English Tea Murder

Lucy Stone #17

by Leslie Meier

Between a busy family and her duties as a reporter for the Tinker's Cove Pennysaver , Lucy Stone could use a break. So when a friend tells her about a trip to England sponsored by Winchester College, she jumps at the chance for a girls getaway. But when tour leader Professor George Temple dies mid-flight after an asthma attack, Lucy's glad she packed her sleuthing skills. . .

In London, Professor Quentin Rea, a ladies' man and former flirt of Lucy's, arrives to take over the tour--and she finds that while his hairline has receded, his amorous intentions have not. Lucy also begins to notice peculiar behavior among other members of the group. And when she discovers all of them have pasts connected to the late Professor Temple, she suspects his death was an elaborate act of revenge. Then another tour member dies, and Lucy is suddenly ensnared in a daring scheme that could lead her to a mastermind of murder--or make her the next victim. . .

"Leslie Meier writes with sparkle and warmth." –Chicago Sun Times

"Leslie Meier has created a town I'd like to live in and sleuth I'd love to meet." –Jill Churchill

"Fans of Murder, She Wrote may want to try this latest in a series that is well written and enjoyable."
– The Evansville Courier and Press

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Travel

265 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2011

About the author

Leslie Meier lives in Braintree and Harwich (Cape Cod), Massachusetts. She is the creator of 'Lucy Stone', a reporter and amateur sleuth in the fictional seaside village of Tinker's Cove, Maine.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

In ENGLISH TEA MURDER, Lucy and her best friends are on a group trip to England when someone traveling along with the group unexpectedly dies in flight. Was it a case of an unfortunate allergy that was tragically triggered, or was something more sinister at play? This book in the long-running Lucy Stone series takes place on vacation, so there are lots of descriptions of Lucy and her friends visiting various tourist sites. This book is definitely a tourist's experience in England. Admittedly I am fonder of the novels that take place back in quirky Tinker’s Cove, Maine with its odd cast of characters (and funny lab, Libby--is it terrible that she might be my favorite character--okay, I love them all), but I also enjoy spending time with Lucy and her girlfriends no matter the setting. This one had a fun mystery to solve in the end, with an outcome I did not expect and really enjoyed and appreciated the author's creativity for! 4/5 stars.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

In English Tea Murder, the 17th Lucy Stone Mystery, our heroine takes a trip with her 3 besties and a college crew to London, where the group leader dies of an asthma attack midflight. The fun part of this story is that it kicks off at the airport and there's hardly any lead-in before the murder happens. I like when the author changes things up... also, the murder was sorta solved about 70% into the book, a la Christie style, but we knew there was something missing. A few quick scenes were jarring without enough explanation. And Lucy's knowledge of the real killer's identity came from nowhere. Glad to see some past characters pop up, and I am on to the next one now.

[Regina the Constant Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Audiobook/Hoopla 🎧

This Lucy Stone mystery starts in England and ends in Maine. A professor dies on the plane ride to England of what looks like an allergic reaction turned deadly, but ends up being more nefarious than Lucy and her friends could ever imagine.

[Juliann · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Londoner who loves history, few things annoy me more than American tourists who blow off the cultural offerings in my city/region and only want to shop (particularly if they are obsessed with Harrod's). Well this is a book entirely full of them.Sure they go to some landmarks but are almost always ducking out early to hit the nearby shops. It took me over a week to get through this book (normally I read a cozy mystery in one sitting) because I kept wanting to throw the book at the wall or at least strangle half of the characters. I'm not sure if the author wanted to write off a sightseeing trip to London as a business expense or just copied things out of a guidebook but the whole tour experience the characters went through was trite, stale and typical of why people around the world flee when American tourists come by.

I gave this book one star because I managed to finish it (mostly to see if it ever got better) and a second star because it snuck in a quickie second murder at the end, points for that.

