Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches, Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery number 3 by Karen Rose Smith is as always a great read. A wonderful written book with murder, mystery and food good enough to make your mouth water.

This series just gets better with each book. I love the setting in an Amish town. The characters are well rounded and there is some realistic family drama mixed in with the mystery at hand.. Some of the customers and town folk are quite characters as well and with a little touch of romance, this is a perfect book.

I adore this series. The setting of a small town tea shop, the cast of characters, and the sweet and sinister plot lines have made the Daisy's Tea Garden Mysteries one of my top series.

First and foremost, I love any book, especially a cozy, that has a middle aged (give or take a few years) protagonist. Also, when said protagonist is a single woman battling her own insecurities while trying to keep it together for her family, that's the perfect recipe to connect emotionally with the books.

In this series, Daisy, a widow with 2 teenage daughters, returns to her small, home town to be closer to her family. In need of a fresh start, Daisy and her aunt Iris open a Tea Shop. Although the business is very successful, its seems a dark cloud has been hovering around the town, especially the tea shop. With murder and mystery popping up in town, Daisy or someone she cares about always seem to be a suspect.

In this installment of the series, a local food critic is going around town reviewing local businesses. With the extremely unfavorable reviews he is giving, it is no surprise that he meets an untimely demise. The twist, it may have been food from Daisy's Tea Garden that did him in. With her staff being prime suspects, Daisy and her somewhat boyfriend, Jonas, are on the case. If that's not enough, there seems to be something going on within her own family.

I had no idea who the culprit was of the murder and the why. I did have my a strong idea of what was going on with Daisy's family. This book, although Cozy, has a strong emotional theme. The sense of strength, family, support, and love are very strong in this novel. When a book can surprise me, make me laugh out loud, and tear up with emotion, it gets a 5 Star rating.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

I am highly anticipating the release of book 4, Murder with Cherry Tarts, 11/26/19.

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches by Karen Rose Smith is a 2019 Kensington publication.

Buckle up folks, there is a lot going on in this third installment of the Daisy Tea Garden Series.

For starters, famed food critic Derek Schumaker is all set to write a review of Daisy’s Tea Garden, but before he can post his critique on his popular blog, he is murdered. Not only that, Foster, who happens to be dating Violet, Daisy’s oldest daughter, has refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Worried that the suspicions about the timing of the murder and the role her cucumber sandwiches, played in Derek’s demise, will hurt her business, Daisy is determined to help solve the mystery, despite the clear warnings from our not so favorite detective to stay out of the way.

Meanwhile, Jazzi may be setting herself up for disappointment after her birth mother promises to finally tell her husband, she has a daughter she never told him about. But, that’s not all- just as Jonas and Daisy’s relationship begins to solidify a little more, a sudden, shocking turn of events sends Daisy and her entire family into a tailspin.

Whew!! There was never a dull moment in this book, that’s for sure. This mystery is very intriguing, with many suspects to choose from. It would seem Derek’s harsh reviews made him a few enemies along the way.

There is no way I could have possibly guessed who the murderer was! In fact, this was one of the most puzzling cases I’ve encountered in a cozy mystery in a long time.

Yet one of the things that makes this series so solid is the family drama which gets equal billing in the book. Daisy’s personal life is more complicated than ever before, as nearly every person she cares about is encountering a crisis of some sort. While she tries to save the tea garden’s reputation, she is also coping with heavy personal problems, and her ability to remain calm and balance everything on her plate quickly becomes tenuous.

I read this book in one sitting! I couldn’t put it down without finding out what was going to happen next.

I’ve been neglecting my cozy series for a while now, not consciously, though. This book has reminded me of just how much I enjoy reading them! This series is really starting to gel, as the characters develop, and I find myself starting to care for them. Karen Rose Smith has become one my ‘go to’ cozy mystery writers in the past few years. While she writes contemporary romance novels as well, I think she’s really found her niche in this genre!

Started this series in progress. It is able to be a stand alone. Nice cozy Mystery, likeable characters. I will look into more in the series

I was a little meh on the book. It was a solid read but it didn't really draw me in. Daisy's business tanks when a restaurant critic, Derek Schumaker, mysteriously dies after coming to her tea garden to review it. Drugs were added to the cucumber sandwiches that he bought to take home with him. Whoever added those drugs had to know him really well to not only access his home but to know exactly what to put in them to kill him.
Daisy sets out to find the killer. She has to deal with the ugly secrets from Derek's past as well as her own daughters problems along the way.
The book was a little preachy to me. I would classify it as a Christian cozy mystery since there was a decent bit of church going involved. I generally tend to go for books that don't involve religion but this was still a pretty good read.

