Arsenic For Tea: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery

This was a good book for a teen, sort of Nancy Drew kind of book, but I was just getting back to reading, finished in one night, Enjoyed it.

Brilliant book.

I loved the first book in the "Wells and Wong Mysteries" and was eager for more adventures with the two amateur detectives from Deepdean School for Girls. Set in the 1930s, Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong make for a rather odd pair: the former is a wilful and confident English heiress, while the latter is an introverted girl sent from Hong Kong by her father to gain an English education. Just as Daisy hides her great intellect, Hazel hides her family's great wealth, though the two of them are remarkably good at finding out the secrets of others.In the previous book "Murder Most Unladylike", they investigated the death of a teacher at their boarding school, and are now at Daisy's family estate, Fallingford, for the holidays. As much as she enjoyed solving a crime, Hazel is glad the excitement is over. Unlike Daisy, who didn't seem the slightest bit concerned that a murderer was in their midst, Hazel takes death and violence a little more seriously.But things aren't all fun and games at Fallingford. A lot of Daisy's extended family are taken aback at the sight of a Chinese girl in their midst, and Daisy herself is furious at the behaviour of her mother, who is openly flirting with one of her male friends. With all the tension in the air, it seems inevitable that there's another death; one that occurs during Daisy's birthday party no less.After one of the guests falls fatally ill after drinking a cup of tea, the girls decide to investigate – but it's a little more delicate this time around considering most of the suspects are all members of Daisy's family.Moving the mystery-solving from Deepdean School to Fallingford was a good idea, as it allows us to get a little more insight into Daisy's family and her personality (not to mention Hazel's ongoing confusion with English customs). As in the last book, there is some tension between Daisy and Hazel when it comes to how the mystery should be solved, with each one reluctant to point the finger at certain people in the house. Best of all, Robin Stevens fills her book with interesting character beats and surprising twists. There are moments of true poignancy here – it makes me wish these books were better known.

So far I have read eight books in this series, and this one is my favorite. Daisy, who was delightfully superior and full of herself in the first book, has to deal with her flawed family, most of whom are suspects in this new murder. And she painfully grows up a little bit. The main reason that I love this book is Daisy's father, Lord Hastings, a wonderful three-dimensional man who has many of the same virtues and foolish weaknesses that you and I have, but much exaggerated. By the way, I much prefer the British/international versions of these books. I think that young American readers can delight in the sometimes puzzling differences in language.

The most Amazing book I have read this year, this is the second book in this series and is about two girls, Daisy and Hazel. We are now in Daisys home, fallingford for her birthday! But one of the guests is found murdered. With the police unable to arive and secrets unfolding left and right, the girs must solve the case without being noticed and before it's too late!

I thought this book was a great book to read but not as good as the last one (murder most unladylike). When Daisy and Hazel go to Daisy house (Falling Ford) for the Easter brake for Daisy's birthday little do they know that ther is murder coming just around the corner

In Robin Stevens' second Murder Most Unladylike Mystery 'Arsenic for Tea', we meet up again with schoolgirl detectives Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells. This story is not, like the first in the series, set at Deepdean School for Girls (where Hazel and Daisy tracked down the murderer of one of their teachers) but at Daisy's family home, Fallingford, where the two girls are spending the Easter holidays. In addition to Daisy's parents, Lord and Lady Hastings, and Daisy's older brother, Bertie, who is home from Eton, there are also present: Kitty and Beanie, fellow pupils at Deepdean School; Bertie's schoolfriend, Stephen; Daisy's debonair Uncle Felix; Daisy's eccentric, kleptomaniac Great-Aunt Saskia; the smarmy Mr Curtis, a close friend of Lady Hastings; and Miss Alston, a governess, who has been employed for the holidays to keep the girls out of mischief. So, all set for a fun-filled, happy Easter hoilday? Indeed not, because before too long, someone is poisoned and the perpetrator of the deed can only have been one of the people at Fallingford. But who?Another enjoyable murder mystery story for our amateur sleuths, Hazel and Daisy, who are very engaging characters and, as commented in my review for the first book in the series, complement each other well with Daisy being the more excitable and intuitive of the duo and Hazel being the more cautious and practical. And in this story we see Daisy in a very difficult position as she has to consider the possibility that someone in her own family is the murderer. Full of red herrings and things that go bump in the night, this is a very enjoyable story and although I did work out who the murderer was, I'm much older than the intended target audience for this book and despite correctly guessing 'whodunnit' before the end, I still found this a really entertaining and enjoyable read. My niece, for whom this book was bought, loved it and has asked for more and, therefore, I shall be buying (and reading) the rest in the series. So, 'Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries', here we come.5 Stars.

