A sinister phone call in the middle of the night throws tearoom owner, Gemma Rose, straight into the heart of a new murder mystery - this time with her friend, Seth, arrested as the key suspect! The mysterious killing in the cloisters of an old Oxford college points to a bitter feud within the University - but Gemma finds unexpected clues popping up in her tiny Cotswolds village.
Meanwhile, her love life is in turmoil as Gemma struggles to decide between eminent doctor, Lincoln Green, and sexy CID detective, Devlin O'Connor...whilst her quaint English tearoom is in hot water as she struggles to find a new baking chef.
With her exasperating mother and her mischievous little tabby cat, Muesli, driving her nutty as a fruitcake - and the nosy Old Biddies at her heels - Gemma must crack her toughest case yet if she is to save her friend from a life behind bars.
Series: Oxford Tearoom Mysteries #3 | Publisher: H.Y. Hanna | Narrator: Pearl Hewitt | Length: 7 hours, 40 minutes | Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery | Source: Author | Rating: 3 CupsChallenges Read For: Blogger Shame - Cruisin' Thru The Cozies - Freebie
When Gemma receives a late night call from her dear friend,
Seth, she never imagined it was going to lead her to the center of a murder
investigation with Seth as the prime suspect and now she will stop at nothing
to clear his name and find the real killer. Although that’s not the only plate
Gemma has in the air; it’s time for her to finally choose which man has her
heart—the dashing doctor, Lincoln Green, or the sexy CID detective, Devlin
O’Connor. Then there’s the little matter of her tearoom having no baker.
While it was fun to be back in the tearoom, this one wasn’t
my favorite and I struggled to finish it.
I didn’t care for Gemma’s attitude. She was demanding,
demeaning, and just plain rude for most of the book. Sure, she had a lot on her
but that’s no excuse for treating people that way. She eventually figures out she’s
being a cow but it was too late to save this book for me.
The mystery was actually decent and there were a few red
herrings thrown in here and there, which made things interesting. While I was
pretty sure I knew who the killer was early on, I found myself guessing until
the end because I couldn’t work out the motive.
The love triangle finally comes to an end in this one. Gemma
makes her choice and I was rather pleased by the man she chose. I’m hoping that
things go well but I have a feeling her choice is going to cause some rocky
roads in the books to come.
This one wasn’t as light as the previous books in the series
as it focused on the homeless crisis. While I think it was a worthy cause, I
feel like there was so much focus on the cause that it took away from plot. I
would have much rather seen the cause blended into the plot so it gave the book
a smoother feel.
While I do enjoy Pearl Hewitt’s narration, I still feel that
the voice she lends to Gemma is just a bit too old.
Overall, not my favorite in the series. I feel like the
author tried to change the direction of the characters and plot and fell flat.
Hopefully the next book will set everything to rights.
Oxford Tearoom Mystery Series
All-Butter ShortDead 0.5
Two Down, Bun to Go #3
Till Death Do Us Tart #4
Muffins and Mourning Tea #5
Four Puddings and a Funeral #6
Another One Bites the Crust #7
The Dough Must Go On #8
