Member Reviews
A lovely easy read which keeps you interested throughout.
I loved the descriptions of the characters and could imagine how hey looked and how they reacted to the situations they found themselves in.
I worked out one of twists early on bit it wasn't confirmed until about three quarters of the way through the book but it didn't detract from the story as other twists came nearer the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, easy read and a lovely story. It would make a fab holiday read.
4 stars from me
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Kate Palmer, semi retired RN and her beau Woody, a retired Detective are at it again. Kate's sister has bought property and is turning it into a Tea Room.While renovating, a body turns up in the cellar...and a mystery case begins.
This is number 3 in the Kate Palmer series. For a reason I have yet to determine this one did not grab me like the other 2 books did. Perhaps I like more of the sister interaction while this book had less. So 4 stars instead of 5 on this one. That being said the ending did catch me by surprise..
Thanks to the author and Bookouture Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. It releases on May 10, 2021
4.66 Stars
Even though this is my first Dee Macdonald book experience, this is the third in her Kate Palmer series. Kate is our amateur sleuth in this British cozy mystery. And in A Body at the Tea Rooms, her sister Angie finds a body in the cellar of her Tea Rooms when she’s renovating. Initially Kate intends to let the police solve the crime but finds herself intrigued by a curious card found in the victim’s body. When her sister’s involvement with the murder becomes subject of village gossip, Kate jumps into the investigation to clear her sister’s name. The victim seems to be connected to the wealthiest family in Lower Tinworthy, making things even more complicated!
A Body at the Tea Rooms was a delightful, fast paced book with a funny, dynamic characters. I have not read the previous books in the series and found that this did not impact my experience at all. This, in my opinion, attest to the author’s ability in create rounded, well developed characters. I felt like I knew Angie and Kate. I would have loved if a certain character’s loss and their resulting mental breakdown had been more explored, but the way it was handled served the plot well.
I loved the book’s atmosphere and felt like I got to know the Mansion and the village. In future novels, I would like to keep exploring Lower Tinworthy and everything the British small seaside village has to offer.
MacDonald played fair with her plotting and solution and I enjoyed myself while reading A Body at the Tea Room.
I love mysteries, even though I not always pick up Cozy Mysteries because they tend to be formulaic and a subgenre I prefer watching than reading. For me to pick up a cozy mystery book, relies solely on the main character and I must admit, Kate Palmer was it for me. She is funny and witty and confident, and the fact that she is older and has had a successful career as a nurse added to her charm. I will be picking up other books in the series.
I feel that A Body at the Tea Rooms is perfect for fans of M.C Beaton, Suzi Weinert and Joanne Fluke.
In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Booktoure, NetGalley and Dee MacDonald for providing me with a copy of A Body at the Tea Rooms.
#ABodyattheTeaRooms #NetGalley
An enjoyable easy read!
This is the third book in the Kate Palmer series , although this can be read as a stand alone due to the calibre of the writing and just enough back story.
Kate’s sister Angie is opening a tea room / bar and a skeleton is found in the cellar. So Kate begins looking in to the case and un earths some “skeletons” from the past. The story is easy to read and the writing is nicely paced, the characters have depth and room to develop and I look forward to the next in the series.
A great English cozy mystery with a nice twist in its conclusion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc copy.
Kate is being asked to investigate the origin of a skeleton found in the cellar of her sister’s tearoom. Once the DNA match comes back, the story becomes predictable and the narrative prolonged to the foregone conclusion. Without any new characters and people just ranting things to Kate without being asked, there is no suspense or twist. I enjoyed the previous two books, but with this one I just flipped the pages.
Another excellent entry in the Kate Palmer series. This one is full of plot twists you won't see coming. In addition to solving a decades old mystery, Kate's personal life continues to unfold, especially her relationship with Woody.
This is the first time I've read this author. Few enough characters that you don't feel lost coming into the series at book 3. However, like most series, if you can start at book 1. I liked the older MC. I liked the town, and the MC's job made it reasonable that she would find out information. I found the mystery interesting and would recommend this book.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Third book in this series, I’ll be reading the previous two now. The characters are likable, it’s a quick read with a fast pace.
Something Lurking In The Cellar....
The third outing in the Kate Palmer series and all is not well with renovations at sister Angie’s new tea rooms when a body is uncovered in the cellar. Having relocated to a seemingly peaceful Cornish village Kate and Angie just cannot catch a break and once again find themselves embroiled in murder and mayhem. With a likeable protagonist in Kate, a colourful cast of supporting characters and a delightful setting this is a thoroughly enjoyable read, fully entertaining and some ideal gentle escapism. A worthy addition to the series.
Third book in Kate Palmer series, my first read. I look forward to going back to read previous books.
An older heroine, Kate comes home from a vacation in California to find her sister has found a body in a building she and her boyfriend are redoing.
Likable characters fun story
Kate Palmer was dreaming of sitting in her sisters tea room relaxing. That dream vanished when a body is found in the cellar during renovations. Kate is a great character that is over 60 and full of life. I look forward to the next adventure.
