Murder with Cherry Tarts is a good cozy mystery. I recommend this novel to all who enjoy a good mystery.

Fabulous plot which I could not put down. Brilliant characters, and twists and turns. Highly recommend to other fans of this genre!!

Love this author's work. In Murder with Cherry Tarts, we find Daisy again up to her sleuthing ways. Here she is worried one of her employees at Daisy’s Tea Garden may be in a spot of trouble.

Lately, Karina’s been loading up on soup and second-day baked goods at the end of her shift—and while the shop’s scrumptious treats may be hard to resist, Daisy suspects there’s more going on, especially since Karina has been seen hanging out in a rundown part of Willow Creek.

Loved reading this cozy mystery. Great storyline and well-crafted characters make this a highly recommended read.

Daisy's life is never boring and this book shows us how complicated it can be. She is planning Vi's wedding and helping her deal with all the emotions that come with pregnancy. Jazzi is still trying to have some kind of relationship with her biological mother, and Daisy is in a relatively new relationship with Jonas, an ex-detective. When Daisy meets Kevin, a homeless man, and his young daughter, Mandy she wants to help. He is surviving by reselling antiques, some to the local antique store. When an employee at the store is found dead and his fingerprints are on the murder weapon, the local detective is sure Kevin is the murderer and is bound and determined to prove it. Daisy is just as determined to prove it was someone else. Of course, Daisy is a business owner, and she still has to deal with all the issues that come with that and her relationship with her Aunt Iris, her business partner. Never a dull moment.

This is the 4th book in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series, and is the best one so far. I love how this series is developing. This is a well-written mystery with a complex plot, and great characters. There are not a lot of suspects, but there sure are a lot of twists that kept me guessing. I kept trying to solve this case along with Daisy, but never had the culprit on my radar. There was a great reveal that had me a bit tense, but all worked out well. Daisy's life is as much a part of this series as the mysteries are and Karen Rose Smith blends them seamlessly. Of course this is a culinary cozy and this book had me craving cherry tarts by the end and the recipe is included at the back. I recommend this one to cozy mystery lovers, especially those who enjoy a good series. Of course, you can read this as a standalone, but I suggest you start at the beginning as you won't want to miss the previous character development and mysteries that Daisy helps to solve.

Book four of Daisy’s Tea Garden Mysteries, Murder with Cherry Tarts, by Karen Rose Smith, begins when Daisy is suspicious when one of her employees, Karina, has been taking home soup and day-old baked goods, with Daisy’s permission every night after work. Daisy is a bit concerned and follows Karina to see what’s up. Karina is giving the leftovers to a single man named Keith and his daughter who are homeless. He has been finding antiques and selling them to a local antique shop to support him and his daughter who are living in his vehicle. Daisy, of course, gets involved and wants to help this man and his child. However, when one of the employees of the antique shop is murdered, and the down-on-his-luck man, Keith, becomes the prime suspect, Daisy feels she must investigate and uncover the identity of the real murderer before Keith goes to prison and his daughter is turned over to social services.

Daisy’s Tea Garden Mysteries are fun, easy reads. They are cozies with recipes at the end, and culinary mystery fans will appreciate that they are well-written with believable, well-developed characters. In this particular installment, the story line is easy to follow; although there is a murder (a not-too-well-liked man who is cheating his uncle, the owner of the antique shop), the story is upbeat and the story line is mostly positive. There is some building suspense, however, and readers will have a hard time putting the book down until learning who the murderer is. The dénouement is quite unexpected, and Daisy and Keith find themselves in a sticky situation before all is resolved.

For cozy fans, this novel is recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

We are back in Willow Creek when a lot is happening. A wedding, a big move, a new baby soon to be delivered, an employee behaving oddly, and a new murder. Daisy is juggling a lot of teapots in the air.

Daisy’s daughter, Violet is nervous about her wedding that is just a few days away. Will she be a good wife? A good mom? Will she be able to handle it all?

Daisy’s employee, Karina has been taking leftover food to a homeless man and Daisy just can’t help but step in to help. But when the man becomes the prime suspect in a murder will Daisy be rethinking her generosity or will she go above and beyond to prove his innocence?

_______

Again the author has piled a lot of our protagonist’s shoulders but Daisy has proved she can handle it before so I knew just to hold on tight and let her go. Daisy doesn’t disappoint. She is a wise woman with great instincts and ideas and tons of patience when needed. She has raised two terrific daughters and surrounded herself with wonderful friends. Jazzi, her adopted daughter is trying to forge a relationship with her birth mom, and Daisy is so supportive. Aunt Iris is a treasure and I love the relationship she has with Daisy while her relationship with her mother is strained. Her relationship with Jonas continues to evolve. I really enjoyed the introduction of Keith Robert and his daughter, Mandy. The characters the author has created are what truly brings me back to this series again and again.

The mystery is very well-plotted and written. The author again blends work, home, and the murder investigation seamlessly. Daisy really gets involved in the life of the man police are focused on much to the dismay of Detective Zeke Willet. I really enjoyed the way the whole story played out. It had some really nice twists and turns.

Cherry Tarts are the focus of this book and I guarantee you will be craving them by the time you finish this book. Thankfully the recipe is included at the end.

Truly engaging characters and a curious mystery made Murder with Cherry Tarts a very delightful read. The book can be read on its own but I recommend you read the whole series in order for maximum enjoyment.

Book 4 of a six book series.
This series is endearing and entertaining, and Murder with Cherry Tarts is quite good. Even though the mystery is prominently featured, the relationships between the characters are the real focus.The identity of the killer took me by surprise.
Another good one!

Daisy is getting more comfortable in her role as the lady of the tea garden and is making more allies among the other townsfolk, most notably with her daughter's soon-to-be father-in-law. When her employee start acting weird, taking lots of extra food home, she decides to do something (since of course Daisy never dreamed of minding her own business from the day she was born). Sneaking after her own employee, she discovers a single dad living in a van with his young daughter!

Daisy is just getting to know the new guy in town and doing what she can to help him out when a young man from the antique store winds up dead, and who else do the police suspect than the new guy in town? And what better champion can the accused man have than Daisy herself?

I really enjoyed this cozy and the small-town feel it gives, as well as seeing more of Daisy's family dynamics.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

Outstanding. I love this series so much. I like the new characters introduced in this book. I was completely wrong about who the killer was. Not at all who I expected.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I'm not completely sure what the draw was to this series since I am not a tea drinker but from book one I have been drawn in and find I can't wait for the next book. I adore the characters and their natural progression of their development. The plot had twists and turns that you come to expect as they occur in every book, cozy or not, but are still surprising. I am not saying that the book is predictable, because it is not. I had several suspects in mind throughout the book, yet was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong in the end. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

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.

Murder with Cherry Tarts

by Karen Rose Smith

What a delightful cozy mystery! I enjoyed Murder with Cherry Tarts by Karen Rose Smith from beginning to end. It has interesting characters including Daisy Swanson, a widow and co-owner of Daisy’s Tea Garden with her Aunt Iris. Daisy is at the center of the book’s many threads. There is, of course, a murder mystery which Daisy tries not to get involved in, but her kind nature won’t allow her to stand by while an innocent man is railroaded by a detective with a chip on his shoulder. That chip is connected to Daisy’s boyfriend Jonas, a former detective. Other tensions include a homeless man and his daughter and an elderly antique shop owner possibly being cheated by a family member. Also, Daisy has continuing relationship issues with her mother, preparations for the upcoming wedding of her pregnant daughter, and the struggles of her youngest daughter, who is adopted, to connect with her biological mother. It is a busy story!

The setting is Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. Although Daisy is not Amish, there are a sprinkling of references to horse and buggy transport and other Amish customs as Willow Creek is a seasonal tourist town.

