In Too Steep: A Misty Bay Tea Room Mystery

Kingsbury’s uneven sequel to 2021’s In Hot Water finds Vivian Wainwright, the owner of the Willow Pattern Tearoom in Misty Bay, Ore., barely recovered from the excitement of a previous murder case when she dives into solving the murder of local beachcomber Lewis Trenton. Viv’s employees, Jenna Ramsey and Gracie Jackson, insist on investigating alongside her, and despite the misgivings of Viv’s love interest, Hal Douglass, Hal also gets on board with their sleuthing. They soon find a link between the victim and a souvenir from Viv’s tearoom. Meanwhile, Det. Lt. Tony Messina isn’t at all happy about the tearoom ladies’ involvement—especially since Jenna had such a close shave with death during their last adventure. When a TV news report suggests Trenton acted as a fence for some Portland jewel thieves, Viv is even more determined to clear Trenton’s name and identify his killer. Endearing characters make up for the slow pace, though Viv’s extreme reluctance to call in the police may strike some as more than foolish, and the double threat in the finale is definitely overkill. Most cozy fans won’t mind. Agent: Paige Wheeler, Creative Media Agency. (Aug.)