In Peppermint Peril: A Book Tea Shop Mystery

Callie Aspen, the heroine of Avon’s so-so debut and series launch, decides to return to her home town of Heart’s Harbor, Maine, to spend the Christmas holidays with her great-aunt Iphy, an accomplished baker, who owns the Book Tea Shop. Callie is asked to deliver a fancy cake to Haywood Hall for an exclusive party at which Dorothea Finster plans on revealing the contents of her will. Before that can happen, the old gardener, Leadenby, is found murdered in the conservatory. Handsome Deputy Falk arrives and is soon arresting various suspects only to release them for lack of evidence. Avon ticks all the cozy boxes—fairy tale small town, mystery-loving aunt, a tea shop with extravagant chocolate cakes, potential boyfriend cop (who wants the heroine to leave the detecting to the professionals), a cast of eccentric suspects—but the parts don’t add up to a satisfying whole. The characters remain superficial, changing mood and direction with alarming ease, and the resolution seems forced. A sprightly style suggests Avon is capable of doing better next time. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Nov.)