Tea & Treachery (+ Giveaway)

It’s a pleasure today to be a part of author Vicki Delany’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for her recent release, TEA & TREACHERY, the first book in her new Tea by the Sea Mysteries series.

We have the pleasure of a visit from Simon McGracken, a gardener from Cape Cod, to tell us about ‘Gardening on Cape Cod.’

Tea & Treachery

By Vicki Delany
*Cozy Mystery
*1st in Series - Tea by the Sea Mysteries
*Publisher: Kensington (July 28, 2020)
*Hardcover: 304 pages
*ISBN-10: 1496725069
*ISBN-13: 978-1496725066
*Digital ASIN: B07ZPKGT3R

In this charming new cozy mystery series from nationally bestselling author, Vicki Delany, a New York City expat-turned-Cape Cod tea shop owner must solve the murder of a local real estate developer to help her feisty grandmother out of a jam . . .

As the proud proprietor and head pastry chef of Tea by the Sea, a traditional English tearoom on the picturesque bluffs of Cape Cod, Roberts has her hands full, often literally. But nothing keeps her busier than steering her sassy grandmother, Rose, away from trouble. Rose operates the grand old Victorian B & B adjacent to Lily’s tea shop . . . for now. An aggressive real estate developer, Jack Ford, is pushing hard to rezone nearby land, with an eye toward building a sprawling golf resort, which would drive Rose and Lily out of business.

Tempers are already steaming, but things really get sticky when Ford is found dead at the foot of Rose’s property and the police think she had something to do with his dramatic demise. Lily can’t let her grandmother get burned by a false murder charge. So, she starts her own investigation and discovers Ford’s been brewing bad blood all over town, from his jilted lover to his trophy wife to his shady business partners. Now, it’s down to Lily to stir up some clues, sift through the suspects, and uncover the real killer before Rose is left holding the tea bag.

Let’s give a warm welcome to Simon. Welcome, Simon.

I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into here, mate, but I’m happy to give it a try!

I came over from the UK for a summer job in New York City. Let’s just say the job wasn’t exactly as advertised, so I didn’t stick it out any longer than the first morning. I was at a loss, the summer pretty much shot, and ready to head back to England to try and salvage some of the gardening season, when I got a call from my Uncle Gerry, me mum’s brother, who I haven’t seen since I was in short pants.  Uncle Gerry’s also a gardener, and he’s been working at a big property on Cape Cod for donkey’s years. It seems Uncle Gerry met a lady and he decided THAT VERY DAY to go to Florida with her.  He called Rose Campbell, his employer, as they drove off the cape to tell her he quit.

It’s not easy, either in the US or the UK, finding a gardener able to work full time at the end of June.  But Uncle Gerry gave Mrs. Campbell my number, and I decided to drive up on my bike and have a look. 

It’s not a particularly big property, but it’s going to be a challenge. They’re on the sea, at the top of a windy bluff, facing over Cape Cod Bay. Lots of sand in this soil and lots of salt in the air.  Being as Mrs. Campbell’s B&B, Victoria-on-Sea, is supposed to be some sort of a replica of an English country home, she wants a traditional English garden, adapted slightly for the climate and the weather.

Uncle Gerry kept the place in pretty good shape, so all I need to do, to start, is to maintain it. I’ve had harder jobs.

Rose didn’t interview me for the job, she left that up to her granddaughter, Lily Roberts, who helps in the B&B as well as running her own tea room, Tea by the Sea.  It just so happens that I’m no stranger to a bowl of scone dough meself. My mum ran a catering company for years, and my dad worked as a gardener. I never even considered being anything other than a baker or a gardener.

I was offered the job on the spot, and I took it on the spot.  It’s only for the summer and then I’m back to the UK. In the meantime, I’m hoping to get to know the aloof Lily better. Much better.

Simon, thanks for joining us today and giving us this insight into gardening on Cape Cod.

Meet the Author:

Author Vicki Delany

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty-five books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy.

She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane.

Vicki is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. She is the 2019 recipient of the Derrick Murdoch award for contributions to Canadian crime writing.

Vicki lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario. For more on Vicki and her writing, you can connect with her at the following sites:

Website –  www.vickidelany.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor;

Twitter:  @vickidelany and@evagatesauthor

Instagram: vickidelany

TEA & TREACHERY is available to purchase at the following sites: Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound

You can follow along with Vicki’s tour by visiting the following links. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Doesn’t Cape Cod sound like a fascinating place to visit? Have you ever thought about operating a Tea Shop?

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 27 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 27 – This Is My Truth Now - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 27 – The Bookwyrm's Hoard - REVIEW, GUEST POST

July 28 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

July 28 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW  

July 28 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 29 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

July 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 29 – Moonlight Rendezvous - REVIEW, GUEST POST

July 30 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW

July 30 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

July 30 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT

July 31 - Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 31 - Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 31 - Here's How It Happened - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

August 1 - Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 1 - Christy's Cozy Corners - REVIEW, GUEST POST

August 2 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

August 2 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

August 3 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

August 3 – The Book Diva's Reads - GUEST POST,

August 3 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 4 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW  

August 4 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

August 4 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 5 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

August 5 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

August 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

August 6 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

August 6 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW

August 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

August 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 9 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW

August 9 – Author Elena Taylor's blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

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