Another great instalment in this cosy mystery series. The story features an intricate mystery with unexpected twists, and may make you never look at cake in the same way again. There are quirky and endearing character's and humour abounds in picture perfect surroundings. Looking forward to the next in the series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved getting back with Sarah and her group of amateur sleuths. This little seaside village sees it fair amount of murder and crime, and it all started when Sarah came to the village .... or so it seems. In this one we have the method of crime being CAKE ... makes you wary to go to a tea shop lol. Watching these characters process clues and catch the bad guys is so entertaining while getting into trouble with Daphne's daughter. I need more and more in this world and it has almost become a comfort read for me.

Favorite Quotes:

Sarah had been terrified, when she’d first heard about the Men of Merstairs, imagining a cut-throat gang at the least. But, as she had rapidly discovered, they were people who’d need satnav and a guidebook to fight their way out of a paper bag. And then require extensive counselling afterwards.

Seastore was Merstairs’ biggest and newest supermarket, and was built in a blocky, unchallenging style that suggested the architect had only just finished playing with Lego and didn’t really see why they should stop now.

At this point, they’d had more false starts than an under-fives egg and spoon race.


My Review:

This was a fun and entertaining cozy featuring some snoopy seniors who just can’t seem to leave a mystery unsolved or pass up a piece of cake with a cup of strong tea. Ms. Castle laces her stories together with lashings of clever wry humor and populates them with knowable, amusingly detailed, and authentically quirky characters. I am already looking forward to the next installment.

This is book 3 in the series and as enjoyable a read as the first two in series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. I enjoy the atmospheric small English village setting and the great characters the author has developed. Each supporting character adds to the story with richly written personalities. This was a fun addtion to the series and a well crafted sleuth. The authors writing is a pleasing flow for the reader and she truly captures the English customs, food and settings brillantly.

Murder At The Tea Shop by Alice Castle.
Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 3.
I did like the cover and blurb of this book. I really did enjoy this book. I got into it straight away even though I haven't read the first two books. I liked Sarah. I also liked Charles and Mariella. Daphne grew on me. I liked the writing style. I did try guessing who it was but I was wrong. I will definitely be reading the first two books. I'm looking forward to the next book. I would definitely recommend this book.

My reviews are starting to sound a bit cut-and-paste, as cosy novels (cozy mystery/fantasy and Christmas novels) are my go-to reads to relax and live in a better world in these dark times.
I was very happy to travel to Merstairs, catching up with the pleasant and well-developed characters of this series (Sarah, Daphne, and Hamish above all).
My favourite cozy mysteries are usually multi-layered: there’s a layer that shows the happy life of people in a tightly-knit community and a darker one that reveals secrets and violence. In this series, the sexist and misogynistic police guys are both irritating and funny.
As we are in a typical cozy mystery village, places where the murder rate is amongst the highest in the UK, there’s not just one murder but two.
It will be up to Sarah and her gang, in collaboration with Mariella, the clever DI saddled with the above-mentioned misogynistic guys, to solve the mystery.
Plenty of surprising twists, red herrings, and a plot that kept me guessing.
I had fun and thoroughly enjoyed this story; I can’t wait to read the next one as I want to know what will happen with Charles.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture for this ARC; all opinions are mine.

Sarah Vane has recently concluded an art class, a new hobby she is pursuing alongside her friend Daphne. Intrigued by the absence of their geriatric model from the class, Sarah visits his residence. Upon knocking on the door, she receives no response. As a retired physician, Sarah seeks a peaceful existence, but her recent encounters have not been conducive to this goal. Consequently, visiting the man’s home may prove to be a necessary step.

Sarah notices that the door is partially ajar. Peeking inside, she discovers a distressing scene - the octogenarian, Mr. Williams, has passed away. While the initial assumption of suicide appears plausible, even upon the arrival of the police, Sarah remains skeptical. She personally believes that Mr. Williams would not have taken his own life, prompting her to delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding his demise.

Sarah’s investigation leads her to uncover Mr. Williams’ unusual hobby, an exceptionally peculiar pursuit. This revelation prompts Sarah and the police to consider whether Mr. Williams’ peculiar hobby could have served as a motive for his apparent murder. Tragically, another victim is discovered shortly thereafter, and Sarah becomes convinced of a connection between the two victims.