#ABodyattheTeaRooms #NetGalley
Fans of the English village mystery will delight in this series by Dee MacDonald. Seeing this third entry in the Kate Palmer series available from Netgalley caused me to go back and read the other two books before diving into A Body at the Tearooms, which concerns a skeleton found in the restaurant/bar Kate's sister Angela is renovating. Of course, Kate is immediately drawn into trying to determine the dead man's identity and how he wound up buried in the cellar.
Of course, Kate is a busy body, a characteristic she is well situated for as a nurse whose practice lets her interact with all levels of village society. Complicating this investigation is a case of mistaken identity and two untimely deaths that occurred near the time of the original murder.
Kate is a fine heroine, and I appreciate that she is over 60 and is secure in her identity, unlike so many cozy main characters. The Cornwall setting itself is a recurring character and adds to the atmospherics.
These books are fun, quick reads--great for an afternoon of reading whist sipping a hot cup of tea.
Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.
Move over, younsters, nurse Kate is back in town.
This series is filled with very lovable characters. Well, apart from the killers of course, 😉 but even they can be charming too before they reveal who they really are.
The atmosphere in the village reminds me a bit of what I heard my grandparents talk about. The doctor was often lending an ear to older patients who were lonely. They more than not were not seriously ill, but they were seeking some company, someone who would listen to them even only for a few minutes. Here Kate is their go-to person. She pays them attention which gives her the perfect opportunity to ask questions and gain much needed information to solve the mysteries.
When you have the feeling people are spending time with you, not for your great personality, but because they want something from you, you are probably spot on. The question is what is it they are after?
This third part is a very enjoyable read as where the others. I was quicker than Kate this time in figuring out part of the mystery and I was so proud. 😊 Did that put me off? No, not at all, because there was more than enough to keep me entertained. 5 stars.
Thank you, Dee MacDonald and Bookouture
When Kate Palmer and retired D.I. “Woody” Forrest return from California, they are offered a ride back to Lower Tinworthy by wealthy landowner Aaron Hedgefield. Within days, both will be plunged into a twisted mystery featuring a body walled up in the basement of Kate’s sister’s tea room, a case of mistaken identity, some local corruption and more. New D.I. Bill Robson, unlike Woody, does not want Kate’s help in his investigation. Of course, that doesn’t stop her and she is soon involved in this complicated case. This involvement threatens her budding relationship with Woody and places her and her family in danger.
A Body at the Tea Rooms is a well written, character driven cozy mystery that can be read as a standalone although I recommend the two previous Kate Palmer books. The setting of Lower Tinworthy is a character in itself and its opinionated residents are vibrantly described. I am looking forward to the fourth in the series. 5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Dee MacDonald for this ARC.
I found this book rather predictable. Kate seems to stumble on clues by convenient unguarded conversation with elderly people rather than any real detective work and she rushes into dangerous situations randomly without telling anyone where she is going.
This is the first book I have read in this series, and it was perfectly fine to read on its own. Kate’s sister Angie and her boyfriend are renovating a tea room, and unfortunately find a body sealed behind the wall in the cellar … who is he, how did he get there.
DNA, grand country house, chauffeurs, gardeners, cook … we follow Kate (nurse at local clinic) chats with her patients and digs into the history of the town, together with her partner Woody Forrest (retired detective)
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a an early read in exchange for my honest opinion
A Body In The Tea Rooms was the first book I’ve read in this cozy mystery series by Dee MacDonald. It was a nice quick read and I plan to go back and read the earlier books. I figured out the plot pretty early but it did not stop me from enjoying the book. The description of the Cornwall landscape adds to the cozy feel.
The third book in the Kate Palmer series finds Kate with a skeleton on her hands. Her sister Angela has been busy renovating her coffee shop and in the process manages to unearth a skeleton. It isn't long before Kate is deep into the mystery, trying to find out what had happened. Now that her boyfriend Woody is retired from the police force, he seems a little more willing to help her out. It's still Kate that leads this investigation.
I do enjoy these gentle mysteries. Kate is a likeable character who just seems to have a knack for getting people to open up to her. That said, I had this one figured out long before Kate did and neither she or her ex-policeman boyfriend seem to be that quick on the uptake when it comes to some of the clues.
That doesn't really matter though. The mystery worked and I enjoyed Kates attempts to get to the bottom of everything. I'm not sure what murder she'll manage to stumble across next, but I've no doubt that this will be the last one that she finds herself in the middle of.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Kate’s sister is rehabbing an old building to open a tea room when they find a body bricked up in the basement. Hoping it’s a smuggler from long ago, Angie sees it being a huge draw for her business. Kate however just wants to find who it was and to get justice for the person if she can.
When the body is linked to a local family they ask Kate and Woody to help them figure out who the person is. Now Kate and Woody are both involved and aren’t happy about what they’ve learned. Could their likely scenario have really happened and how do they avoid becoming new targets for the killer.
This is the third book in this British Cozy series, though it is the first one I have read and it reads fine as a stand alone. I seem to be on a Cornwall track lately as I have read three in a row that are all based in the area. I’m loving it will be checking out the f rust two books in the series as well.
A lovely cozy mystery. An easy read with likeable characters, a great location and a clever plot line, looking forward to more in the series.