It's a shame as I have often enjoyed other books by this author, but this one really pushed too many of my buttons, I didn't enjoy reading it at all.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Lucy being out of her comfort zone and heading to England with some friends. There didn't seem to be any crime solving through the entire book until the end, so the mystery seemed more of an afterthought and a quick way to finish loose ends. I was looking forward to reading this and was bummed that it didn't pan out.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy and friends have taken me on a tour of London and surrounds with a group of very misguided characters. This has a hint of Agatha Christie and some very interesting twists. The trail mix was a dead giveaway, but doesn’t spoil the story. So far, I’ve liked this one best. As usual, unanswered questions, but I’m getting used to that after four books.

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy finally gets a vacation all to herself and what do you think happens? There's a murder! Her dream trip to England is almost ruined by weird happenings (and people!) in her tour group. And just what does a girl have to do to get a traditional English tea around here? Lucy Stone is on the case to find out what's really going on!

[Lain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could Lucy and her friends be any more self-centered? So what if the leader of their London tour dies mid-flight... Their tour must go on! The selfish attitude continues; when a member of the tour shares her personal tragedies with Lucy, Lucy becomes irritated that she was such a downer. My goodness, remind me never to approach her with any desire for a little sympathy! It seems to me this book was a thinly veiled means for the author to write off a trip to England as "research." really disgusted so far, but as I purchased the book I'll finish...

Okay, now that I've finished I'm even more appalled. Due to Lucy Stone's reluctance to report a crime, a young girl loses her life. Enough already. LUCY should be arrested for aiding and abetting a criminal, interfering with a criminal investigation, and just general stupidity. Ugh.

[Seema · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a boring murder mystery really. The author was clearly going for a new Miss Marple but the main protagonist didn't have to do much of an investigation of the mystery - the clues just fell in her lap while she walked around. Not nearly the suspense, sense of danger, and clear deduction logic of the main protagonist that Agatha Christie offers. A boring book, way too full of non-relevant discussions and details. At times, it flt lie a tourist travelogue more than a murder mystery. Pass.

[Christine Barth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's just say Lucy Stone doesn't travel well. She was so whiny about experiencing an adventure. And there was a lot of philosophizing and then deciding that she basically didn't believe in anything. And then she basically decided to let some people get away with murder because she felt sorry for them?

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 4 out of 5]

English Tea Murder is the kind of book that divides opinion. It's also an easy book to read and also to write. Despite the tired trick of the author to make us believe what's happening and despite the lack of tension in the book, I don't consider the latter a guilty pleasure. I give scores to books that I read based on how often my brain is inundated with niceness, comfort, anticipation, adventure, escapism, and its bitter enemy/double agent: realism.

I thought not many of the questions were fully answered. The whole stuff about Caroline's mishap was hardly addressed, unless the whole explanation was summed up in one phrase and I missed it. This book is not perfect and there was never a point where I went, yeah, five stars. Instead I believe, the book came from behind to get its 4 stars out of the blue. If only other books in the series shared similar characteristics. A couple of my favorite characters, Bill and Zoe, got simply some mentions, and they never appeared, even when Lucy had been back in her home town for two bloody months! But I admit Leslie Meier wanted to try different strokes. She maybe got fed up coming up with new, unlikely interactions among the Stone family. A word about the last victim in the book. It was her fate that sealed the high score for the book. All things considered, this book was enjoyable, especially compared to the books that I had to ditch this week. I enjoyed reading this, so I consider this mission, accomplished.

[Moondance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something was wrong.

Lucy along with her friends, Pam, Rachel and Sue join a trip to London organized by a local professor. The professor dies unexpectedly of a supposed asthma attack on the flight to London. The tour group proceeds to their destination and await the arrival of another professor to lead the group.

This was my first Lucy Stone book and I felt like I needed a bit more background on some of the characters. Lucy's friends seemed a bit shallow. They were more concerned with shopping than visiting the great places that were included with the tour. The descriptions of the tour spots reminded me how long its been since I've been to England. It made me want to plan a return trip.