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches
(Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery #3)
by Karen Rose Smith

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: May 28th 2019 by Kensington




Amazon synopsis:
Daisy’s Tea Garden in Pennsylvania’s Amish country is known for its elegant  finger foods—but now owner Daisy Swanson has to finger a killer . . .
 
Restaurant critic Derek Schumaker, notorious for his bitter reviews, is about to visit Daisy’s Tea Garden, and Daisy and Aunt Iris are simmering with anxiety. A bad word from the culinary curmudgeon could really hurt their business, but Daisy tries to stay confident. After all, how can he resist her cucumber sandwiches with pimento spread—not to mention the cheesy cauliflower soup and strawberry walnut salad?
 
Schumaker takes a to-go order when the afternoon tea service is done, which Daisy hopes is a good sign. But when he perishes from a seizure, it looks like his food was dosed with something deadly. Considering a threat that recently appeared on his blog—and whispers of scandal in his past—Daisy has quite an assortment of suspects to sift through .

***

3.5 Stars

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches is the third book in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mysteries.

Since this is my first foray into the world of Daisy and her Tea Garden I found it a bit difficult to catch up on all the basic who’s who info. I did a lot of re-reading in order to make sure I had it all down. I had a tendency to zone out in the first half of the book.

Basic premise: restaurant critic comes to the tea room, eats Daisy’s cucumber sandwiches, loves them, orders some to go and ends up dead after eating the to-go cucumber sandwiches.

The plot itself was pretty intricate. Kudos for that. I had no idea who the culprit could be the entire time I was reading it. Too many viable suspects. And since I did not know who was more of a mainstay character in the series, everyone seemed a viable option.

I thought it was a bit odd that the detective just showed up and questioned everyone. Yes, I know this is probably how it happens in the real world. But in books we usually get a heads up that the crime of murder has been detected. We get to see that person’s last moments so we know what the main character is being questioned for.

There are a lot of characters in this book. That was another reason why I was re-reading. I had to get them all in my brain so I could try and figure out whodunit. You are probably going to need a score card to keep up.

All in all, great complex mystery but the whole book didn’t quite catch me. I did not care if the suspect was caught. I did not root for Daisy and her shop. And I like when writers make me really care for their book folks. I wish she had made me care more. I probably would have liked this more.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Daisy knows her pimento cheese and cucumber sandwiches didn't poison the rotten food critic Derek= but he did die and there was poison so who did it? A widow running a tea shop and caring for two daughters- Jazz and Violet- she's also got a good investigative sense, despite what Detective Rappaport thinks. This nicest part of this cozy series are the relationships between the characters, especially as Daisy helps Jazz with her birth mother. There's a love interest, some twists, some turns, and all in all it's a good read (even if you haven't read the earlier books!). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Oh- and there are recipes!!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books in return for an honest review. This is the third book in the series and easy to read as a stand-alone. I appreciate the heroine is a ‘mature’ woman who is competent and intelligent. She owns a tea garden and this allows the presence of additional supporting characters that help move the story along. She’s widowed and her younger daughter, Jasmine, lives with her & is in high school, and her older daughter, Violet, is in college. Part of the story revolves around significant relationships in each daughter’s life, which makes this a little unusual for a traditional cosy mystery. The author does a good job of weaving in what each daughter is experiencing and how Daisy copes with their respective issues. Daisy is slowly developing a personal relationship with Jonas, a retired police detective, who owns a specialty hand-crafted furniture store. The visit of a difficult food critic to the tea garden results in murder and the uncovering of old secrets and relationships in the town. I recommend this book (and love the title!).

I had never heard of this series before and when I saw the title, which is quite interesting, I wanted to give it a go but I guess it was a mistake.
This fast and small read is good for a rainy day but it was too light for me. I had not read the prequel so I was a bit lost at the beginning trying to figure out what was going on and entangle the complicated relationship between the characters and I felt I was missing something until I was halfway through the book. In order to make it less obvious for the readers to find out who the murderer is, too many unrelated characters are introduced, which only makes the story more complicated it should be.
All I can say is, I was not the right person for the short novel and I have to say reading this book has seriously worked up my appetite. (The recipes at the end of the book are much appreciated.)

I love culinary cozies - and while a tea room is a different type of cozy, I loved it. The plots twists and turns kept me guessing with every turn of events. The characters, with their real world issues, where loveable. The romance was just enough without being overbearing. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches is the third installment in Karen Rose Smith’s Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery series. It’s an enjoyable read, with a great cast of realistic characters and an interesting murder mystery with lots of twists and turns and possible suspects. The storyline is well plotted, the characters are well developed, and the story moves at a steady pace. There’s a good mix of the importance of family, friendship, caring and compassion, romance, and mystery. Ms. Smith provides great character background, and this book can be read as a standalone.

