In Too Steep by Kate Kingsbury
It was a misty, rainy Sunday morning – remnants from Hurricane Ian. A good day to stay snuggled under the covers with a cup of tea and a good book. That “good book” was In Too Steep by Kate Kingsbury – an absolutely perfect read for that foggy morning.
In Too Steep is just delightful in a “lazy Sunday” kind of way: It’s an interesting cozy mystery — the characters are warm and real – a perfect setting (a tea room in a quiet seaside town in Oregon) AND a duo of warm and fuzzy romances with possibly a 3rd one on the way. Oh – and a clever killer hiding in the shadows!
Widowed sixty-plus Vivian Wainwright is living her dream – owning and managing a classy and prestigious tea room with the help of Jenna and Gracie, who are not only her employees, but also fast friends. In the past, the 3 of them had banded together with their sleuthing hats in tow to solve a previous murder – and now, it seems, it’s time to do it again!
I love a cozy where someone’s aced right off the bat – in this case, in the very first paragraph! So it’s no spoiler: Lewis Trenton, a local struggling beachcomber living in a ramshackle shack, has been found brutally murdered.
Vivian takes it extra hard when she learns that the poor guy was a recluse without any friends. She can’t shake the sadness of no one missing him, no one to mourn for him – and even worse, no one to solve his murder. The local police are doing everything they can, but there’s absolutely nothing to go on. The guy didn’t have friends, didn’t have money, didn’t have enemies – so why would anyone want to kill him?
When Vivian connects a souvenir from her tea room gift shop to the victim, she’s quietly hot on the trail – enlisting sidekicks Jenna and Gracie. Together they round up some far-fetched suspects to interrogate using some wily trickery – but even that doesn’t seem to be getting them anywhere. Little do they know, they “are” getting somewhere and the murderer isn’t happy about it!
When Vivian comes face-to-face with the killer, two of Foreigner’s hit songs come to mind: Cold As Ice and Urgent! She’s securely in the killer’s clutches and there’s no way out…
This new mystery from Crooked Lane Publishing will have cozy readers feeling “cozy” with Kate Kingsbury’s endearing characters, including Felix (Vivian’s new dog), as they weave their way through a maze of murder with romance following closely in their footsteps.
In Too Steep is the second in Kate Kingsbury’s Misty Bay Tea Room series.
A copy of this book and photo was provided by the publisher.