Beneath the Surface

Tearoom Mysteries #19

by Susan Page Davis

Chickadee Lake is a magnet for vacationers in Lancaster’s idyllic summer—especially when people start sighting a strange creature in the water. When Elaine and Jan host Jan’s twin grandsons for a week, the boys see the monster for themselves, and game warden Jack Weston is called in to help track down “Chick,” as the residents nickname it. Jan and Elaine set out to investigate and turn up some clues suggesting someone has recently built a “monster.” But who? And why? Meanwhile, as the twins occupy themselves with Vacation Bible School and collecting turtles around the lake, the town’s volunteer firefighters prepare for their traditional firemen’s muster, which will help raise much-needed funds for new equipment. But when the cash box is stolen from the event, the whole town is set on edge. Are the sightings of Chick just a diversion to keep the town occupied while a crime takes place—or is something else going on?

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Christian Fiction

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2018

About the author

FROM AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: I'm a native of central Maine, and grew up on a small farm with a wonderful mom and dad, three sisters and a brother. Most of my books take place in small towns, many of them in Maine.

My husband, Jim, and I moved to his birth state, Oregon, for a while after we were married, but decided to move back to Maine and be near my family. It allowed our six children to grow up feeling close to their cousins and grandparents, and some of Jim's family have even moved to Maine!

Our children are all home-schooled. When Jim retired from his vocation as an editor at a daily newspaper, we moved from Maine to Kentucky.

I've always loved reading, history, and horses. These things come together in several of my historical books.
Another longtime hobby of mine is genealogy, which has led me down many fascinating paths. I'm proud to be a DAR member! Some of Jim's and my quirkier ancestors have inspired fictional characters.

For many years I worked for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel as a freelancer. This experience was a great help in developing fictional characters and writing realistic scenes. I also published nonfiction articles in several magazines and had several short stories appear in Woman's World, Grit, and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Book #19 in the Tearoom Mysteries. I’ve been enjoying this series and I’ve enjoyed books by Susan Page Davis in the past, but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea, so to speak. I love the main characters, Elaine and Jan, but the storyline in this book was a bit of a letdown. I don’t want to say too much, so as not to spoil the story for others. I still am giving this book 3 stars as I did like it well enough to read the whole book.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster? well Jan and Elaine are dealing with "Chick"! Rose's dad saw something strange and the folks in Lancaster are back to the 1946 when people saw something in Chickadee Lake and named it Chick. Jan is concerned that all the talk will scare her two grandsons who are staying with them for Vacation Bible School.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying that the books are starting to feature family members more in the stories. This little step adds a new dimension to the story line. This story was interesting in that fact that it was a mystery with ties to the past and reborn in the present. Add in a community event and a theft, you have the perfect cozy mystery!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the series but still enjoyable.

[Irene Marston · Rating 5 out of 5]

these tearoom mystery's are still going great enjoying this series

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read! Seems as if "chaos" rules in this story!

[Myra Marquis Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy moly what's in the lake? Oh my the cousins have their hands full trying to solve this mystery while taking care of Max and Riley while their parents are away. Cute story.

[Theresa Lange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real interesting!