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A Blend of Murder
In a quaint English town, a tea shop owner with a knack for advice stirs up more than Earl Grey when a mysterious death brews trouble close to home.Meet Lilly Tweed – former agony aunt, proud purveyor of fine teas and accidental sleuth.
When Lilly loses her newspaper column, she seizes the chance to follow a dream and open The Tea Emporium in the quaint market town of Plumpton Mallet. But old habits die hard, and with her hapless replacement bungling the advice column, locals still turn to Lilly for guidance.
Then tragedy strikes. The body of a local woman is pulled from the river – and in her pocket is a letter of advice from Lilly herself. Unwillingly drawn into the investigation, Lilly begins to ask questions the police would rather leave alone. Was it truly an accident, or something far more sinister?
As the trail of secrets brews up twists, turns, and more than a few red herrings, Lilly soon finds herself in very hot water.
A Blend of Murder is the charming first book in J. New’s The Tea Leaf Mysteries series – perfect for fans of classic British whodunits, small-town secrets, and a good cup of tea.
When Lilly loses her newspaper column, she seizes the chance to follow a dream and open The Tea Emporium in the quaint market town of Plumpton Mallet. But old habits die hard, and with her hapless replacement bungling the advice column, locals still turn to Lilly for guidance.
Then tragedy strikes. The body of a local woman is pulled from the river – and in her pocket is a letter of advice from Lilly herself. Unwillingly drawn into the investigation, Lilly begins to ask questions the police would rather leave alone. Was it truly an accident, or something far more sinister?
As the trail of secrets brews up twists, turns, and more than a few red herrings, Lilly soon finds herself in very hot water.
A Blend of Murder is the charming first book in J. New’s The Tea Leaf Mysteries series – perfect for fans of classic British whodunits, small-town secrets, and a good cup of tea.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2025
29 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
J. New
45 books217 followersClaim your FREE book at www.jnewwrites.com
WRITER OF BRITISH MYSTERIES. Historical, contemporary, paranormal, cozy, humorous. Featuring memorable protagonists, their unusual side-kicks and an eclectic ensemble of supporting cast members. They usually include spirits (all varieties) a little bit of magic, a spot of romance and copious amounts of tea. At regular intervals they involve steam trains and sometimes bicycles.
SERIES:
THE YELLOW COTTAGE VINTAGE MYSTERIES, traditional English whodunits with a twist, set in the 1930s. Known for their clever humor as well as the interesting slant on the traditional murder mystery.
THE TEA & SYMPATHY series featuring Lilly Tweed, former newspaper Agony Aunt, now purveyor of fine teas at The Tea Emporium in the small English market town of Plumpton Mallet. Along with a regular cast of characters, including Earl Grey the shop cat.
THE FINCH & FISCHER series featuring mobile librarian Penny Finch and her rescue dog Fischer. Follow them as they dig up clues and sniff out red herrings in the six quintessential English villages and hamlets that make up Hampsworthy Downs.
Jacquie was born in West Yorkshire, England. She studied art and design and after qualifying began work as an interior designer, moving onto fine art restoration and animal portraiture before deciding to pursue her lifelong ambition to write.
WRITER OF BRITISH MYSTERIES. Historical, contemporary, paranormal, cozy, humorous. Featuring memorable protagonists, their unusual side-kicks and an eclectic ensemble of supporting cast members. They usually include spirits (all varieties) a little bit of magic, a spot of romance and copious amounts of tea. At regular intervals they involve steam trains and sometimes bicycles.
SERIES:
THE YELLOW COTTAGE VINTAGE MYSTERIES, traditional English whodunits with a twist, set in the 1930s. Known for their clever humor as well as the interesting slant on the traditional murder mystery.
THE TEA & SYMPATHY series featuring Lilly Tweed, former newspaper Agony Aunt, now purveyor of fine teas at The Tea Emporium in the small English market town of Plumpton Mallet. Along with a regular cast of characters, including Earl Grey the shop cat.
THE FINCH & FISCHER series featuring mobile librarian Penny Finch and her rescue dog Fischer. Follow them as they dig up clues and sniff out red herrings in the six quintessential English villages and hamlets that make up Hampsworthy Downs.
Jacquie was born in West Yorkshire, England. She studied art and design and after qualifying began work as an interior designer, moving onto fine art restoration and animal portraiture before deciding to pursue her lifelong ambition to write.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 30, 2025
This is the first book in a new series of cosy crime books. Lilly Tweed lives in the contented village of Plumpton Mallet. Until recently, she had been a successful Agony Aunt in the local paper. After being made redundant, Lilly makes her dream a reality by opening The Tea Emporium, a friendly tea shop where she shares her knowledge of tea while serving customers the beverage to drink. On the side, she has a private mailbox where people can post their worries, wanting Lilly’s expert advice, as she knows she has more to give in that department.
I gave this book 5 stars as I was instantly drawn to Lilly as a character. She is warm-hearted, friendly, and funny. The village of Plumpton Mallet comes across as a wonderful place to live, and Lilly would be someone you would want to be friends with.
The book starts gently, introducing the characters, the village and setting the scene of Lilly’s life in the Tea Emporium and within the community. Soon, the story takes a twisty turn when Lilly receives a letter in her postbox from a lady who is struggling in life and wants Lilly’s advice on what to do with her dilemma. Things escalate quite quickly, and Lilly takes on some “amateur sleuthing” to try and solve the mystery.
Favourite Quotes from the book:
“After the dark, cold and wet days of winter, it was a joy to cycle to work again. To see the small buds appearing on the trees and the daffodils valiantly pushing up…”
“Lilly smiled and nodded but remained quiet. She’d learned that if you kept quiet, people were inclined to fill the silence. It was a good way to learn more,”
“She’s had all the clues and couldn't believe it had taken her so long to work it out,”
In summary, I really enjoyed this gem of a book. It was an easy read, but it also kept you guessing. Lilly is a great character who is smart, nobody’s fool, but is also humble. The book was also full of humour and made me laugh out loud many times. I will definitely seek out the next book in the series.
(review for dp Digital Publishing)
I gave this book 5 stars as I was instantly drawn to Lilly as a character. She is warm-hearted, friendly, and funny. The village of Plumpton Mallet comes across as a wonderful place to live, and Lilly would be someone you would want to be friends with.
The book starts gently, introducing the characters, the village and setting the scene of Lilly’s life in the Tea Emporium and within the community. Soon, the story takes a twisty turn when Lilly receives a letter in her postbox from a lady who is struggling in life and wants Lilly’s advice on what to do with her dilemma. Things escalate quite quickly, and Lilly takes on some “amateur sleuthing” to try and solve the mystery.
Favourite Quotes from the book:
“After the dark, cold and wet days of winter, it was a joy to cycle to work again. To see the small buds appearing on the trees and the daffodils valiantly pushing up…”
“Lilly smiled and nodded but remained quiet. She’d learned that if you kept quiet, people were inclined to fill the silence. It was a good way to learn more,”
“She’s had all the clues and couldn't believe it had taken her so long to work it out,”
In summary, I really enjoyed this gem of a book. It was an easy read, but it also kept you guessing. Lilly is a great character who is smart, nobody’s fool, but is also humble. The book was also full of humour and made me laugh out loud many times. I will definitely seek out the next book in the series.
(review for dp Digital Publishing)
Displaying 1 of 1 review