The mystery had more than a little nod to Murder on the Orient Express. i was disappointed in Lucy for her resolution of that issue. A murder at the end of the book seemed almost an afterthought. I certainly knew it was coming but it was quite sad.

I have the next two books in the series to read as they finish off a challenge for me. I hope I learn a bit more about Lucy and her hometown of Tinker's Cove.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, this is not one of the best books in the Lucy Stone Mystery series, but I am reading them in order and will continue with that plan. I had expected that this book would have a story with more of an "English tea and scones" theme, but it wasn't. Lucy Stone has signed up for a trip to England that is sponsored by Winchester College. She takes the trip along with her friends, Sue, Pam and Rachel, along with nine other people who are going on the trip. The plot focused on the death of Professor Temple along with a few other subplots of lesser importance. Personally, I missed the setting of Tinker's Cove, including the office of the Pennysaver newspaper. I also missed Lucy Stone's husband, children and grandson, as well as Miss Tilley and several of the other usual characters. The ending was unbelievable, but still, it was entertaining. On to the next book in the series!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy Stone and some of her friends join a tour group from Winchester College to England. While still in the air, the tour leader dies of an allergic reaction. A doctor on board the plane who is a member of the group is unable to save the man in time. Lucy and her friends begin to notice some strange things. One member of the group attempts suicide; Lucy's friend Pam is barely spared when pushed in front of traffic. Could the members of the group be involved in a conspiracy? If so, what possible reason could they have had to murder a well-beloved professor? The mystery element in this book is fairly light. The book is mostly an account of a visit to England with a few misadventures along the way. While I enjoyed the sights and sounds of England, I was a bit disappointed that there was not a more clear-cut murder in this one.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Lucy Stone book. Most of it took place on a trip to London, so it was very different from most of the stories. Fun story.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Lucy Stone wasn't nervous at being at least seven miles high in the air while flying to London, on a sponsored trip by Winchester college, when a fellow passenger suddenly drops dead, she certainly is now.

The man that died was tour leader, George Temple. The cause of death was apparently an asthma attack, but, as always, Lucy seeks to see if there was anything else at play here. So, par her natural course, Lucy acts as amateur sleuth yet again.

When in London, Lucy runs into someone from her past - and a man that has sparked her interest - Quentin Rea. Lucy has no business being drawn to Quentin as she is married to Bill, and is the mother of four, and is also now a grandmother.

Not only must Lucy ignore Quentn's overtly flirty behavior, she begins to notice other odd activity among other members of the group that are part of the tour. Strangely enough, just about everyone on the tour has some type of connection to the victim. When it is discovered that there was a real motive for revenge, then Lucy gets even closer to the cause. After another tour member dies, Lucy realizes that she just have to dig deeper and that she might have an idea as to what has happened. Can she prove her ideas, or will this place her in grave danger?

English Tea Murder was a quick read. I wasn't too keen on Lucy being tempted by Quentin, but I guess as it it can be human nature, it was understandable. However, there was enough intrigue to keep the story rolling at a great pace. I look forward to continuing the series. The next book is Chocolate Covered Murder.

[Cindy Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 round up to 4. I love the London travel week theme. I also love this is a light read with no romance. Perfect easy read!

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting addition to this mystery series. Lucy has decided it's time for a vacation, so when she has a chance to go to England with several of her friends and a tour group from the local collage, she jumps at it. Unfortunately, people seem to drop like flies around Lucy and this story is no exception. The tour leader dies en route supposedly from a severe attack of asthma. Once on solid ground again, between shopping, sight seeing and attempting to have a real cup of tea, Lucy attempts to figure out what really killed the professor. This was not one of my favorites of the series because I had a difficult time believing the solution. It was a fun, quick read and it was entertaining, just a little "out there".

