baked ransom demand.
Can a community cop sift through clues and rescue the tot before teatime?
Sergeant Keya Varma’s culinary dreams come true as she joyfully opens her own café. And attending her sister’s wedding is the cherry on the cake. But her excitement sinks like a souffle when a customer’s little boy disappears.
Shaken as well as stirred into action, the part-time police officer joins the search, but she’s shattered when even a ransom payment doesn’t bring the rug rat back home.
For Keya, justice is served with a side of scones, but can she save the child before the clotted cream turns sour?
Indulge in the Waterwheel Café cozy mystery series, where Keya Varma mixes crime with coffee and crêpes. If you crave appetising characters, a dash of humour, and a dollop of English charm, you’ll devour Victoria Tait's delicious tale.
Bake your way into intrigue with Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim today!
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REVIEW:
5 stars!
Great characters and a clever, complex mystery make this my favorite of the Waterwheel Café Mysteries to date!
Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim is the third book
in author Victoria Tait’s wonderful, cozy Waterwheel Café Mystery series,
a spin-off of her delightful Dotty Sayers Antiques Mysteries, and
probably my favorite of the collection to date. With its great characters,
recurring and new, and intriguing plot, this one kept me completely engaged
from the start.
Keya Varma, the owner of Waterwheel Café and Gloucestershire’s
part-time rural engagement police officer, is engaging, smart, and resourceful
as she juggles her hectic work life. Keya has grown so much since her introduction
in the first Dotty Sayers Antiques Mystery, and except for a stumble
here and a bump there, she hardly resembles the clumsy rookie she was then. Inspector
Evans has mellowed, trusting his team members’ opinions and abilities, and assigns
Keya meatier and more important roles, which she accomplishes with aplomb and
an eye for detail. Keya successfully connects the dots in the cases. I enjoyed
the longer, more intimate look into Keya’s relationship with her family as they
prepare for her sister’s wedding. I loved all the descriptions of the wedding
traditions, which were so vivid I felt as if I were participating firsthand.
The plot is clever and complex, with several subplots, making this quite a robust story. Twists and turns abound as Keya, Constable Ryan Jenkins, and Inspector Sue Honeywell work different angles, multiple kidnappers demands for ransom, and a variety of theories and scenarios to solve the mystery of the missing toddler. One clue in particular sent me somewhat in the right direction of the resolution, but I had guessed wrongly in the end. While the book has a great finish and is a very satisfying read, when the dust settled on the case, I sympathized with the perpetrator and was torn over whether justice had really been served. Although the third in the series, this book can easily be read and enjoyed immensely as a standalone.
I recommend VANILLA CHAI AND A VANISHING VICTIM to cozy mystery
readers who enjoy intricate plots, engaging characters, and a continual parade
of culinary delights throughout the pages.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. After following her military husband around the world, she drew on her life’s experiences, and a love of Agatha Christie, Father Brown, and Murder She Wrote, to write British based cozy mysteries.
Her determined female sleuths are joined by colourful and quirky teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and realistic. As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world where you’ll experience surprises, humour and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.
Do you like tea, mysteries, and books? Then why not join Victoria's TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and download the free prequel to the Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries series as a gift by visiting VictoriaTait.com.
Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder!
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