Cozy mysteries are a genre that I hold in high regard, and this third installment in the Sarah Vane series exemplifies the genre’s charm. The book features endearing characters, intricate mysteries with unexpected twists, and promises of further installments that solidify its place as one of my favorites.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Murder At The Tea Shop' by Alice Castle.

This book is the third book in Alice's 'Sarah Vine Mysteries' Series but each book can be read as a standalone.
Wow!!! Another amazing book by this incredible author!! I absolutely LOVED this cosy murder mystery that had me hooked from the start to the end!!

This book is extremely well written. It is just so easy to read and the descriptions were absolutely gorgeous and vivid. The way Alice describes everything in her writing completely sets the scene for readers ensuring they are can see everything around them in depth and detail. Yet another brilliant book by this amazing author and an incredible addition to Alice's brilliant 'Sarah Vine' series!! I have previously read several books in Alice's 'Beth Haldane Mystery' and this 'Sarah Vine' series and I absolutely loved each and every one of them. As I mentioned this is the third book in the series and although I always prefer reading books in order myself if you have not read the previous two books in this series then there is no need to worry!! All books in this series can be read as standalones and there is a good side of starting a book later in the series and that is that while you are waiting for the next book to come out you can go back and catch up on the previous books!! I was absolutely landed to get stuck into this book after falling in love with the seaside village of Merstairs in the first book in this brilliant series which is called 'Murder At An English Pub'. I just knew this one was going to be just as gripping as the previous two books and I was not let down!!! If you have yet to read any of Alice's books then regardless of whether it is this one or any of her previous books, which can all be read as standalones, then grab one today and I guarantee you will not regret it but you may just end up as addicted as I was and buying all the previous books in this brilliant series!!!!! I cannot wait to go back and get sucked in to the previous books that I have yet to read and cannot wait for the next books in this brilliant series to come out!! The storyline is fast paced and grips the reader straight in from the first page to the very last. I was completely invested in the storyline which completely sucked me in from beginning to end. This truly is a page turner and I felt myself walking around with my kindle in my hand every chance I could get and if I couldn't use my kindle then it was the kindle app on my phone. The atmosphere is perfectly suited for the plot and with the fantastic descriptions throughout I felt myself investigating alongside Sarah throughout. It actually made me want to visit Merstairs myself regardless of the fact that there was a murder. Alice's fantastic evocative writing skills and style completely captures the readers imagination and this is just the type of book that can be read in the sun on a beach or on a rainy day curled up by the fire in your living room as regardless of where you are reading this book Sarah will transport you straight to Merstairs where you can feel and see everything that is going on along with Sarah. I enjoyed the fact that although this is a cosy mystery there wasn't any unnecessary violence involved making it a nice "soft" crime. There doesn't seem to be many of these available which is a shame as many of my friends ask for crime recommendations but do not want anything with too much violence so I will definitely be recommending this to them along with other readers! There is so much going on in this book to keep the reader absolutely absorbed in the pages. One of the other things I admire about this book is that although it is filled with suspense, murder, mystery and twists there is also plenty of humour to lighten the story up ,breaking up the bad with some good. This book kept me guessing throughout and was filled with unexpected twits. I never did guess who the murderer was so a HUGE WELL done to Alice. It is getting harder to shock me but you managed it perfectly!!!

Although this is the third book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
The characters were all very well developed and realistic. I was completely invested in Sarah and loved watching her character develop and change throughout the pages seeing how she has changed since I met her and got to know her in the previous two books in this series. I also loved seeing the friendship develop and grow between Sarah and Daphne although I did feel that Sarah did seem to be overshadowed by Daphne's larger than life personality at times. I must admit though that being a huge animal lover and loving seeing animals playing large characters in books that Hamish was my favourite!!! I am a massive animal lover and although I run a cat rescue called 'Golden oldies Cat Rescue And Hospice' (which you can find on social media) I am also a dog lover and Hamish was just adorable!!! I cannot forget that while it is Sarah that has a dog her best friend has got a brilliant cat called Mephisto and we also meet Tinkerbell who is Sarah and Daphne's friends dog. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Sarah, Daphne, Hamish and all the other characters continue to develop and watching them meeting new people. There was a great mix of characters in this story and I loved meeting many of them, some who made me laugh, some I found annoying and others who were just strange. I always seem to love books with strong heroine protagonists and this book doesn't fail there!!! This book contains an absolutely fantastic eclectic group of characters who work together to make this addictive storyline come together and Alice does an absolutely fantastic job of bringing each and every one of them to life ensuring they leap out of the pages at the reader. I am looking forward to meeting Sarah again and seeing what adventures and mystery she gets wrapped up in next!!!
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Alice on another absolutely perfect addition to this brilliant series!! I cannot wait to get sucked into your previous and future books!! This is exactly why you are on my favourite 5 cosy crime authors list !!! Here's to your next success 🥂