Despite the various focuses on relationships, the mystery is still key. There are several suspects with plausible motives, but when the murderer is revealed in a scene replete with danger, the surprise ending is stunning.

The author follows up with an epilogue that provides a promisingly happy conclusion to the relationship threads as well as the murder investigation. There are, however, still developments to look forward to in the next cozy in this series.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #4 in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery Series, but works very well as a standalone. The characters’ backgrounds are skillfully woven into the first chapter.
2. The book concludes with recipes, including one for Daisy’s famous cherry tarts that everyone raves about.

Publication: November 26, 2019—Kensington Books

Memorable Lines:

“Sharing tea with a friend is a calming experience. I think it has to do with just taking time out of your day to talk and to share. It doesn’t matter the type of tea or if you use sugar or honey or milk. It’s just the experience of sipping it that counts.”

That was exactly what grief felt like, a hole that could never be filled up.

The photographs would never reveal the tension that always bubbled up within her family. But that was the point of happy photos, wasn’t it? To remember the good times and cherish them.

This was my first Daisy Tea Garden mystery. I enjoyed it and was completely surprised by the ending. I also felt that if I had read the previous books I might understand the background better for the relationship between Daisy and Jonas, Jonas and Detective Willet, and Jazzi and Portia, . The new characters were definitely developed well and should make for nice additions to the next story, and I appreciate the homeless single Dad aspect as it made me remember that such situations do in fact exist and that there are things that each of us can do to help that would not take much effort. I appreciate a good cozy that can make a social statement that doesn't sound preachy but in fact is heart warming as well as educational.. The story starts out at a good pace and keeps it going with a few twists and turns that share clues and lead to dead ends. At one point I was questioning motives of a good character much like Daisy, and was happy to see that it all worked out. As always, I enjoy a good recipe and will be sure to try my hand at the cherry tart recipe this week

I'm loving this series more and more with each book. The characters are interesting to me and are beginning to feel like good friends. I love the way the employee if the Tea Garden support and take care of each other. I also like that the author was able to touch on the situation of a 'homeless' father and made me realize that anyone can make a difference.

The mystery was well-written and kept me guessing until the end. This was one that I hated to put down.

I love this series, and I think this book is the best one yet. The storyline moved along at just the right pace to hold my interest and keep me turning pages to find out what would happen next. The mystery took a turn that I was not expecting, and the ending was somewhat of a surprise. But it’s the characters in this series that I love the most. Daisy is the perfect amateur detective and her true desire to help others drives the series. There’s still some family issues to be settled, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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!

Complex, clever and twisty: the story is a complete engagement from taste buds to brain! I’m addicted to cozies that feature a ‘foodie’ setting, from vintage to British, to coffee shops. And my first introduction to this series came with a ton of expectation – and all of it was met. Sure, it did take me a bit to get to know the characters as this was the first in this series I’ve read (although I have the earlier books on one of the kindles somewhere!) and I appreciated the bits of backstory and the characters that arrived well-realized to move me along.

With Daisy worried about one of her employees, as well as planning a wedding for her daughter, she’s got plenty to think on – and the “adoption” of Kevin and his young daughter brought a sense of community and village helpers to the forefront, especially after he’s the main suspect in the death of an antiques dealer – bludgeoned with a marble rolling pin. (Oh I love those – my gran had one and it was great for rolling out sticky dough -but I digress). Soon Daisy finds herself in the chair as a ‘helper’ to Kevin through interrogation techniques, sifting through clues to find the “real” culprit, and still managing, somehow, to maintain her shop, work on the wedding plans and a few hiccups in her newly-minted relationship.

Skills and the ability to ferret out the truth have made Daisy a bit careless where her own inquiries are concerned. Not that she’s asking the wrong questions, but she’s not always careful about how close she is to danger – and there is danger about. There’s some friction with the local police investigating the whole thing, and their responses, while understandable when you have a ‘civilian’ discovering more clues and answers – are not always concerned with her feelings OR her safety. Sure – there’s plenty to go around here – from twists, herrings and a few laughs, along with some newly risen issues to sort in her relationship with Jonas, the story is a treat…. Particularly with the desserts shared at the end.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aBy/> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I loved Murder with Cherry Tarts Its a really good cozy mystery that is part of a series. The series gets better with each book. The characters are well developed and believable. The plot is very well thought out and the mystery is satisfying. I love the series and can not wait for the next book.