This is the second novel in the Murder Most Unladylike series and, having been charmed by the first, I was itching to see what Daisy and Hazel’s next case would be. It turns out that the sequel is no less delightful. Deepdean School has been exceedingly dull since the events of  Murder Most Unladylike , without the faintest hint of a crime worthy of the Detective Society’s involvement. Daisy Wells (the Society’s President) and her best friend Hazel Wong (Vice President and Secretary) head off to spend the Easter holidays at Daisy’s home, Fallingford. The house is bursting at the seams with guests but, when one particularly unpleasant visitor falls prey to a cup of tea laced with arsenic during Daisy’s birthday celebrations, the girls realise that they have a new case to solve.This book takes on the classic country-house murder mystery and does so with great aplomb. I thought I might miss Deepdean, with its evocative hints of Blyton boarding schools, but in fact I enjoyed this sequel just as much as any Poirot mystery. As ever, the creation of atmosphere is just perfect, with the shabby house full of dogs and old dusty vases, the kitchens with their copper pans, the library, billiard room and nursery… Stevens’s handling of the upper-class mentality is also very fine: she always seems to be writing with a slight glint in her eye as she invites us, through Hazel’s baffled reportage, to witness her characters’ little absurdities.This is a light spritz of adventure, served up with pluck and panache. And really, don’t be put off by the idea that it’s a children’s book. Stevens writes so well that she transcends such divisions. Put your preconceptions aside, join Daisy and Hazel, and treat yourself to a spot of old-school mystery.For a full review, please see my blog. Murder Most Unladylike

Robin Stevens' debut, Murder Most Unladylike was a delight - two boarding school pupils in the 1930s solving the murder of a teacher. In Arsenic for Tea, the action moves to Daisy Wells's country home during the school holidays, where Daisy's birthday tea is marred by the murder of an unlikeable houseguest.What sets this book apart is the emotional development of Daisy and Hazel as they set about solving the murder. They both have to come to terms with the fact that the murderer could be someone they like, maybe one of Daisy's own relatives. Daisy, already struggling to cope with her dysfunctional family, relies more and more on Hazel's quiet strength to get her through each crisis. Hazel, meanwhile, has her own battles - homesickness, isolation and the casual racism of supposedly nice people.All this gives depth to an intriguing murder case full of twists and turns and peppered with red herrings. A lovely read.

Love this series. In this book Daisy and Hazel travel to Diasy's grand country home for her birthday.With it's sophistocated items, Large airy rooms and servants the house seems perfectly safe. But all too soon an unlikable guest comes to the family home who is supposed to be telling the Wells family how much their treasured artifacts are really worth. Soon, as you might guess somebody gets murdered. It is interesting to see the girls' friendship developing and it is also interesting how in this book the proud and confident Daisy finds herself relying on Hazels silent confidence and inner strength and passion as she finds herself clinging onto hope that the murderer is not one of her beloved and likeable family members. Hazel, however, is certainly not capable of reassuring Daisy when doubts and worries of her own are stealing her mind.Find out who does the murder…

Robin Stevens puts every detail in to the book that she possibly could have, she made me feel like I was actually there solving a murder with Daisy and Hazel. It was a fabulous idea to make the two girls suspect one of Daisy's family. The entire book was a stunning and thrilling story including romance, excitement and a burst of emotion. Girl age 11.