Overall a perfect and page turning addition to an addictive series!

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Set in a quiet coastal town in Kent, the third Sarah Vane Mystery is imaginative, with many humorous moments and twists. It features retired GP Sarah Vane and her two friends, Daphne, who is quirky and an enigma and Charles, who acts as the perfect foil for intelligent Sarah and outspoken Daphne. In this mystery, they discover that cake can be deadly. I like the setting and the dynamic between the amateur sleuths and the unusual murders.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Murder at the Teashop by Alice Castle is ~3 in the Dr Sarah Vane series and continues to delight me!

Cozy mysteries are one of my favourite jams and the Sarah Vane mysteries tick every bok with the cherry on top of a wry humour and a delicious cast that will have you chuckling throughout

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture amd Alice Castle for the awesome arc. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Sarah Vane is one of the best recent cosy series to come out of the UK! I have thoroughly enjoyed all three books and I love the fact that they keep me guessing until the end...and then add a little surprise on top of that. It's a series that keeps me coming back for more.

Delightful cosy murder mystery series! Filled with interesting characters, gorgeous seaside views and a few murders too!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




✨ cozy mystery
✨ light and fast paced
✨ whodunit!?



✨ a cozy mystery focusing in the town ‘merstairs’ . A retired doctor (Sarah) has a lot of time in her hands.
As she discover a serial killer who use cake to murder some of the town folks, she doesn’t stop until she finds who do that in a small town.


✨ great read for a cozy afternoon cuppa tea in this autumn season. Light and airy. Not to heavy murder mystery yet the characters are actually funny .
As the age range of this is in boomers stage, this will be a great read for that angle range.



✨ Thankyou @bookouture for the opportunity to read this book for a honest review.




❤️shaye.reads

Sarah Vane, retired London GP is fully embracing her calmer life in the quaint coastal town of Merstairs. With more time for hobbies, she joins a very popular life drawing class at the local tea shop. But when their usual model, the ever-punctual Mr Williams, doesn’t turn up, Sarah’s worried. He’d been complaining of a cough just last week so she decides to check up on him. Arriving at his crooked little cottage, it appears the front door isn’t quite shut. Stepping inside, Sarah is shocked to find Mr Williams slumped in his armchair. Casting her eyes down to his coffee table she sees a generous slice of Victoria sponge with one perfectly sized bite taken from it. Hamish, Sarah’s dog dashes upstairs where she finds that Mr Williams had a rather peculiar hobby. It seems that he was an avid collector of ladies’ undies. But then the case takes a darker turn when another elderly resident is found dead after eating a slice of red velvet cake.
The third outing for Sarah, best friend & neighbour Daphne, Charles & of course Hamish, another well written cosy murder mystery. I really like Sarah who is like a terrier with a bone, she won’t give up. Daphne would drive me up the wall but she does make me smile. Charles at last gets a bit of a back bone. I was left guessing as to who the villain was, there were twists, turns & red herrings. The intrepid trio are determined to find the villain especially after the second murder of a beloved friend. The cake tasting expedition had me chuckling. An easy to read captivating book
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

In "Murder at the Tea Shop", readers are drawn into a delightful blend of mystery and humor, centered around a murder that disrupts the calm of a cozy tea shop. The story has a whimsical tone that contrasts playfully with the darker elements of murder and intrigue. Alice Castle’s vivid descriptions of food—particularly the recurring mention of Victoria sponges—add charm and warmth, giving the story an irresistible appeal for fans of culinary cozies.

