Death by Tea (Bookstore Cafe Series #2)

as frustrating as the heroine is, this series has hooked me..

Not a tasteful writer. Will not waste my time with such disgusting and, not necessary detail. Shows no talent in my opinion.

Book #2 in this series. Two best friends open a bookstore/coffee shop called, “Death by Coffee”. The owners; Vicki Patterson and Krissy Hancock also allowed book clubs to use their upstairs area to meet. One group that seems to be run by Rita Jablonski; the resident gossip and loudmouth, has a competition with the neighboring town on a book written by Krissy’s father; James Hancock. Rita has a thing for Krissy’s father and brings a life-sized cardboard cutout of him to a meeting. Krissy finds this kind of creepy but more concerning is the fact that no one else does. When a book reader with a British accent and hot body is found dead in the coffee shop after a meeting, Krissy has to get involved. Who killed David Smith with a teapot? Fast paced, nice read. See if you figure it out before the end.

The second book in the Bookstore Café mystery series was a good read. Author Alex Erickson has created a wonderful setting for his series. I’ve wanted to own a bookstore café for a very long time. So the scenes in the store were fun for me as I pictured the shop in my mind, imaging spending my days there. This was a well written mystery with a plot that kept me guessing. Also, it had good reveal that was nicely thought out. There were some good characters in DEATH BY TEA, but I have to be honest…I do not care for series protagonist, Krissy Hancock. I find her to be juvenile and whiney. I don’t expect all female leads to be super women, but I do want to find them likeable. As this series goes forward, I hope to see some growth in Krissy. I like this series okay, but I want to love it. My 4 star rating is on Mr. Erickson’s ability as an author. Not for the overall piece. There is an excerpt in the back of the book for the third book in this series, DEATH BY PUMPKIN SPICE.

Another great mystery I have enjoyed the Bookstore Cafe Mysteries so far after reading the first book in the series, Death by coffee, since I am a mystery book lover and also a caffeine addict. Death by tea was a better read then the first novel, but both are great. In the second installment of the series, business is booming at the Death by Coffee bookstore, and Krissy and her friend Vicki are feeling the rush. Town gossip Rita stories of problems when she brings a large life-size cardboard cutout of Krissy's father, well known mystery writer, James Hancock, to be the store's mascot it works Krissy into hosting the annual Pine Hills and Cherry Valley book club contest, offering a silver teapot is a prize. All seems well until a member of the Cherry Valley Group, David Smith, is found in the store, bludgeoned to death with the winning prize the silver teapot. Things get worse when Chrissy is seen heading back to the store that night, stealing her father's cut out from the store. Which leads the police to believe that she is suspect Numero Uno.

[I borrowed this book from my local library's eBook loans] Having read its predecessor, Death By Coffee, I wanted to see what was next in store for Krissy and her small town. And, we are in the middle of another murder in the shop, and a convoluted tale unfolds as Krissy, wrongly assumed a suspect, begins to piece together the puzzle that keeps feeling like not everything's actually all there. With clues all around, even Misfit can't find out what's going on. This is a sweet and sour cosy mystery that will entertain you once you have the ducks in play. Recommended.

Another enjoyable story by Alex Erickson. How can you go wrong with a story set in a Coffee/Book store? Krissy and her best friend Vicki own the shop and are doing their best to keep the doors open. Just about everything that can go wrong starts to go wrong. As they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men”…. FTC Full Disclosure - A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Death by Tea by Alex Erickson is the second book in A Bookstore Café Mystery series. Krissy Hancock is part owner in Death by Coffee (named after a book by her father, James Hancock) with her best friend, Vicki Patterson in Pine Hills. Rita Jablonski (a big fan of James Hancock) has decided to move the Pines Hills and Cherry Valley Book Club Competition to Death by Coffee. A beautiful silver teapot is the prize. They are a vocal group, but it will bring business into the store. But then one of the Cherry Hill members, David Smith, ends up dead inside Death by Coffee. Krissy is a suspect thanks to her late night activities (taking a cardboard cutout of her father out of the store that belongs to Rita). Krissy sets out to prove her innocence and she will do whatever it takes. She will have to evade Officer Buchanan who is determined to put her in jail (he just does not like her) and her very nosy neighbor, Eleanor Withrow. I was hoping that Death by Tea would be better than the first book in the series. Unfortunately, I was disappointed (I think it was worse). Krissy is just not a likable character. The story is written in the first person so we get to hear all her ramblings and nonsense. She likes Officer Paul Dalton (with the Pine Hills police department) and does not understand why he does not call (this goes on throughout the whole book). The mystery was secondary in the novel to Krissy’s life (she would forget what she was saying or doing when a handsome man was present). We get to hear more about her awful cat, Misfit (who destroys furniture), than about the mystery. When Krissy questions or interrogates people she is not very polite (actually can be rude and pushy). It is like she feels she is entitled to get the answers she wants (even though the people have no reason to talk to her). Krissy rushes into situations (frequently) without thinking things through (leading to embarrassing moments for her and the person she accuses). I give Death by Tea 2.75 out of 5 stars. As you can tell, I am not a fan of this novel. The mystery was extremely easy to solve (despite the attempts of the author to mislead the readers). One clue was the key to solving the mystery. I received a complimentary copy of Death by Tea from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest review.

