Death in a Budapest Butterfly by Julia Buckley is the first book in the cozy Hungarian Tea House Mystery series. As with most cozy mysteries this first book does contain it’s own mystery to solve so it could be read as a standalone if choosing to do so. The character development however will carry over from book to book for those continuing the series.

The Keller family own and operate Maggie’s Tea House, which specializes in a European-style traditional tea service influenced by their Hungarian heritage. Hana Keller works along side her grandmother who also gives tea readings to their customers. Hana’s noticed that lately the readings have gotten a little more ominous but Hana never expected to find a guest is poisoned at a tea event. Hana knows she needs to find the murderer quickly to save the family business.

While Death in a Budapest Butterfly by Julia Buckley is a cozy mystery it did have a touch of paranormal involved with the tea reading which for me is a plus as I love crossing genres. While I did enjoy getting to know the characters in this first book of the series I felt that it wasn’t quite as quirky and over the top as I’m drawn to but still a promising beginning to a solid mystery read. I’d rate this first edition at three and a half stars and would be interested to read more in the future from this series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I enjoyed this author's other cozy series and this one did not disappoint. This is the first book in a new series. Hana and her family own and operate a Hungarian Tea House is suburban Chicago. During a ladies tea one of the guests is poisoned. The local police need Hana's help navigating the Hungarian language and culture to solve the crime. I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. The author does a really good job with capturing the immigrant and Hungarian culture. I loved how she incorporated the Hungarian fairy tales and myths into the mystery. The mystery was good with enough suspects to make it interesting. There is some romance and I felt it was introduced too quickly. I look for word to reading the next book in the series. Enjoy

This is my first book by Julia Buckley and I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised. I picked up this book because I had no idea what a Budapest Butterfly was and was curious. But it turns out, there’s quite a lot of interesting things about this book.

First off, this is a first in a new series and it has a real focus on the Hungarian culture. I’m always a big fan of series that do this. Not only do you get something interesting to read, but you can also learn about different cultures as well. Another book that this reminded me of are Vivien Chien’s book, which covers the Chinese culture. I think it’s great to see the diversity in books and I hope more books do this.

Secondly, I really like how family was such a big part of this book. I love learning about the different generations and relationships. It gives the characters and also the mystery something even greater to work with.

So, although this book was my first by Buckley, it will definitely not be my last. I am looking forward to the next books in the series and the other books by this author.

Overall, I liked the story and the characters. The only thing I didn't like is the impression that if someone is an introvert, it's a bad thing and they must be made to go outside and interact with the world. No one should be made to change who they are by other people. If an introvert wants to go out and meet people, that's fine. But they shouldn't be forced to do it by their significant other.

So glad I decided to give this new series a try. I loved Hana. She is a thoughtful and interesting character. Someone you’d want to be friends with. I don’t know much about Hungarian heritage, and I throughly enjoyed learning more! I recommend you try this series too!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

Death in a Budapest Butterfly: A Hungarian Tea House Mystery
By Julia Buckley
Kensington
July 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

For nearly three decades, Maggie’s Tea House in Chicago has been run by three generations of the family’s women. While Hana Keller and her mother Maggie oversee the preparation of presentation of Hungarian tea and pastries, matriarch Juliana Horvath gives out free tea leaf readings from the remnants of the customers’ tea cups. It is Hana, though, who experiences a sense of foreboding on the morning of a tea service for the women of St. Stephen’s parish, and her anxiety is backed by an ominous reading of Ava Novak’s tea cup. When Ava is found slumped on the floor of the ladies’ room, it is bad luck for all as the Tea House is temporarily closed while police investigate the death by poison.

Hana is heartbroken that her newly acquired antique Butterfly teacup is confiscated for being the carrier of the poison with a threat written inside, and she is even more concerned when her grandmother is questioned for giving Ava such a dire reading. The one consolation is that the investigating Detective Erik Wolf is developing an interest in the case; or more specifically, a personal interest in Hana. Feeling a bit out of his element amidst the Hungarian women and their traditional ways, Wolf guilt-trips Hana into verifying their testimonies and providing insight in to their relationships. After the Tea House reopens and they resume the business of providing delicious Hungarian noodles and delicacies, Hana learns that she has a family gift that could help to give her insight into these women whose kind faces may hide nefarious intentions.

