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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.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2025
About the author
J. New
52 books220 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
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)
March 23, 2026
Lilly Tweed owns a little tea shop in a quiet town but she’s an agony aunt on the side, since she was made redundant from the newspaper, unfortunately someone who needs advice then becomes a murder victim and Lilly can’t help but try to figure out what happens.
I thought this book was really cute and easy to read.
The characters are really relatable and easy to follow, Lilly Tweed is the shop owner you want to be friends with she’s funny and caring and apparently quite nosy! The relationship she has with Stacey, her shop assistant is very motherly and just makes the story cosier. Oh and there’s a cat for company too!
I’m usually a fantasy reader but this story is so well written it made me want to live in a quiet little town where everyone knows each other, with a little tea shop obviously.
The cute and cosy story quite quickly turns into something more dramatic and you’re in the loop every step of the way trying to solve the mystery with her. I guessed the ‘who done it’ quite early on so wasn’t surprised but I think that’s why I don’t normally read mysteries. That being said there isn’t a moment the book lags along, something is always happening.
I’ve given the book 4 starts because it will stick with me and maybe because I’ve always loved a detective but also because it pieced together really well. There were no moments where something didn’t make sense or I had to go back and check something I might have missed, it was very clear all the way through.
Overall I definitely think it’s worth the read if you enjoy mysteries, reminded me a little of watching Murder she wrote as a child.
I thought this book was really cute and easy to read.
The characters are really relatable and easy to follow, Lilly Tweed is the shop owner you want to be friends with she’s funny and caring and apparently quite nosy! The relationship she has with Stacey, her shop assistant is very motherly and just makes the story cosier. Oh and there’s a cat for company too!
I’m usually a fantasy reader but this story is so well written it made me want to live in a quiet little town where everyone knows each other, with a little tea shop obviously.
The cute and cosy story quite quickly turns into something more dramatic and you’re in the loop every step of the way trying to solve the mystery with her. I guessed the ‘who done it’ quite early on so wasn’t surprised but I think that’s why I don’t normally read mysteries. That being said there isn’t a moment the book lags along, something is always happening.
I’ve given the book 4 starts because it will stick with me and maybe because I’ve always loved a detective but also because it pieced together really well. There were no moments where something didn’t make sense or I had to go back and check something I might have missed, it was very clear all the way through.
Overall I definitely think it’s worth the read if you enjoy mysteries, reminded me a little of watching Murder she wrote as a child.
March 16, 2026
Set in a cosy small town in England, this story follows Lily a former agony aunt for the local newspaper who now owns a successful tea shop. However, she hasn’t been able to leave her agony aunt days behind as people still seek her out regularly for advice and after one of her customers is found dead, Lily turns into an amateur detective searching for answers.
Lily is a fun main character and definitely has Miss Marple vibes. She crosses a lot of boundaries and is lucky not to get seriously hurt, she knows her gut is right though.
Stacey is a great supporting character. I loved her friendship with Lily and her part in the conclusion. She’s a great sidekick and I hope she is in the rest of the series as the Robin to Lily’s Batman.
I absolutely love Earl Grey too! Every great detective needs a feline companion.
This was a very easy, captivating read, with some tense scenes and a couple of great twists thrown in. I read it in one sitting and really enjoyed it.
Overall, I rate this 4⭐️ and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Lily is a fun main character and definitely has Miss Marple vibes. She crosses a lot of boundaries and is lucky not to get seriously hurt, she knows her gut is right though.
Stacey is a great supporting character. I loved her friendship with Lily and her part in the conclusion. She’s a great sidekick and I hope she is in the rest of the series as the Robin to Lily’s Batman.
I absolutely love Earl Grey too! Every great detective needs a feline companion.
This was a very easy, captivating read, with some tense scenes and a couple of great twists thrown in. I read it in one sitting and really enjoyed it.
Overall, I rate this 4⭐️ and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
February 24, 2026
A Blend of Murder by J. New is a cozy mystery that follows Lilly Tweed as she leaves her career as a journalist to run a tea shop in the small town of Plumpton Mallet. What starts as a quiet new beginning quickly turns into an unexpected mystery filled with action and suspense. The story balances crime and investigation with humor, making it an easy and enjoyable read. The mystery unfolds in a light, engaging way, and the characters feel very human and relatable, with believable reactions and flaws. Overall, it’s a fun, fast‑paced mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
May 23, 2026
Thank you to DP for the ARC.
This was a very cosy mystery made all the more enjoyable by the delightful characters. I loved all the talk about tea, as a huge fan of it myself, though I was surprised by how many herbal teas they drank! The whodunnit plot was a classic 'nosy person decides to solve crimes better than the police' storyline and it was perfectly entertaining. If you're after a quick and easy read, this is a sweet little book that doesn't reinvent the wheel.
This was a very cosy mystery made all the more enjoyable by the delightful characters. I loved all the talk about tea, as a huge fan of it myself, though I was surprised by how many herbal teas they drank! The whodunnit plot was a classic 'nosy person decides to solve crimes better than the police' storyline and it was perfectly entertaining. If you're after a quick and easy read, this is a sweet little book that doesn't reinvent the wheel.
May 9, 2026
A tea shop owner and an agony aunt dispensing advice who gets a disturbing letter from a woman who feels someone is out to get her so she replies and shortly afterwards a body is found...the woman who wrote to her.....who did it??
April 16, 2026
A goo cozy mystery, but does nobody proofread anymore?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews