Death and Deja Brew

Tea Time Troubles #2

by Aubrey Elle

Two months into her position as Assistant Principal Paul’s secretary, Naomi Front enjoys the feeling of finally having a solid job and a new life away from her ex. Ella, her teen, has a best friend and is finding her place. Their neighbors, Barbara and Ingrid, have adopted them as family.

Life should be good, but work is not.


Dealing with faculty bickering and irate parents nit-picking, Naomi wonders if she wants to keep this job. Add in the fact the school is preparing for yet another levy, and financial headaches are thrown into the mix.


When Naomi is sent to the archives in the basement, she finds the body of Tom Werner. All-around jerk and quick to temper, the baseball coach doesn’t seem like a person anyone in Fayette will miss.

The school is closed until Chief Mooney can solve the case. Unlike the last time Naomi found a corpse, she’s asked to help with this mystery. As someone who works the front office, she’s an insider this time. Being included doesn’t mean it’s easier. With a runaway witness and foiled evidence, it seems impossible to figure out who killed Tom.

Ella, Barbara, and Ingrid join forces to sleuth their way through this whodunit, racing against time so classes can be resumed. Despite their team effort, they wonder if they’ll find the killer or lose more time down dead-ends of old drama that should remain in the past.

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

Aubrey Elle is an author of cozy mysteries. While she also writes romantic suspense under the pen name of Amabel Daniels, Mischief Over Mums is her debut cozy novel, featuring a landscaper in a small town in Ohio. By day, Aubrey chases after her young daughters and tries to keep up with her own landscaping, and by night, she writes until the midnight hour. Aubrey lives with her family and many pets in Ottawa Hills, OH.

Reviews

[Reina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a slow burn, and I don’t enjoy those types of books very much. I wasn’t particularly fond of the plot, it just felt really dull. I forced myself to finish it, but I don’t think I’ll be reading the third one in the series.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

I really like the characters, and the plots of the first 2 books have been good, but an editor would really tighten things up. A few typos, and some misused words. Someone who is throwing a screaming fit in public wouldn't normally be described as "vapid", for example. I still enjoyed the 2 I've read, and plan to read the 3rd as well.

[M.A.SPRIGGS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read

A well written and fun cosy murder mystery. Naomi has a new job and potential new love interest and is settling into a new life before finding another body. She and her friends set out to solve the murder. Highly recommend.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in a wonderful series.

[Jean Rigod]

Two sets of neighbors living next door to each other, even arrange jobs for each other in the tiny town of Fayette. Until another death interferes. The High School gets closed until the crime is solved.