The first of a new series by the author of the Writer’s Apprentice and the Undercover Dish Mystery series introduces readers to a fascinating community with Hungarian roots and traditional ways. Descriptions of Hana and her grandmother preparing one of a dozen different types of Hungarian noodles will have mouths watering, and recipes of Paprikas dishes and dumplings will further tantalize readers. Not only are the tales of fairies and wolves integral to the plot, they are the core of beliefs and stories passed down from generation to generation. As Juliana tells Hana, the Hungarians are a sad people with a sad history and aren’t afraid to hold grudges, and this is reflected in their rather gruesome bedtime stories and morose songs. That doesn’t mean that they haven’t coped with loss through a lot of humor, especially when it comes to seeing the next generation matched up and married. While Hana resists the pressure to settle down now that she’s in her late twenties, she helps her brother’s extremely shy and introverted girlfriend to socialize and adjust to their rather exuberant family. Just as awkward with dating is Detective Wolf, and readers will look forward to seeing how he manages to navigate the sizzling attraction that sparks between himself and Hana. Romance, the embrace and celebration of Hungarian culture, and an abundance of European cuisine make this a wonderful introduction to a unique, welcoming new series.

I thought this book was a great start to a new cozy mystery series. I loved the setting and the Hungarian traditions and customs added a really unique touch to this book. The story started off quickly, the murder happening at the beginning and flowed nicely from there. There is a hint of the paranormal in this book as well, and I felt like that added another dimension to the story. I enjoyed the characters of the mother and grandmother quite a bit but I found the detective to be a little bit flat for me. I am hoping that he will be a bit more dimensional as the series going on. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

What draws you to read a cozy mystery series? Cozies are unique: murders aside, they are set in places you'd like to visit, with characters who are basically good people (murderous impulses notwithstanding) who often fall in love. Murders are generally solved without significant damage to the community. The focus can be food, cats, libraries, knitting, or other creative endeavors (as in Julia Buckley's Writers' Apprentice series). The reader can relax, read, and enjoy a respite amongst the lovely (if occasionally lethal) elements.

This new series takes to to a small town in Illinois, home to a thriving community of expatriate Hungarians. Three generations of women run Maggie's Tea House, where fancy teas and traditional Hungarian delicacies are served on lovely china. Hana, Maggie's daughter and Juliana's granddaughter, collects Hungarian porcelains and tea services, which she uses to create the establishment's signature decor. When we meet Hana, she is gathering butterfly decorations to complement her newest teacup, the Budapest Butterfly, for a tea to be hosted by the Maygar Women of St. Stephen's parish. She has coaxed her grandmother to do tea-leaf readings by offering to use the teacup in her centerpiece. Hungarian foods and desserts perfume the air as the women set up and serve.

The event seems to go well. Although it seems odd to Hana when Mrs. Kalas, president of the group, rudely snubs quiet Ava Novak, the other women happily nibble, mingle, and queue up to have their tea leaves read. They are all familiar with the symbolism Juliana calls forth from the leaves - animals, acorns, supernatural creatures - and they are accustomed to readings that are both vague and positive -- so they are all shocked when Mrs. Kalas receives a dire warning from her cup.

As for Hana, she was distracted already when she notices that the precious teacup disappeared from her grandmother's table, and reappeared on Ana's. She sees Ana sip from the cup moments before she falls ill and dies. Juliana's dismay when Detective Wolf arrives is tied to Hungarian folklore depicting wolves as predatory and trustworthy.

By the time the mystery is solved, the reader will be immersed in Hungarian legend and folklore, will learn backstories from a stalwart group of expatriates, and witness a budding romance. Old-country superstitions mingle with modern sensibilities in the beautifully-detailed, immersive book.

To this reader, all of the elements of a wonderful new series are in these pages, and I can hardly wait for its sequel. Five stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC.

(By the way, the Budapest Butterfly is quite real, the work of artist Anna Weatherley. If you look at her work online, prepare to be enchanted and very, very tempted.)

Death in a Budapest Butterfly is the first novel in A Hungarian Tea House Mystery series written by Julia Buckley (A Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series). Hana Keller is twenty-six years old and of Hungarian descent. Hungarian food and the culture are a big part of the family’s lives. We get a comprehensive account of the various Hungarian dishes prepared. It was interesting to learn more about the Hungarian culture, cuisine, traditions and folklore. I wish, though, that the Hungarian words had come with a pronunciation guide (next to each word). Hana works with her mother (Maggie Keller) and her grandmother (Juliana Horvath) to run Maggie’s Tea House which features high tea and delicious pastries made by Francois, a French culinary student. I enjoyed hearing about Hana’s teacup collection. The mystery starts off with a bang early in the book. Since many of the suspects are Hungarian, Detective Wolf asks them to be present while he conducts interviews to help with translations. This allows readers to be introduced to various characters plus we find out what they knew about the victim. Hana stays involved in the case as she uncovers information and relays it to Det. Wolf. While I was able to pinpoint the who, I did not know the why. Clues are revealed as Hana talks to various people in the community. I appreciated that we are given all the details of the murder for a complete wrap-up. There were instant sparks between the single Hana and the fetching detective. Hana’s grandmother is happy to give them nudge or two since she would like to see Hana wed. Erik Wolf needs more fleshing out because I thought he was one-dimensional (lacks life). There is a hint that Hana and her grandmother have special psychic abilities. I hope this will feature more prominently in future books. Julia Buckley is a detail oriented writer. She needs to find a balance between not enough and too much which would greatly help the flow and pacing of the book (in my opinion). My favorite phrase was when Detective Wolf said to Hana, “You’ve got the bug, haven’t you? Solving puzzles exhilarates you.” I can certainly understand the feeling. There are recipes at the end for Chicken Paprikash, dumplings and stuffed cabbage. Death in a Budapest Butterfly has Hungarian charm, dainty teacups, a poisoned patsy, a canny killer, a dashing detective, and a neophyte sleuth.

Thank you @netgalley for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this unique cozy. It’s the first book in a new series called A Hungarian Tea House Mystery. It takes place in the suburbs of Chicago and centers around the cutest family who own and operate a tea house. Hana, her mother and grandmother all enjoy hosting events and perhaps putting on a show of reading tea leaves. Unfortunately, their business is tainted when a patron is poisoned after sipping tea from a exquisite cup. Hana assists the detective as he begins the arduous process of interviewing the guests, who are older, Hungarian women. They stumble upon quite a few revelations: hidden secrets, new love and unexplainable abilities.

The mystery was fantastic. I loved the interview process and how the clues were slowly presented and dwindled down. The suspects left me guessing for quite some time.

What really captivated me were the main characters. I’m already invested in Hana’s family. They remind me of the beloved family in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Loud, meddling, supportive and full of heritage. I loved all the descriptions about Hungarian food and was rather intrigued by the folklore and customs weaved throughout the story. Hana and a couple women in her family have the gift of sight which gives the story a touch of paranormal and pairs well with an investigation. I’m also a huge fan of tea so I enjoyed the chatter about beautiful cups, blends and the overall setting of the tea house. The book concludes with a few recipes.

I really look forward to catching up with these characters again and will anxiously be awaiting news of a sequel.

Series: A Hungarian Tea House Mystery - Book 1
Author: Julia Buckley
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Coffee/Tea Shop/Paranormal
Publisher: Berkley
Page Count: 304

Publishing Date: July 30, 2019

The first cozy book Death in a Budapest Butterfly in a new series “A Hungarian Tea House Mystery “from author Julia Buckley hits stores on July 30, 2019, published by Berkley.

This new series has stout, gifted women, tasty food, exotic teas, a delightful teacup collection, and a look at Hungarian culture. There are plenty of recipes and tasty treats for those who spend time at Maggie’s Tea House. The main character, Hana, is stubborn, set in her ways and at times naïve. Her mother and grandmother are special and love what they do. Hana’s budding relationship with Detective Wolf will be interesting to watch. With just a hint of the paranormal, this cozy book will make readers smile.

Although this is a sweet story and the murder itself intriguing, there was just a bit too much emphasis on the Hungarian side of the women’s lives. There are times when the reader may have to remind themselves that this book is set in modern-day America. The cultural aspects are fun but seem to be used more for filler than real background information on the characters. I would like to see the paranormal aspects of the three women more defined and enlarged in future books as I felt this was one of the more engaging inclusions in the storyline.

Ms. Buckley knows how to write a cozy book. Her story is littered with twists and turns, insightful commentary, and heartfelt family values. Death in a Budapest Butterfly is a cozy book that will entertain readers of all types of mysteries.