Princess Fuzzypants here: the reader might be forgiven for thinking that Daisy Swanson had a full plate, what with the upcoming nuptials of her pregnant daughter, her teenage daughter and running her tea shop. But when she meets a widowed down on his luck dad and his adorable three year old daughter, she feels the need to help them find stability. The twosome have been living in his van and the little girl has a disturbing cough. First thing Daisy must do is find them a place to live and some medical help. Once that is accomplished, it should be clear sailing.
Sadly, when a young man with whom the father had business dealings, is discovered with his head bashed in by a rolling pin with the father’s prints on it, There is a logical reason but it doesn’t stop the local police from assuming he is the prime suspect. Daisy however is convinced he is innocent and that the victim had some shady things going on. She is uncertain as to what they are or with whom he was involved but she suspects it got him killed.
This series always has lots of moving parts in separate storyline that cross over. The characters are likeable and realistic and while Daisy does get herself into danger, she doesn’t blunder into threatening situations. She’s a relatable character as are the people who surround her as family and friends. Add that to a good mystery and you have an enjoyable read.
Four purrs and two paws up.

Murder with Cherry Tarts by Karen Rose Smith has Daisy Swanson preparing for her eldest daughter’s wedding in Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. She cannot help but notice that that something seems to be going on with Karina Post, one of her employees at Daisy’s Tea Garden. Since Karina will not open up to Daisy, she is left with only one choice. Daisy and Jonas follow Karina one evening to discover that she is helping Keith Robert and his daughter, Mandy who are living in a van. Keith’s deceased wife has ovarian cancer which led to a number of medical bills and time missed from work. Keith lost his wife, his job and his home. The father and daughter duo have been living in the van with Karina providing food that she purchased from the tea shop and Keith earning money by selling antiques to Pirated Treasures. Jonas moves Keith and Mandy into his home while Keith works at getting back on his feet financially. Then Otis Murdock, owner of Pirated Treasures, is found bludgeoned to death with a marble rolling pin. Keith’s fingerprints are on it which makes him a prime suspect. Daisy and Jonas need to clear Keith’s name or Mandy will end up without her only parent. Murder with Cherry Tarts is the fourth novel in A Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series. It can be read on its own for those new to the series. Daisy is busy helping her daughter, Violet plan her wedding to Foster Cranshaw. She has an apartment created for them and they will be moving in after the nuptials. Violet is going to need her mother to get through the wedding and what lays ahead with the baby. Jazzi, Daisy’s sixteen years old adopted daughter, wants to invite her birth mother and her husband to the wedding. Jazzi wants to get to know her bio mom. As if Daisy does not have enough going on in her life, Karina has been acting odd. I like that Daisy was concerned about her employee and wanted to help her. In the real world, though, I have a feeling that following her would not fly. The characters are kind, thoughtful and relatable. The mystery was straightforward and those who read cozy mysteries frequently will have no problem fingering the guilty party. There were some clever developments in this whodunit that I enjoyed. I am not a fan of Detective Zeke Willet. I would like to see him replaced in the series. I thought the pacing was mild with it picking up near the end. Murder with Cherry Tarts focuses on the people. Daisy cares about her family and friends. She will go out of her way to help those in need. When it is time for a discussion, the food comes out. Cherry tarts and chicken soup were the two items featured in this cozy mystery. My favorite lines from Murder with Cherry Tarts is, “Happily ever after is not a fairy tale. It’s a choice.” Murder with Cherry Tarts is a lighthearted cozy mystery with tempting treats, wedding worry, mom melodrama, antique artifacts, and a disagreeable detective.