Tea Before Crime — Jennifer A. Girardin

Murder was never saltier as the village sleuths embark on a jolly trip to the seaside...little knowing that a daring crime is sweeping ashore. When the body of the neighbor's maid is found in Lord Hugo Anstead's cozy cottage, the armchair detectives race to solve the crime before the murderer strikes again. A speedy death ensured Georgina Hayes' silence--and established an unsavory connection to blackmail. Several shady suspects cloud the case, including reckless Alan Bradley, who maintained a bitter relationship of blackmail with the victim. His sister, Veronica, has a dark secret to hide, and their aunt and uncle, Ada and Charles Brent, know when to hold their tongues. And when the body of social butterfly Iris Wilson is discovered in a local teashop, the village sleuths hurry to discover if there is a connection to their cottage crime. Blackmail and lies flourish, as her slippery son, James Wilson treads in deep water--and inherits a vast fortune. But did he commit the crime? Led by debonair amateur sleuth Lord Hugo Anstead and his team of resourceful companions, the truth may have been lost at sea. Snappy young journalist Elizabeth Branell-Markson is convinced that Alan Bradley has the most to hide...until she meets sulky James Wilson. The pearls of their investigative team, Jane Holden and Olivia Crane paddle their own investigative boats with unerring precision and keep prime suspect Alan Bradley firmly under their wings. Time is running out for the seaside sleuths...until a dangerous connection to a prominent murder case in London leads them to the back alleys of art forgery and murder. Will Lord Hugo and his crime team be swept out to sea?Tea is served at Moriston House British mysteries...where cozy crimes are always at home!