Earl Grey and Shallow Graves: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery) by Victoria Tait

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Earl Grey and Shallow Graves: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery)

by Victoria Tait

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves:
A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth
(A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – England
Kanga Press (May 19, 2023)
Number of Pages c. 240

A 30-year-old skeleton. A missing girl. Can a community police officer read the tea leaves or will a deadly secret remain buried for ever?

Sergeant Keya Varma is delighted with her new part-time role as the Cotswolds’ Rural Engagement Officer. She’s also fulfilling her dream of opening a small neighbourhood café. But she gets herself into a stew with renovation works when builders unearth a young girl’s remains.

While Keya and her police colleagues gain ground reviewing the unsolved disappearance of a local girl, her brief taste of success turns to dust when a friend is found dead at her tea shop. Confusion over identities threatens to bury the investigation and our junior police officer is worried that justice won’t be served.

Can Keya dig into the mystery and uncover the real culprit?

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves is the first book in The Waterwheel Café series. If you’ve enjoyed the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, then you’ll love meeting some of your favourite characters and making new friends in Victoria Tait’s intriguing British cozy mystery.

Buy Earl Grey and Shallow Graves and unearth a killer today!

My review of Earl Grey and Shallow Graves

Earl Grey and Shallow Graves by Victoria Tait is the first book in her new Waterwheel Cafe Mystery series. If you’ve read Tait’s Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, you’ll recognize the main character, Sergeant Keya Varma. But if you haven’t read it, don’t worry! You’ll be fine! (I do highly recommend Dotty’s series though.)

I was so excited when I found out that Keya was getting her own series! She is such a fun character. On the one hand, she’s quirky, often clumsy, and forgetful (but only when it comes to her sister’s wedding planning!). On the other hand, she’s smart, friendly, and an asset to the police department. Keya has wanted to open a cafe for a long time, so being able to open a cafe right next to Akeman’s Auction House is a dream come true.

But you know what happens in a cozy mystery…a dead body is discovered! Poor Keya. Not only does she have a murder to solve, she’s also worried about the deadline of the cafe’s opening being delayed. I absolutely loved this mystery! It’s got lots of twists and turns, and you’ll be hard-pressed to figure out whodunit until close to the end!

As I’ve said, I love Keya, and this book has lots of characters readers of Dotty’s books will recognize. Tait’s characters are always very well-written, not only the main characters but also the side characters who may or may not be murderers! I enjoyed getting to know Keya’s sisters a little more in Earl Grey and Shallow Graves and hope they continue to play a part in this series.

The author describes the Cotswolds setting with a lot of detail. I always feel like I’m traveling through the villages right along with the characters. I would love to visit the Waterwheel Cafe and just sit and take in the beautiful surroundings. It’s my dream to visit this area in real life someday.

I highly recommend Earl Grey and Shallow Graves to cozy mystery lovers because of the extremely fun characters, beautiful setting, well-paced plot, and twisty mystery! I can’t wait for Keya’s next book!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About Victoria Tait

I was born and raised in Yorkshire, UK, and never expected to travel the world. I’ve drawn on my experiences following my military husband to write cozy murder mystery books with vivid and evocative settings. My determined female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and you’ll experience surprises, humour, and sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.

I hope you enjoyed Keya’s first book. Why not join her and her friends as they solve more mysteries in my Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, also based in the Cotswolds. Visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TMJFL7L

Do you like tea, cakes and books? Then why not join our TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and receive your free book gift at VictoriaTait.com

Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?

Author Links

Website https://victoriatait.com/

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/victoriataitauthor/

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/VictoriaTaitAuthor/_saved/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait

Purchase Link – Amazon