Daisy Swanson, a widow, lives in the small town of Willow Creek, Pennsylvania with her two daughters, Jasmine, who is in high school, and Violet, who is away at college, and like every mother, she worries about her children. Daisy and her deceased husband, Ryan, adopted Jasmine, who is trying to build a relationship with her birth mother, Portia Smith Harding, whose husband and children don’t know that she’d previously given birth. Violet, who is in a long distance relationship with one of Daisy’s employees, Foster Cranshaw, is doing well in college but has some life-changing news to share with her family. Daisy’s been seeing Jonas Groft, a retired detective and the owner of Woods, a handcrafted furniture store. The quaint tea garden, Daisy’s Tea Garden, she co-owns with her aunt, Iris Albright, is doing well, but they are nervous about an upcoming visit from a renowned food critic, Derek Shumaker, who tends to be overly harsh in his reviews. Derek dies in his home shortly after his visit to Daisy’s Tea Garden, and once the lab reports are in, Detective Morris Rappaport tells Daisy the cause of death was her pimento cucumber sandwiches. Needless to say, once that information is released to the press, customers are in short supply at the tea garden. Daisy is worried she and Iris will lose everything. Two of the tea garden’s employees are among the many suspects Detective Morris Rappaport is looking into, and Daisy looks into the death by interviewing people and looking at possible motives and alibis in an attempt to prove her employees are innocent and save her business.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches, #3 of the Daisy Tea Garden series. Daisy and her aunt, Iris, have heard they may have a visit by a food critic,, Derek Shumaker, to their little tea garden Other restaurants who have had a visit from Mr. Shumaker have found poor reviews on his visit. Daisy and Iris are well prepared for his visit and he even commented positively about their cucumber tea sandwiches taking some extra as he left. When he is found dead after his visit and the cucumber tea sandwiches as well as other items, Daisy's Tea Garden is suspected of murdering him. There are more twists and complications that will keep you on the edge of your seat and waiting for more.

Daisy and her Aunt are filled with anxiety over an upcoming visit from a well known food critic. Derek Schumaker is known for his scathing reviews, he doesn't seem to have a nice thing to say about any of the restaurants he visits. A horrible review from him could definitely hurt their business which has them both worried about what he'll think. They have done everything they can to prepare now it's all in Derek's hands. When the service is over and Derek asks to take an order of tea sandwiches to go Daisy looks at this as a good sign. When he later does from a seizure the authorities think the tea sandwiches might have had something to do with his untimely death. Daisy is worried the bad publicity will hurt the business and then what will her Aunt and her do? She soon learns that there are no end to the people who disliked Derek, and a few even work for her. Daisy knows that she must dig in and find the truth or lose everything she has worked so hard for. Along the way she is dealt life changing news that she has to work through. Will this news get in the way of her investigating or can she put it aside long enough to find a killer. Follow along and see how Daisy juggles everything and whether or not she is and to put the pieces together in the end. This is such a great series filled with wonderful characters and plot lines that will keep you guessing. I look forward to seeing where the author takes the characters next!!!

Thanks to author/publisher/net galley for ARC of the book.

The book has all the elements of a cozy mystery..single(widowed) mom, adorable girls, cute kitties, tea house, soups, sandwiches....

The plot is decent, book is coherent. I am not a big fan how the elder daughter's life takes a big part of the book. I probably would have liked it better if there was a way she was able to finish school also. 2 stars less for all the excessive distraction. However, i do plan to pick up other books in this series.

Love this series................................................................................................................................................................

This was such an interesting story that I may have to read it again.
The characters were great and the story line kept me guessing.
I enjoy this series, and the death of the food critic added some spice to this already fantastic series.

When I started to read this novel, I didn't realise that there were other books before it in the series. It didn't impact the storyline, but it did leave me to wonder what had happened previously when the past plots were mentioned.

The past plot points weren't elaborated on, so I think it would be ok to go back to read the previous books, because nothing major about those storylines have been revealed or ruined.

The story itself is well written and honestly kept me guessing all the way through. I did not have a single inkling about who the murderer was and was still shocked by the reveal.

Throughout the storyline, there is an underlying message that family is what's important and that being honest and open is nearly always for the best.

The recipes included were a really lovely addition and really brought the story full circle, because it truly then felt like I had been able to visit in Daisy's Tea Room.

A good cozy mystery.
When a food critic Derek Shrumaker arrives at Daisy’s tea gardens to write a review they are a bit concerned as most of his reviews are very critical.. Derek is found dead next day .
Who would want him dead!
A lot going on in this book with Daisy’s family and tea gardens which keeps you hooked.
Very enjoyable read ,would definitely recommend this book and series.
Many thanks to Kensington books and Nettgalley for letting me read and review this book.
My thoughts are my own.