Tea by the Sea Mysteries Murder Spills the Tea, (Hardcover)

Murder Spills the Tea by Vicki Delany is the third A Tea by the Sea Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. Lily Roberts finds herself on America Bakes! thanks to her grandmother, Rose and her best friend, Bernie. Lily soon learns there is nothing real about reality television. Lily arrives for her final day of filming to find Tommy Greene, one of the judges, dead in her tearoom kitchen. Cheryl, one of Lily's servers, ends up the prime suspect. When the lead detective arrests Cheryl for the crime, it is up to Lily with help from Rose and Bernie to prove Cheryl's innocence. I found Murder Spills the Tea to be well-written with developed characters. I like the cast of regulars (Lily, Rose, Bernie, Cheryl, Simon, and MaryBeth). The television people are a mixed bag. There are some nice people and some you would like to toss into next week (and hope they get lost on their way back). I enjoyed the descriptions of the Cape Cod as well as Rose's bed and breakfast, the tearoom, and the lovely gardens. The whodunit had good suspects plus misdirection. There are clues to help readers solve the crime before the reveal. Avid mystery readers will have no problem solving the crime. I love Éclair, Lily's labradoodle but I do not feel he should be allowed in the bed and breakfast's kitchen (health department would have a field day). Of course, Rose's snooty cat should not be allowed free reign either. The descriptions of Lily's enticing pastries (lemon tarts, scones, cookies) will have your mouth watering. There are recipes at the end of the book. I was delighted with my latest visit to Cape Cod, and I look forward to returning in the next A Tea by the Sea Mystery. Murder Spills the Tea is charming Cape Cod cozy with tasty tea, a bothersome baking competition, a derisive rival, a foul flirt, a bashed baking judge, a disdainful detective, and a killer to catch.