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Shadow of a Spout
A Teapot Collector Mystery #2
Amanda Cooper

Berkley Prime Crime
April 7, 2015 / ISBN 0425265242
Mystery - Cozy

Reviewed by Cheryl Green

 

For the first time ever, Rose Freemont and her BFF and employee, Laverne Hodge, are both attending the International Teapot Collectors Society (ITCS) annual convention. It is being held at the Stone and Scone Inn located in Butterhill, NY. Rose has left her granddaughter, Sophie, holding down the fort at Auntie Rose's Victorian Tea House in Gracious Grove, NY. There are, however, several flies in the ointment: Thelma Mae Earnshaw has become a member of the Silver Spouts and is at the convention. She rarely has a kind word for anyone and is still fuming over the fact that Rose "stole" her man fifty years ago. The other fly is Zunia Pettigrew - who is known to alienate people and bad-mouth them to get what she wants.

Rose is waiting for Stump the Expert. She has brought a teapot with her and wants to learn more about it. Zunia Pettigrew, president of the New York State Division of ITCS, is the expert. She is nasty to all that come for an appraisal. She tells Rose her teapot is a fake. After the session ends, they head to the dining room for tea. Rose knows Thelma is up to something - but has no idea that it will cause her a lot of trouble in the very near future.

An alarm goes off in the middle of the night. Zunia Pettigrew is found dead by the elevator. Rose's teapot is next to her. Looks like Rose will have to call in the troops to solve this murder. They had better be careful solving this murder, because we all know a watched pot never boils.

Things to ponder: Why does Zunia dislike Rhiannon Galway? Who wants to move the tea convention to a bigger city? Who rang the alarm? Was Frank Barlow really drunk?

This second book in the Teapot Collectors Mystery series starts off with a bang. The story pulled me in on the first page and held me until the very end when I found out whodunit. This well-plotted mystery will be enjoyed by cozy mystery readers. The quirky group of characters make the story. Who knew that a teapot convention would be filled with such drama! The author has even included a yummy cookie recipe. So if you like your mystery filled with soothing drinks and lots of treats, then you should be reading Shadow of a Spout.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Tempest in a Teapot #1

  

Reviewed 2015
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