Tempest in a Teapot (A Teapot Collector Mystery)

I do love cozy mysteries, especially those with well-developed characters that are all too human and have the quirks and foibles of ordinary people.This has our heroine Sophie returning to what was a periodic "home town" when she was growing up but she was somewhat of an outsider because she did not go to school in the town and was considered by many a "poor little rich girl" who attended private schools.It has been quite a few years and in the meantime Sophie has had some triumphs and some definite falls, losing her high-end restaurant in New York and she has retreated to her grandmother's place and the tea house which has long been a popular fixture in the town.There are a few snags in her plan and a vengeful, unhappy old woman who hates her grandmother and constantly tries to make trouble for the business.And there is a murder that involves some of the friends Sophie had during her summer visits to the town of Gracious Grove, or GiGi to those young folks.The various threads that lead to the several suspects are tangled and snarled with some political shenanigans and land development (always a possible reasons for murder) and Sophie carefully pulls on first one thread and then another to discover the secrets of those who might wish the victim out of the way.I thoroughly enjoyed the story, found the characters completely believable and some quite sympathetic. All in all I would not hesitate to recommend it to any reader who appreciates a well-written cozy mystery.Even though I am not a "cat person" I certainly enjoy stories that include cats. I also collect teapots so any story that revolves around teapots, teapot collecting, tea traditions and etc., gets my vote every time.And I was happy that I did not find one mention of "High" tea as a substitute for afternoon tea, because that always annoys me.

This was an entertaining who dun it, located in the town of Gracious Grove, New York. Among the Finger Lakes. One of it's unique features, GG (as it is fondly known as,) is a 'Dry' town. Meaning that no alcohol may be sold, or purchased. Not everyone is happy with this status but, times are changing and this is one area that may be under political attack.Chef Sophie Taylor, recently owner of "In Fashion," returns to her Grandmother's home and Tea House in GG. Sophie had been raised in an affluent situation but always felt more 'at home,' at Grandma Rose's. Sophie's confidence is at a low having lost her restaurant in a financial mess that perhaps was planned by her 'partners.'Home, just one week, and Sophie finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery. Poison in the pastries. What? That is plainly 'just not done.' At least by Country Club manners. And, the victim is one of the Country Club set!Sophie also must adjust to her high school-aged friends now being adults. Some have improved, some have lost their ways, and some (sad to realize) have moved 'on' in their personal lives. Cissy Peterson formally one of Sophie's best friends in GG is now getting married to an up and comer architect, Francis Whittaker. The thing is...Francis (Frankie) used to be in trouble with his pal, Phil all the time. Had he changed 'that' much?While Sophie figures out her next decade to come (life and romance and career choices,) she is compelled to solve the murder and see what is behind this sudden development outside of GG's property lines.I found this novel to be well written and enjoyable. I look forward to the next volume.

The plot for this book is a good one but simply wasn't executed well by the author.The heroine, Sophie, is an odd character. She comes from a jet-set wealth of a family with boarding school background, etc but her maternal grandmother is a middle class woman living a good life in the finger lakes region of New York State. Our heroine use to spend her summer vacations with her grandmother and loved being there. She knew quite a lot of people and wanted to spend more time in Gracious Grove but she always had the feeling that the locals thought her to be somewhat of a snob and not truly fitting in due to her parents' wealth. This bothered Sophie greatly as all she wanted was to "fit in" with everyone. (this was mentioned several times throughout this murder mystery story) Yet, throughout the book Sophie has a very superior attitude towards her old and new "friends" (this includes the police, including a detective who she has known from her old summer time days). At one point the police ask her not to discuss a particular issue and almost immediately she's out there blabbing to those close to the murder.There were really no twists and turns in this book - mostly dead ends and way too much talk about cupcakes (vehicle of death). I would have rather seen more character development and more detailed information on the characters themselves relating to the murder circumstances rather than just the over done detailed bio on Sophie.

Amanda Cooper is a pen name for Victoria Hamilton. As Victoria Hamilton she writes the Merry Muffin Mystery Series-- which I LOVE. She also writes the Vintage Kitchen Series which I have not read but I've always been meaning to. So I was excited to read the first book in this new series. It just wasn't my cup of tea! It was very well written and the setting-- upper state New York was promising but there wasn't enough sleuthing for me. I wanted a few spooky moments, red herrings and maybe even a car chase.But instead I found a sticky sweet town - Gracious Grove - that actually had two tea shops! Sophie's character was a little bit boring and some of the descriptions in this book were too long. I just couldn't get into it and actually was proud of myself for finishing it. Perhaps the next book in this series will have a little bit more action... after all her other two series are so so good! So don't give up on this author. I would recommend her other series-- Merry Muffin Mystery Series and Vintage Kitchen series.

Good characters, good story. A fun cosy mystery. First in a series. I will be getting the rest. Makes you want to drink tea.

cosy read

I find it hard to put into words just why I didn't really enjoy this book. It's not badly written - just the opposite. The author is clearly an accomplished writer, but towards the end I was definitely skimming. The story just couldn't hold my interest. I had no problem putting the book down for a day or two before starting the next chapter.There are some things I enjoyed about the story. The setting in the Finger Lakes region of New York is beautiful, and I liked the idea of a 'dry' town. The murder mystery was well crafted and kept me guessing, and the main character and her family are not unlikable.One thing I didn't like was the ending. It brims with clichés and even goes so far as to include the proverbial 'fainting damsel'. The particular trope employed in this book has been used so often that you know exactly how the last few chapters are going to play out. The only open question was which suspect was finally going to break down and confess. I hoped that something out of the ordinary would happen, but it didn't.I think the main reason the story left me cold was the main character. Sure, Sophie is likable and sympathetic despite having some faults. She loves her grandmother and isn't stupid, but there's nothing that makes her stand out. She has no interesting quirks that would make me remember her character in a month's time.So, overall I found this book to be rather bland. It's a solidly written cozy mystery, but I'm not going to bother buying the next book in the series.If you really love cozy mysteries, then you might enjoy this book. Everyone's taste is different, of course. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't a fan of the genre though.

an Okay read. quite fun