A good story line with twists and turns that keep you guessing. The characters seemed to grow as the book progressed.
The ending was a little surprising. A light read but a good book overall.
I would definitely read the next book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an advanced digital copy of In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon. The book takes place in the week leading up to Christmas and as such has some pleasant asides featuring winter and Christmas activities. Also, this book serves as an introduction to characters and a location for a possible new series featuring a protagonist, her aunt and a mystery themed tea shop. It will be interesting to see if there are future books written to develop a series.

The town depicted here is a charming place that offers some appeal to visiting or at least spending time reading about it and it’s inhabitants. While there are several characters who have potential to be likeable, they are not written with enough depth for me to develop any strong feelings for them. While I had no difficulty in keeping the cast of characters separated, none of them seemed to have much in the way of a unique voice.

The book opens with a lovely description of a mansion and the surrounding area as the protagonist arrives to set up for a book themed tea. It was disappointing that although the tea was said to have a mystery book theme, the centerpiece cake, the major clue for the tea itself, was not described fully enough to give the reader an opportunity to figure out what book was being featured. In addition, although much of the atmosphere is alluded to being Agatha Christie-like, the theme, which we don’t learn until the end of this novel, wasn’t written by Agatha Christie but rather by an altogether different writer who, while prolific, did not write books that took place in what I would call the golden age of mysteries. This left me feeling cheated at the end for having tried to determine the theme for the tea party with little chance based on information provided.

The mystery itself was easy to solve and this writing style, which eliminates suspects chapter by chapter is not my preferred type of mystery. I prefer to have a book where clues can be sprinkled throughout the book with a denouement at the end. Perhaps this style was what contributed to an overall feel of separate chapters being written then linked together rather than a smooth movement from one to the next. There were at least two chapters where the transition was so abrupt I went back to reread the last page of the previous chapter to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.

Overall, this book is a very light read. It is easily put down and picked back up when time and inclination exits.

In Peppermint Peril is A Book Tea Mystery by Joy Avon. The murder takes place at a Christmas party at Haywood Hall in Maine. Family and friends as well as the mayor, and important city officials are all invited. The supposedly rich matriarch of the estate, Dorthea Finster, is planning to read her will while her niece-in- law is planning to force a suprise engagement on her daughter and boyfriend . The big surprise is that Dorthea plans to leave the mansion to the woman ( Great Aunt Iphigenia) who owns a vintage tea shop and is catering the holiday party along with her visiting niece,Callie Aspen. Dorthea thinks they can use the mansion as an events center and museum to salvage the estate. The engagement doesn't occur, an expensive heirloom engagement ring is missing, and before Dorthea can read her will, the body of the murdered elderly groundskeeper is found in the conservatory. Callie is determined to solve the murder and help Dorthea find a solution for saving Haywood Hall.

Can Haywood Hall be saved? Will Callie help solve the murder? Is Maine in her future? Hopefully the murderer will be discovered and solutions for saving the estate will be found before Christmas arrives. This cozy may be a good choice for a holiday themed read but was not one that I really liked.

I am a HUGE Christmas lover (literally, I love anything and everything Christmas), and I love a good mystery, so I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this book! With "In Peppermint Peril", Avon was able to give an amazing mystery and still leave you with warmth in your heart at the end.

**spoilers**
Callie is home for the holidays and to help at Book Tea, her great-aunt's (Iphy) vintage tea room. Iphy and Callie host a tea party in Haywood Hall for Dorothea Finster (the old, wealthy widow of Heart's Harbor). Dorothea has called upon friends and estranged family to hear the reading of her new will. This causes quite a stir and everyone wants a piece of her wealth. Things go awry when a family ring goes missing and someone winds up murdered.

In Peppermint Peril will keep you guessing, along with the characters, in its many twists. The background theme of Christmas is also relevant enough to smell the cinnamon and pine through the pages! Definitely an interesting read if you love mysteries and Christmas all rolled up together like I do!