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series I read about a mother of four who writes for a town newspaper in Maine. Her husband is a restoration carpenter. This is number 17 or 19.
In this one Lucy and her three best girl friends join a trip to London sponsored by the local college. On the way over, the professor in charge of the tour dies. Most of this book is the tour in England, which is what I wanted to read. The last few chapters take place in Maine again.
I like the characters and the author. I guessed part of the mystery, but that was okay. I'll be reading the next one when it comes out.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Haven't tried this series before, but wasn't impressed. It's set on a tour through London, and became too annoying as the characters fed each other information from their travel books. E.g., "Oh! It says that the Tower of London will never fall as long as the ravens don't fly away!" After about two pages of travel details rather than plot, I gave up.

[Cindi Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was the worst one in her series. I had to give it 2 stars and I hardly ever give a book that I finish a rating lower than 3 stars. I didn't like the way the author stole the plot from Murder on the Orient Express and that her main character ignored all the others just to go after 1 of them.

[Jane K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I liked the history tidbits that were sprinkled in the book. I’m a history buff, so that was cool to see. The reveal of the murder was like Murder On the Orient Express where every character had a role to play but were persuaded by someone else. That someone else commits another murder but it’s not until the very end of the book.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy and her friends come across a good deal on a trip to England, so join a group from a local college and go. It seems that a good deal of the book was used to describe tourist attractions (interesting) and not a whole lot of plot involement in the murder part of it. An okay book.

[Diana S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ☆☆☆

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying binging this series in audiobook form!

[Vikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

0 ⭐️

DISMAL. I listened to the audio of this and it was just awful. Like what??? So boring. The audio suckED.

[Brinley Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Ray, that nasty scoundrel!! My least favorite character back after many books—what a rotten guy. Loved the adventures with Lucy and the girlie crew in London!!

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars*

I really enjoyed this one! The plot was interesting and the final reveal was shocking. I do feel as if it jumped around a bit though!

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another good entry in the Lucy Stone mystery series. In this one, Lucy and her friends take a trip to England, but discover that there are some strange things happening within their tour group, including murder.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the Christmas books that Leslie Meier had done jointly with Joanne Fluke, and enjoyed the Leslie Meier sections even more than the Joanne Fluke ones, so I thought I'd give this Meier book a try. It happened quite a bit later in the series than the Christmas ones I read, judging by the ages of the children.

My husband saw this in my stack of books, and read it before I did. (I was reading something else.) His comment was that he really enjoyed reading about the various English tourist sites that we had visited together. Some of the traveling troubles they'd had were familiar, too. I could've added a few more to the story.

I enjoyed the characters' travels, too - The London Tower, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abby, Salisbury Cathedral, the Roman Baths and Stonehenge all brought back memories. I was disappointed that the characters skipped out on the Windsor Castle. It is not "just another musty old castle," but probably the best - very expansive. I had no idea how gigantic it was until we were there, and the interior was very elegant. Stonehenge's stones were massive, not "stumpy," as Lucy thought, unless she meant the shorter "bluestones" in the center.

But this book isn't meant to be a travel guide but a mystery. In that, one of the characters figured it out early on, but the story continued along for so long afterwards that we thought she was mistaken.

SPOILER - I thought that the main character, Lucy, behaved poorly in letting the murderers go free. Yes, she should've sympathized with them, but as she herself said, once a murderer has murdered, they might continue on to do that again, the next time they find themselves at odds with someone. Which (at least) one of the murderers did again in this book. So, allowing them to go free, unreported, did cause further loss of human life. Although Lucy predicted that and let them go free anyway, she didn't really seem to be regretful of her decision afterwards, even when another murder was committed. Nor did she then tell the police about the first murder she had witnessed.

Besides which, the first murder victim had already been tried for his crime and served his sentence. It may or may not have been adequate justice, but there is such a thing as forgiveness or getting on with the rest of life rather than murdering him and risking everything good.

Lucy also "resented" that some of the characters told her their sad stories, as if they were burdening her. But grief, like joy, can be a precious thing to share, a part of ourselves, and a part of our lives. It felt odd to me that Lucy could be so unsympathetic then, and yet, later on, be so sympathetic to the murders that she let them go.