Book Review: Murder with Orange Pekoe Tea by Karen Rose Smith

Murder with Orange Pekoe Tea (Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery #7). Karen Rose Smith. Kensington Publishing (2021). 352 pages. Genre: Cozy Mystery.

First Line: "The wail of sirens blared."

Summary:  Daisy Swanson is serving tea and treats at a fundraiser for a local homeless shelter.  Not everyone in town is as supportive of the new homeless shelter as Daisy is.  There have been some heated discussions.  So it is not a big surprise when a group of protesters show up to the fundraiser.  What is surprising is the anger and forcefulness of the group.  

While serving tea at the fundraiser, Daisy met Piper, a young woman who had used the services of a fertility clinic.  Several couples' hopes were dashed when the clinic had a mechanical problem that caused the loss of many frozen eggs and embryos.  Piper and her husband were one of those couples.  Hiram Herschberger, a local lawyer, is defending the clinic.  It just so happens that Hiram also represented a young Amish man named Eli, who is in the crowd of protesters.  When Hiram is found dead a few days later, there are plenty of suspects to investigate. 

My thoughts:  The author is not afraid to include some controversial topics in these mysteries.  This time Daisy is right in the middle of a fundraiser for a homeless shelter.  The shelter has divided the residents of the town.  There are some who are strongly against it.  In addition to that is the situation at the fertility clinic.  Daisy can often see both sides of an issue which makes her a good protagonist.  The setting of this series is in Willow Creek, Pa in the Susquehanna Valley which is a region populated by many Amish. The characters often cross paths with the Amish community, which adds another layer of interest.  

All of the secondary characters in this series are well developed.  This time, the focus was mostly on Daisy and Jonas.  Their relationship continues to grow at just the right pace, which is very slowly.  We also see a lot of Daisy's daughter, Jazzi.  This is her last year of high school and she is looking into colleges.  Daisy is already anticipating how much she will miss her next year. 

Hiram Herschberger is a lawyer who is willing to take cases others wouldn't touch.  This often means putting morals aside in order to make a buck.  He has clearly made some enemies.  A detective on the case has finally realized that Daisy is in a good position to hear people talk and asks her to let him know if she hears anything.  As Daisy talks to people, she learns more about the types of cases Hiram took on.  She does pick up a clue here and there, but it didn't feel like there were many solid clues.  But, it all makes sense in the end.

I continue to enjoy catching up with Daisy and her friends and family in Willow Creek.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.