January 1, 2021
Widow, mother, sleuth, and tea shop owner Daisy Swanson finds herself involved in yet another murder. Although tourism, the lifeblood of Pennsylvania Dutch country, feeds Daisy and her aunt through their tea shop, there are other opportunities for work close to home, like the request to cater a teachers appreciation tea at the school Daisy once attended. Her English teacher, opinionated Althea Higgins, is still making waves by pushing school uniforms and disparaging other teachers. The tea goes off without a hitch until Althea is found floating in the pool. The teacher who found her naturally asks Daisy for help proving her innocence even though the amateur sleuth has her hands full with domestic problems. Daisy's adopted teen daughter, Jazzi, begs Daisy to take in her friend Brielle Horn for two weeks while her lawyer parents go to Europe. When Daisy agrees, she finds Brielle a mass of insecurity and rebelliousness against her mostly absent parents. And Daisy's effort to get her boyfriend, former police officer Jonas Groft, talking to Zeke Willet, who betrayed his trust when they both worked in Philadelphia, threatens to ruin her own relationship with Jonas. When she finds time to investigate Althea's past, she finds plenty of people who hated her, a few who loved her, and a daughter and grandson who stood to inherit her valuable farm. Stressed to the max and warned by the police to be careful, Daisy continues to nose around with surprising results. A heartwarming cozy whose relationship quandaries outweigh the mystery.
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