First book in a new cozy mystery series...

Niche themes: tea shop and bookstore (also dogs)

Meddling side kick who is lovable and entertaining: great aunt.

Unfortunately, while the supporting cast of characters are generally interesting/likable, the lead heroine isn’t. Also, while cozy mysteries are often a little outlandish in how the amateur detective gets involved with investigations, this story line was a little too much. Sure...a cop would willingly leave his nephews (little ones, too) with a stranger in a house where he knows there’s been a murder.
Also, the relationship you know will be growing feels like it was hastily added in only because it’s a cozy mystery “requirement”.

In Peppermint Peril
Joy Avon, 2018

New Release! I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of review.

I almost didn’t write a review for this book, because I sort of felt bad. Unless it’s a new pseudonym (completely possible) this is the first book by a new author. And it’s not horrible, it’s just sort of broken. It’s a mishmash of mystery tropes that doesn’t recognize why some work together and others don’t.

It’s a holiday mystery that has little to do with the holiday. It has Agatha Christie elements but only sometimes. It has many, many side elements that read like references to previous books (that don’t exist). Worst of all, it’s a cozy mystery with a boring main character.

Cozy mysteries live and die by their leads. Almost always female, commonly bakers or small business owners, most modern cozy leads have romantic plots with happy endings or they have husbands who endorse their part-time mystery solving. Not every mystery lead has to be a winner - usually you can get away with a semi-generic self-insert-y sort of character if the writing is fun and brisk.

The lead here, Callie, is a tour guide visiting her old hometown for the holidays. While she’s there, she helps her great aunt with her book-themed tea/pastry shop. (Why does she have the skills for this? Unexplained. Why does she have a little dog that follows her everywhere, including into food prep areas and other people’s houses, despite the fact that she travels and can’t keep it? Lampshaded poorly.) She helps with the spread for a party at this fancy house where she knew people growing up. There’s going to be a will-reading, and one character is trying to pressure some other into proposing to her daughter, and Callie has the hots for the deputy sheriff, and there’s a random murder, and....

It’s just messy. There are elements of half a dozen different styles and tones of stories here, but the book doesn’t focus enough on any of them. For example, there’s an awkward cooking scene stuck in because cooking cozy mysteries are really popular, I guess? Callie’s character isn’t established in a way that makes her sleuthing make sense (either by connecting her more to the involved characters or having a history with detective work), much less justifies why anyone goes along with answering her numerous nosy questions (she used to live here, but has few connections with the current town).

Is it Christmassy? Sort of. It’s the excuse for Callie being in town (if you think she’s going back to her successful adult job at the end, you’ve never seen a Hallmark Christmas movie). There’s a lot of talk of family and a subplot around the deputy’s nephews celebrating Christmas. There’s some ice skating and decorating. Still, it’s all set dressing. The mystery plot, thin as it is, includes some papers hidden in a snowbank, but that’s not necessary for the rest of it to work.

It’s not terribly written, but the structure is not great. It doesn’t help that the entire book feels like prologue - like the author is setting up the series that she really wants to write because she didn’t have enough confidence to just jump in. It’s possible that the series will find its feet, but I won't be there to find out.

In Peppermint Peril, the first book in the new A Tea and a Read Mystery series from Joy Avon, offers a delightfully festive introduction to amateur sleuth Callie Aspen, the picturesque town of Heart’s Harbor, and the wonderful-sounding Book Tea vintage tea room run by Callie’s great aunt. Callie’s first case involves an intriguing mystery, a host of dodgy suspects, and plenty of red herrings. It’s a lot of fun to follow along after her as she attempts to ferret out the truth.

While not the traditional cozy mystery, it still containrd a wonderful plot. It also had wonderful characters I wouldn't mind visiting with again!

In Peppermint Peril
Author: Joy Avon
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: November 13, 2018

Callie Aspen returns home to Hearts Harbor to spend Christmas with her great aunt Iphy. Iphy runs a tea room called the Book Tea Shop, which also offers catering services. It is a catering job that brings Callie to Haywood Hall. Callie had spent a lot of time at Haywood Hall as a child, and she has many fond memories of it. Some of those memories include Leadenby, Haywood Hall’s gardener, whom she runs into while preparing for the party. Dorothea Finster, owner of Haywood Hall, has gathered family, friends, and town VIPs for a reading of her new will. A will that is rumored to contain big changes. Stephen DuBouvrais, the only living relative of Dorothea, along with his wife, Sheila, and daughter, Amber, are also at the reading. Sheila has her own agenda for the party. She waylays the reading by setting up a surprise engagement for her daughter and boyfriend. The engagement is thwarted too, however, by the disappearance of the ring. Things deteriorate even more when Leadenby is found murdered. Callie tries to sort through everyone’s movements and motives to figure out Leadenby’ s killer.

