After you’ve engaged in a shopping frenzy at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and
Emporium, located at 222 Baker Street, West London, Massachusetts, be sure and
pop next door for afternoon tea at Mrs. Hudson’s.
Head baker Jayne Wilson does a marvellous job of crating the perfect,
fully-traditional afternoon tea. You might even be lucky enough to get one of
the special Sherlock tea pots and matching cups.
Occasionally, for a special occasion, Jayne is forced to reply on her business
partner Gemma Doyle for help in the kitchen. And, occasionally, Gemma gets to
enjoy the fruits of their labours.
Fiona placed a large teapot on the table as well as a small jug of milk, a
sugar bowl, a plate of sliced lemon, and two cups and saucers. She dropped a mug
of coffee in front of Kevin.
“What a beautiful tea set,” Linda said. The pot and cups matched: roses of
pink and pale blue on fine white china trimmed with gold. “May I pour?”
“Go ahead.” I leaned back to allow Fiona to place the three-tiered silver
tray in the center of the table along with pots of butter, strawberry jam
straight from the kitchen of a West London woman, and proper clotted cream.
Ignoring any pretext of good manners, I snatched one of the cucumber
sandwiches before my dining companions could get it. We’d also been served
salmon, roast beef and arugula, and cream cheese with chives. The middle level
of the tray held scones plump with raisins and on the top layer tiny perfect
strawberry and lemon tarts nestled beside miniature coconut cupcakes piled high
with buttercream icing.
“I try to have at least one scene involving afternoon tea in each of my
books,” the author said. “It gives Desdemona and Sherlock a chance to get
together and talk over what they’ve learned.”
I refrained from mentioning that I couldn’t imagine Sherlock Holmes, man of
action, pipe tobacco and lover of a seven percent solution, enjoying a cream
tea.
Body on Baker Street, by Vicki Delany
Mrs. Hudson’s Coconut Cupcakes
Sherlock Holmes
Bookshop
Gemma Doyle and Jayne Wilson are busy managing the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop
and Emporium on Baker Street and adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room in
anticipation of the store’s upcoming book signing with the illustrious Renalta
Van Markoff, author of the controversial Hudson and Holmes mystery series. But
during the author Q&A session, dedicated Sherlockian Donald Morris verbally
attacks Renalta and her series for disgracing Sherlock’s legacy, only to be
publicly humiliated when the author triumphantly lashes back and gains the upper
hand. That is until Renalta collapses on the table—dead.
Donald insists he didn’t do it and pleads to his friends to clear his name.
Fortunately, Gemma and Jayne have no shortage of suspects between author’s
bullied personal assistant, her frustrated publicist, the hapless publisher, a
handsome rare book dealer, an obsessively rabid fan, and a world of other
Sherlock enthusiasts with strong objections to Renalta’s depiction of the Great
Detective. It’s up to the shrewd sleuthing duo to eliminate the impossible and
deduce the truth before the West London police arrest an innocent man in Body
on Baker Street, the second Sherlock Homes Bookshop mystery perfect for fans
of Miranda James and Kate Carlisle.
Mystery Cozy [Crooked Lane Books, On Sale: September 12, 2017,
Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781683312994 / eISBN: 9781683313007]
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied
crime writers, author of more than twenty-five crime novels, including
standalone Gothic thrillers, the Constable Molly Smith series, and the Year
Round Christmas Mysteries. Under the pen name Eva Gates she
writes the Lighthouse Library cozy series from Penguin.
Her latest is Body on Baker Street, the second in the
Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane (Sept 12, 2017).
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com.
Facebook: Vicki Delany & Eva Gates (evagatesauthor) and
twitter: @vickidelany and @evagatesauthor
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