‘Death by Tea’, second in the Bookstore Cafe series, is in some ways true to life…my life as a cat owner, at least. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I found it so good that I will read the first one, too! Misfit is Krissy Hancock’s cat (I’ve had at least one cat that should have been named that!) and Trouble is Vicki’s. Krissy is the owner of the new Death by Coffee bookstore and café, named after one of her father’s novels. I think there is a bit of the wannabe book store owner in the life of every coffee drinking, cat-loving reader. Unfortunately in every life, there is someone like Rita who, in this case, is part of the local book club that meets at Death by Coffee while Pine Hill’s and Cherry Valley’s Book Clubs prepared for their annual debate. This year they would debate Krissy’s father’s book, Death by Chocolate, and the award for the winning team would be a beautiful silver teapot. Since Rita had been very vocal about how she had the hots for Krissy’s father, who fortunately didn’t live in Pine Hills, the high esteem she held for his novel was no secret. Krissy had to run to the book store late one night after it had closed; her nosy neighbor Eleanor, who watched her with binoculars every night, gleefully shared with the police the next day before they came to her door. To take her in for questioning. For murder, the murder of a suave English-sounding gentleman from the Cherry Valley team who was found dead in her bookstore early that morning. She was confronted by bad-cop, stern police chief, and who she thought was good-cop but now wouldn’t even talk with her, the police chief’s son, Officer Paul Dalton, who probably wouldn’t ask her out again any time soon. I loved Krissy and Misfit! They are, to me, a normal woman owned by a normal cat. I feel as if Krissy and Vicki, and all the primary characters were very well-defined through their actions and conversations. Rita seemed familiar because she resembles at least one person in my life at any given time. The police force is interesting, possibly because I have only hearsay knowledge of our men and women in blue. They are presented as needed for their roles, so this reader could appreciate them (or dislike, in the case of bad-cop). I feel that we were given excellent portrayals of the book club members, including the man who was murdered and his grieving girlfriend. It is easy to get to know many of the townspeople; they are as ‘real’ as it gets. The storyline, bookstore and its daily workings were interesting. The mystery could have had many solutions, and this reader picked out more than one suspect. Except the real one! Being stumped, for me, is one sign of a good mystery. Add an interesting setting and characters, feisty and intelligent protagonists, enough suspense to keep the pages turning, and of course, a cat or two…these make for a great cozy mystery. I highly recommend ‘Death by Tea’ to those who enjoyed ‘Death by Coffee’ and anyone who enjoys well-written, thoroughly executed mysteries that keep the reader guessing. I am so looking forward to their next adventure! Four paws UP for a fun read! With a grateful heart, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Kensington, via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation has been received for this review.

Great Book! This is a great book; this is the second book in the Bookstore Café Mystery series by Alex Erickson. Krissy Hancock is getting ready for the book club competition that is being held at her bookstore café. When one of the competitors turns up dead she is the primary suspect. Krissy turns to an old flame, Officer Paul Dalton to help her find the real killer. If you are looking for a great mystery then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. A Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Death by Tea by Alex Erickson is the second in the Bookstore Cafe Mystery series. It was an interesting read for me because of the the twists and turns. The characters are slowly developing so that readers can get to know them better. The plot moved smoothly but a little slow. There were clues, unexpected surprises and red herrings enough to keep me guessing as to who did it and why until the reveal. My only problem with this book was Krissy. I struggled with liking her and trying to appreciate her determination to solve a murder that she has been implicated in. She is often brash, has some self-esteem issues and is very impulsive. I found myself torn between laughing at her and wanting to shake her. She seems to have only two speeds - full throttle charging into other peoples lives and asking questions or exhausted. All in all the mystery itself was well plotted and made for a satisfying mystery read. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading this book and am truly disappointed that the story was not what I hoped it would be. As a devoted cozy mystery lover, the title and description of the book seemed like a perfect fit. Unfortunately, the story was far from realistic, the main character, Krissy was unlikable and the plot just seemed very confusing. I didn't understand the concept the author was trying to achieve and was not at all intrigued at any point in the story. I give this story 1 star. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.