The book has received praise for its engaging plot and well-developed characters. Readers describe it as a page-turner with a gripping narrative that keeps them hooked, while the protagonist, Sarah Vane, is celebrated for her witty, resourceful personality. Set within the inviting atmosphere of a tea shop, the story has drawn comparisons to the works of Agatha Christie, with its blend of cozy comfort and suspense. Balancing humor with mystery, "Murder at the Tea Shop" offers an enjoyable escape, making it a recommended read for fans of lighthearted, entertaining mysteries.

Book 3 of the Sarah Vane series was a little disappointing. It felt like ¾ of the book was just Sarah, Daphne, and Charles going out to eat, talking about going out to eat and eating. I definitely skimmed a bunch of the book to get to parts that didn’t feel duplicated (Daphne’s tarot, breaking down about Pat, talking about Sarah/Charles). I also really don’t see the appeal of Charles and find him a bit annoying so I can’t say the coupling of Sarah & Charles is intriguing. It felt like tidbits of information were dropped along the way regarding the killer and potential killers but it was really noticeable because it felt so random in the conversation. I am willing to try one more book but I may be done with this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alice Castle for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Murder at the Tea Shop coming out November 7, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I need to read the other ones in the series. I really love cozy mysteries. The setting near the sea was really fun for me. I think Sarah is a smart character and seems like she’s has already solved a few mysteries. I definitely loved the coastal vibes and the town who helps out. I would read more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys seaside cozy mysteries!

There is a whole new life awaiting after retirement - even if it does involve murder. And cake.

Murder at the Teashop is the third in Alice Castle’s cosy mystery series featuring retired widowed GP Sarah Vane, and sees more bodies appearing in the little seaside town of Merstairs.

Trying to distract herself following her involvement in previous murder cases, Sarah Vane joins an art class, and is concerned when the elderly model doesn’t appear. Being a concerned neighbour, she calls by to check, and finds herself involved in yet another case, unveiling sordid secrets of her neighbours.

I love this series as the characters grow with each instalment, and while Sarah is becoming more embedded in her new seaside retirement environment, she remains a pillar of sanity surrounded by chaos. The chaos is led of course by her friend and neighbour Daphne Roux. Daphne on the surface is a ditsy whirlwind of chaos, but she’s more than a one dimensional caricature - she has heart, and her insights are all the more striking as they come out of the blue. It’s lovely that her thoughts aren’t discounted, despite not always being the most logical. Daphne and Sarah may be chalk and cheese, but their friendship is deep.

Sarah’s relationship with local antiques store owner Charles shows the awkwardness of new relationships isn’t limited to teens as she and her potential love interest navigate their own recent returns to singledom and potentially return to the dating pool. Awkwardness has no age limit.

This is a lovely novel full of characters that are big, but believable, and it’s very easy to get sucked in and read the novel in one sitting.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advance digital copy.

This was a strong third entry in the Sarah Vane Mystery series, it had that feel that I was expecting from the previous books in this series. The characters worked in this story perfectly and was engaged with figuring out what was happening. Alice Castle left me wanting to read more in this series and from the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read "Murder at the Tea Shop" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was book 3 in the wonderful Sarah Vane series. Ms. Castle has crafted characters that are interesting, fun and the reader wants to know more about. Sarah Vane is a retired doctor who lives with her black Scottie Hamish - who is my favourite character! I especially enjoy when Ms. Castle writes what Hamish might be thinking about his owner! Next door to Sarah lives her best friend Daphne Roux who owns the Tarot and Tea Leaves. Her daughter Mariella is the town's police detective who is saddled with Constables Dumbarton and Deeside (aka Tweedledum and Tweedledee.) Charles Diggory owns the secondhand clothes shop and is an antiques expert. He might finally be getting his divorce from Francesca the town's mayor. Perhaps there might be a romance in the future for Charles and Sarah.

Sarah has solved a few murder in Merstairs since she moved there. This book is no different as she happens upon a few more. Since someone is using cakes to murder people, that means our favourite trio spends a lot of time testing cakes in this story to find exactly where the cakes might have been purchased. Someone has also been pinching knickers off lines but why?

Sarah once again places herself in danger to solve these crimes but vows to continue investigating when things happen to make sure that her fellow citizens are safe. There are many possibilities for future books and I'm looking forward to reading them.