BOOKED FOR REVENGE

A bookstore owner has apparently learned a lot from her mother’s talent for crime-solving.

Jazzi Swanson left the Pennsylvania hometown where her mother runs Daisy’s Tea Garden to start Tomes & Tea with her best friend in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Although Jazzi and Dawn Fernsby bonded in college over the fact that they were both adopted, Jazzi has found her origins, while Dawn’s adoptive parents have discouraged her from even trying. Meanwhile, Jazzi, who’s been guarding her heart ever since her college boyfriend dumped her, is attracted to Oliver Patel, who owns The Wild Kangaroo pub and an Aussie accent to go with it. Jazzi and Dawn are working on a book signing tied to the town’s upcoming signature event, the Gentlemen’s Bake-Off, a baking competition for men. The well-known judges have all written books: scone maker Emmaline Fox; TV chef Griffin Pelham; local pastry chef Colleen Cross; and Diego Alvarez, a New York City restaurateur. The judges are already sniping at each other before the book signing, but fortunately it does go well. The actual contest—not so much. The final four contestants are a wedding photographer, a plumber, a boat maker, and a firefighter, and there’s some tension among them. Just before the winner is announced, Dawn finds the body of the photographer, Finn Yarrow, with his head bashed in. Jazzi may have helped Detective Milford solve a murder in the past, but he warns her to stay out of this one. Even so, she can’t contain her curiosity. With some help from her friends, she tries to discover whether the motive was related to Finn’s business, the bake-off, or something more personal.

Fans of the popular Tea Garden series will love this spinoff and its feisty heroine.