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Joy Avon (the author) for allowing me to have this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

This book is full of twists and turns. The plot line is easy to follow and interesting. This is a nice relaxing and enjoyable read.

I enjoyed book one of this new series. First of all I loved the idea of a Book Tea Shop and the tea party with the book themed cake. I read the book in one sitting. I liked the author's descriptive writing style and enjoyed the Christmas details. There were lots of characters and subplots that the author expertly weaved into a fast paced storyline and I was surprised at the revelation of the real killer. I look forward to seeing where Callie and Falk's relationship goes and look forward to reading more of this charming series. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the book

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this author's debut cozy.

Callie is a tour guide, and is home for the holidays. Her aunt runs a tea shop. Callie is hosting a tea for a family in their home, supposedly to hear about a new will for the elderly owner. But there's a stolen ring and a dead body discovered. Who did it? There's no shortage of suspects, and Callie has expressed doubts as to the ability of the deputy who is investigating (to his face, no less). Plenty of suspects and no end of dead ends.

I'd love to be able to say I really liked this book, but the best I can go is 2 1/2 stars. For a debut it isn't bad, but I think the author assumes we understand more than we do. The tea room is called Book Tea, because every sweet treat has a book theme. But we really don't understand the concept (and I am not sure I still do) when introduced to book themed cakes when the story immediately starts with a tea with a book themed cake. I never felt that the character of Callie's aunt was developed. Callie is supposed to be helping in the tea shop, but is constantly running off to help solve the case. She even shows up unannounced at the deputy's home to share her clues.

Unfortunately, for me, this was a bit formulaic with a predictable MC and thus I can only go for an OK rating. The premise for the story was a good one, which is what drew me to the book. I just wish it had been better executed.

I re-started this book three times. I enjoyed the book tea parts but just couldn't get into the murder. Callie's involvement seemed disjointed and out of place. I did finish but this wasn't one of my favorites. I'd love to read more about the bakery.

A new author for me, I have enjoyed this cozy mystery from start to finish. The characters are quite well done and the plot line also entertaining with hope for more to follow with Callie and company. I received an e-book in return for an unbiased review.

A fun cozy mystery that was a treat to read. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys fun mysteries.

This was a nice first installment of the series. The murderer wasn't obvious. And having it look like there could be two potential men in Callie's life added an interesting little bit of subplot, as did the questions around the will.

I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book and what amazing cakes they'll create next.

Books and Tea, what's not to like? Quaint and Charming setting with good characters and a plot that kept me turning the pages. Looking forward to more in this series and this is a great start.

Callie Aspen has returned home to Hearts Harbor, Maine and her great aunt’s tea room Book Tea, where every sweet treat has a clue about a book. There are big doings in town, as Dorothea Finster prepares to open her home, Haywood Hall, to the entire town for a tea party where she will make a special announcement about her will. Callie and her aunt are just as eager as everyone else to discover what Dorothea has to say, but a dead body and a missing engagement ring put a real damper on the festivities. Using the skills they’ve learned writing and solving book mysteries, the two hope to solve the case so Dorothea can make her declaration. Being a life long Mainer, I’m always amused to see how my state is described in books. Avon flatters my state, I wish I could live in Hearts Harbor

With "In Peppermint Peril," Joy Avon introduces us to Callie, her aunt Iphy, their clever Book Tea Shop and the friends and family that make up the town of Heart's Harbor, Maine. In this "whodunit," as Christmas nears family and friends are called to the large estate just outside of town for a party hosted by the widowed lady of the house - everyone is chomping at the bit to hear details of her new will and what they will get from it. Before the will can be shared, the longtime gardener is found dead in the conservatory and chaos and gossip ensue as the deputy sheriff and Callie work separately and together to solve the crime.

All in all, a quaint and charming story that lands firmly in the "cozy mystery" arena and sets up the characters and locale for a continuing series that should be fun to follow.

Free ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is available November 13th.