I am looking forward to seeing the direction this series takes, and the continued development of the characters.

ARC provided by NetGalley

3.5 stars, rounded. I liked this one and think the series has a good deal of potential. The level of involvement that the detective allowed Hana strained credulity, but the inclusion of Hungarian culture and the folklore element set this one apart.

I was drawn to this book because of the teahouse. I’m studying to become an herbalist, and making tea is a daily event for me, so I love reading stories that revolve around it. And this being the start of a new cozy mystery series made it that much more enticing!
Also, I read and really enjoyed the first book, A Dark and Stormy Murder, in A Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series by Buckley, so I was pretty confident this would be a good book.

I know nothing about Hungary or it’s legends, so that aspect was also very interesting to me. Legends and folklore always add a unique layer to fiction, and learning about cultures this way has always fascinated me. And
I always look at the recipes at the end of cozies, but have never made any of them. With the Hungarian recipes that Buckley has included though, they actually seem pretty easy to make and super tasty. Maybe I’ll finally make something.

For me, cozies need to have good character development, and Buckley has a real talent for it. I enjoyed watching the different generations interact with each other, and you could see the love that Buckley has for her own heritage through these characters. I’m excited to read more about Hana and her family, and see where Buckley takes this series next.

So often in cozies, the heroine is not believed by the police and greatly discouraged with their investigating. Buckley did something I really like, and have been seeing more of recently in newer cozies, the detective actually worked with Hana and didn’t tell her continually to stop investigating. Det. Wolf even told her a couple of times she should become a cop because she has such an inquisitive nature. This is such a refreshing change.

Even better, Det. Wolf believed Hana and her grandmother when they started sharing information that came to them from their feelings and psychic powers. He didn’t believe them right away, but came around quickly enough, and didn’t ever make them feel like they were crazy. It is nice to see open channels of communication and encouragement in a cozy mystery.

Buckley also handled the romance part of the book well, not only between Hana and Det. Wolf, but with all the other couples. It was sweet seeing older couples still in love, and Hana’s brother trying to encourage his girlfriend to become more part of the world. I’m happy that Buckley doesn’t make use wait forever to see if Hana and the detective will be together, and am looking forward to see how everyone’s relationships continue.

As for the mystery itself, Buckley had me guessing through most of the book. The clues and red herrings she left were the perfect amount. And the final reveal was handled really well. I’m excited to see what Buckley comes up with for the next book in the Hungarian Teahouse Mystery series!

Beauty meets death in this new series by Julia Buckley, which features Hungarian culture, family, and folklore. The Hungarian elements mixed with the cozy mystery nicely, making this a fun, unique read. It was fascinating learning about Easter European history and culture (and yummy food), and the slightly paranormal aspect was entertaining without being overly unrealistic. I love that the Budapest Butterfly is a Hungarian tea cup and that Hana loves it just because it is beautiful.

However, the romance was way too insta-lovey, but levels off in a good way, and the police investigation wasn't as realistic, but that is to be expected in a cozy.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I read it in less than a day! I look forward to reading the next book in the series. There are recipes in the back of the book for the dishes mentioned throughout they mystery. I cannot wait to try them out!

DEATH IN A BUDAPEST BUTTERFLY, the first in the new Hungarian Tea House Mystery series by Julia Buckley, is a delightful introduction to the author’s Hungarian culture. It’s packed full of mystery, folklore, and three generations of strong women who run Maggie’s Tea House. The protagonist, Hana Keller, along with her mother, Maggie, and grandmother, Juliana, are known for serving European High Tea and specialty events with a Hungarian flair. Ms. Buckley did an outstanding job capturing the essence of the Hungarian community through the use of vernacular and accents added to speech between the characters. Her introduction of Hungarian heritage via myths and legends, along with amazing food descriptions, added to the authenticity of the setting. The characters are well-developed and I enjoyed the touch of paranormal, especially with Grandma Juliana and her tea leaf readings.