Peppermint Peril is the first book in the Tea and Read mystery series. I was entertained by the book, and it was an enjoyable start to this new series.

I was a little confused at the beginning of the book about the reference to book clues left in the sweet treats that Iphy made. I felt like I was missing information as if its purpose had previously been described. Even at the end when they tie up the book clues, I still felt like I was missing something. The book theme seemed a little weak.

Although Callie plays a major role in the investigation, Deputy Falk is officially in charge. I liked the way the author handled their relationship. Callie is not completely honest with Falk in the beginning, and so he initially distrusts her. He is also offended that Callie is interfering in the investigation as though he is not competent enough to solve it himself. The relationship starts off rocky therefore making it completely realistic. As they get to know each other better, their relationship improves.

The plot is both interesting and moves along at an enjoyable pace. The author does a good job with Callie ferreting out answers from the players in this book, and thus eliminating suspects along the way. She continues to do so until there is really only one other person left.

The book wraps up with a feel good Christmas spirit.

I plan on picking up the next book in this series, Sweet Tea and Secrets.

Thanks to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #InPeppermintPeril

I found this series interesting with very intriguing mystery as well as back-drop of the story. The mystery kept my interest and was a quick read. I'm looking forward to see how the characters develop as the series continues.

Sorry, this one was not compelling or original enough for me to want to read after the first few pages. Derivative of many other cozies.

In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon is the first book of the A Tea and a Read Mystery series. Callie is helping her aunt with an event for the Book Tea shop. The event is so an elderly widow can read her will in front of relatives and elite members of the town. The event is sidelined by a missing engagement ring and a dead body. Callie and her aunt find themselves in the middle of a mystery full of fussing suspects. This is a nice start to the series, and I hope to learn more about Callie, her aunt, and the Book Tea. The mystery was strong, and the Christmas themed story was well written. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley, I scored this e-book for free (in exchange for an honest review) before it hit the book shelves! This is the first book in a new series that follows the tried-and-true cozy mystery formula. You know the drill: single young professional returns to her hometown to work at a cute little shop and stumbles upon the dead body of someone from her past. Lo and behold, the victim in this mystery is a longtime caretaker of Haywood Hall, the town’s most illustrious estate. It appears as though he was involved in some shady dealings with a blackmailer who wants a cut of the Haywood family fortune. It’s up to our amateur sleuth, Callie, to ferret out the killer before an innocent man gets locked up for life! The story takes an interesting turn when Callie develops feelings for a displaced Boston Terrier and the town sheriff. Like I said, it’s true to the formula. I have lukewarm feelings for Callie, mainly because she sticks her nose in other people’s family business, which really isn’t cool. Also she’s on the fence about adopting the most adorable homeless dog that bonded with her since the moment they met. Other than that, the mystery is well plotted and there’s plenty of suspects (maybe too many) to sort out. My biggest gripe is that the book is mostly comprised of dialogue, which left a lot to be desired in terms of scenery and character development. Maybe it’s just time for me to take a break from the cozies and sink myself into an atmospheric thriller by Wendy Webb or Am

In Peppermint Peril is a good start to another cozy mystery series. I enjoyed Callie and her adventures, though I was confused at the beginning. The background on Callie is pretty sparse, enough that I had to double-check to see if this was book 1 of a series or not (it is).

We are introduced to several other townspeople, including a police officer named Falk. I had to wonder if he was named after Peter Falk? Naturally, our main character helps nab the bad guy, despite having no expertise in such things. As with all cozy mysteries romance blossoms and the story is neatly wrapped up. I look forward to seeing how Haywood Hall and Heart’s Harbor develop.

Thank you to #netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of the book to review. #InPeppermintPeril

Callie has come home to Heart's Harbor, Maine, to spend the holidays with her great aunt and help in her tearoom, the Book Tea. Helping to set up a special tea for childhood friends at her beloved Haywood Hall, she's shocked when the man who inspired her current career of travel guide and story teller is murdered during the tea. Setting up a rocky start with Deputy Falk when she questions his abilities to solve the crime, Callie delves right into the thick of things as she and her aunt attempt to play detective.

Book 1 of this new series is filled with excellent characters. You truly feel the bittersweet reconnect of coming back home after having been gone for so long. The characters themselves are beautifully flawed which makes the character development all the greater. The dialogue is well-done. Nothing about it felt overly stilted or unnatural. There was a good pace between the action and stepping away from it. There was a nice mixture of the unexpected blended with the mundane of every day life. The mystery itself was excellent. I didn't guess it straight away at all. In fact, the big reveal felt a little sudden and from left field. I didn't exactly get how Callie suddenly came to put those particular pieces together but it may have had something to do with those she ruled out. All in all, I felt this was a wonderful book that I definitely recommend. I can't wait to read more of this series.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Joy Avon, and NetGalley for the chance to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery by Joy Avon. There were several different aspects that made me really like this novel.