When a woman is murdered with poisoned tea served from Hana’s special butterfly tea cup during one of the Tea House events, she gets involved in the investigation to help clear the Tea House’s reputation after clients start cancelling. Detective Wolf, the investigator, pulls Hana, her mother, and her grandmother into the interviews, to help translate the Hungarian spoken by the event’s attendees. These scenes add some light humor as the women help the detective understand their culture, plus it gives Hana an insider’s opportunity to sort out the clues from the witnesses. As the book progresses, so does Hana’s involvement with the detective, and a romance blossoms. Clues were liberally sprinkled throughout the plot but instead of trying to guess, I sat back and enjoyed the story as it unfolded until I’d read the very last page.

Hana’s grandmother is quite the accomplished cook and I was excited to see the author includes recipes for several of her own family’s Hungarian dishes.

Hana Keller and her family run a tea house and Hana collects Hungarian teacups and other art. One day, at a tea party for the Magyar Women, a woman named Ava Novak sips her tea from one of Hana's collector tea cups and dies.

Hana, her mother, and grandmother get involved in the investigation because of their knowledge of Hungarian and the Hungarian myths that seem to underlie the investigation. Police Detective Erik Wolf is glad for their help. He and Hana develop a relationship around the investigation since she seems to find lots of clues to bring to his attention.

The story was filled with Hungarian myths, food, and language. There was also a lot of description of things that didn't necessarily need to be described. I kept thinking that the various detailed descriptions would feature in the plot, but they did not.

Fans of cozies with recipes and with an interest in Hungarian culture would be the best audience for this story.

3.5 stars

Appealing series debut featuring a Hungarian teahouse setting. Hana Keller helps run the family teahouse with her mother and grandmother. The family characters and relationships and the mouth-watering descriptions of Hungarian food are well-done.

The mystery begins when a woman dies after drinking poisoned tea at a teahouse event. Naturally, Hana and her family want to prove that the teahouse is blameless. Soon she begins to untangle a long line of stories and kinships from the old country.

There is a hint of other-worldliness when Hana and her relatives begin to talk about psychic abilities, but that isn't a huge focus of the plot. There is also a love interest for Hana in the form of the lead detective.

A pleasant and readable start to a new series. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

They are serving high tea to Hungarian women in their tea house. Almost all the women are elderly and polite. What she notices is that the special teacup she has on display is being used by one of the women. She doesn't know why. Then the woman drinking the tea walks quickly back to the bathroom. When she checks to see how she's doing, she finds her on the floor against the wall dead!

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published July 30th.

When the emergency personnel and police show up, the tea party ends. Everybody has to remain to speak to the police. The detective asks Hana, her mother and her grandmother to sit in on the questioning and interpret the Hungarian the ladies throw into the conversations. They do but they can't believe one of these guests would commit murder.

Hana finds herself attracted to the detective. She helps him with the investigation and then discovers he's attracted to her, too.

Together they work on piecing the facts together. Hana is the biggest help. When the killer is identified, everyone is shocked.

I really enjoyed the detective and Hana team action and I hope there will be future cases with this team.

Hana Keller and her family run Maggie's Tea House, an establishment heavily influenced by the family's Hungarian heritage and specializing in a European-style traditional tea service. When a guest is poisoned at a tea event and the Tea House is suddenly endangered, Hana and her family must catch the killer to save their business and bring the beautiful Budapest Butterfly back home where it belongs.

The Hungarian folklore and community make this a unique mystery. Hana and her family are well drawn and this is a good series start. The food and tea should make this a fun, interesting read for those with little Hungarian experiences. I do find it hard to believe that the police in the Chicago area wouldn't have access to a Hungarian interpreter so they wouldn't have to use a potential suspects to help with the Hungarian aspects of the investigation. Still, this is a very enjoyable mystery.

I love a cozy, but there's always a balancing act between getting high on the coziness scale and staying low on the cheese scale. Death in a Budapest Butterfly does a pretty good job walking that line.

Pros:
-I love the Hungarian family and community, especially delving into their folklore. It was new and interesting to me.
-Tea room! Tea rooms make me happy.
-Awesome grandmother. Some of the best characters in cozies are the wise and/or feisty grandmothers, and this book delivers.
-Psychic powers! I love a paranormal twist and can't wait to see how Hana's abilities progress.

Cons:
-I don't think that's how an actual police investigation works.
-I like a very slow romantic build in my cozies; this one ramped up too quickly for me.
-Cozies are cozy for their sense of place - the quaint setting is part of the appeal, and I felt that this book could have been stronger in that respect.

All in all this was a fun read and I'm interested in seeing what happens next.