The first aspect is the setting. I found the town in Maine, Heart’s Harbor, to be a very calm and festive place. The residents seemed to be in the Christmas spirit and having read the book during the Christmas season it helped me get into the spirit!

There were several characters in the book that had a great impact on the story. The main character, Callie Aspen, was a determined and caring individual. She returns to her childhood town and immediately starts investigating the death of someone from her childhood. She was determined to find justice. Callie’s childhood friend, Sheila, is the character that is against everyone. She seemed to be spoiled and wanted everything her way. She is the character that evolved the most. Callie’s aunt, Iphy, was very encouraging of her when she began investigating the murder. Unlike other cozies I’ve read, Callie has a lot of encouragement. Most characters try to halt the investigation, but not Aunt Iphy.

I definitely plan on reading more from Joy Avon. I hope there are many more books in this series.

DNF @ 47% before skipping to the end to see who the murderer was. I found this a bit of a dramatic mess and somewhat unbelievable with every character confessing to and sharing with Callie.

I tried three different times to get into this book and finally I could get into this story. This is quite the family dynamic In Peppermint Peril and was hard to follow sometimes with their motivations. Now that this first in a series is up on its sea legs and running, I am looking forward to the second one in the series.

I was looking for an easy stress free read, and In Peppermint Peril is exactly that. Such a funny and adorable cozy mystery! If you like these mystery stories, try this one.

Callie Aspen comes back to Heart’s Harbor, Maine for the holidays planning to help her Great Aunt Iphy with her tearoom, Book Tea. Aunt Iphy sends her to Haywood Hall for a special tea being hosted by the owner, Dorothea Finster where she will be reading her will to family members as well as town officials. Her Nephew's wife has other ideas in mind and before either can be realized, an old caretaker is found murdered in the conservatory. Feeling that she needs to help her old friends, Callie starts asking questions which sends trouble her way not just from the police but the killer too.

I liked the story and the characters. I kept thinking I was playing CLUE - Mr. Brown in the Conservatory with the knife. And I couldn't figure out where the title came from.

This was so much fun to read, especially around the holiday season! I don't normally go for mysteries when I do my holiday reading, but I couldn't pass this one up. Along with the holiday theme, the inclusion of tea really pulled me in. I enjoyed Callie and her return to Maine, and of course the mystery that follows. I do wish that this book would have given a little more about the tea shop, but I assume that maybe we will get more on that later in the series. I loved this one and can't wait to read the next!

What a good mystery that turned out to be a heartwarming Christmas story! I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters, and I can’t wait to read the next book! In the very back, the author said it would take place in July. This book was really well-written and plotted. I have no idea if the author is someone’s pen name who is already established, but if not, it sure seems that way, like they aren’t just a beginning writer.

Callie Aspen, who worked as a travel tour guide, was home over Christmas helping her aunt Iphy with her shop called Book Tea. Iphy made cakes with book clues in them for people. At the big tea party she’d made a large winter cake for, the body of the gardener was found in the conservatory. The whole thing had purposely been given an Agatha Christie feel, since the lady of the house, 90-something Dorothea Finster had announced her will was going to be changed. Everyone invited was hoping for a cut of it, but instead, they ended up with a murder.

I liked how Callie and Deputy Falk got along. They were just a little rocky at first, but she wasn’t like some sleuths who seem to take offense at everything the police officer says or does. They worked well together and he seemed pretty charmed and won over by her as well. There was no shortage of suspects, until they started producing alibis. I loved the web of deceit that made it seem like everyone had secrets. I had randomly named the person as the killer, but the author seemed to steer away from anyone that I had suspected. I loved the stake-out type take down at the end!

The ending was incredibly Christmasy with family being reunited–which was basically all Dorothea had wanted. Callie had to make an important decision for herself and the little dog she’d temporarily adopted. I enjoyed the side story of Falk’s sister Peggy and her two small sons. Falk naturally was very protective of her, but Callie helped him realize that maybe Peggy just wanted a little credit for trying to be a good single mom–she was widowed when her Coast Guard husband went on a rescue mission. I’m really anxious for the next book to come out!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

A great holiday read or cozy mystery for any time of the year. This is a well-written mystery with a few twists and turns along the way. The characters are interesting and have great chemistry with one another. The setting of Haywood Hall lends an air of nostalgia for our main character Callie which gives the story a warm homey feel even though we have a murder mystery to solve. Another sub-plot that added a lovely touch for this cozy is Callie’s relationship with the dog she is fostering. Overall this was a lovely cozy and I would recommend this to other cozy fans.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

In Peppermint Peril is a quirky 'whodunnit' with an abundance of allusions and references to classic crime fiction. A strong start to a delightful series that Christie-esque mystery lovers will devour.