Tea, Anyone?

A Brooke & Abby Cozy Mystery, Book 1

By: S. R. Mallery

Narrated by: Ellen Quay

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

How do two modern, quirky, 20-something gals solve murders in a small, cozy USA town?

Easy. With a little time travel, some humor, and a lot of hard work. 

When the skeptical Brooke first meets the psychic Abby, she’s not impressed. But with the help of her comfort cat, her middle-aged roomie, her childhood friend, and a hunky detective hinting at a sweet romance, Brooke not only accepts that Abby has real gifts, it’s clear that these five people and one cat make up a crack team.  

Got tea, anyone? In 1773, the Boston Tea Party sure did. Find out why going back in time helps break the case!

©2019 S. R. Mallery (P)2020 Sarah (S.R.) Mallery

A well-written story from a very good author

Tea, Anyone? (A Brooke & Abby Cozy Mystery Book 1), my second read from author S.R. Mallery, very different than my first read from her. A unique cozy mystery that makes you want to read more in the series. Ellen Quay's narration adds to an enjoyable book's enjoyment. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Leaping back to the Boston Tea Party

Tea, Anyone is a time-travel cozy mystery, leaping back to the Boston Tea Party, which holds a clue to the present crime. Written with crisp humors, the plot is enriched by glimpses to a different era. S.R. Mallery has a fascination with history, which is evident in her historical fiction body of work. And in this book, just like a quilter, she creates a patchwork of clues to the crime.

This is the first volume in a series that features two female investigators: Brooke Anderson, a researcher for the local police department, is driven by methodical logic; her neighbor Abby is her complete opposite, she is a psychic who relies on intuition, believes in Buddhism, psychic phenomenon, and reading tea leaves, and wants to lend her expertise to help solve crime cases. At first, their friendship seems unlikely—“I can tell you I don’t believe in that stuff,” says Brooke—but it evolves into trust. And lets not forget the other two characters in this close-knit team: Henry miles is Brooke’s research guru: “She was thrilled how her new roommate became the grandfather she could really love—unlike her real one.” The team would not be complete without Junie, Brooke’s cat.

When two women from the fitness class are found murdered, Brooke and Abby get on the case. Will Larry, their contact at the police station, and Tony make light of their unconventional skills or reward them? “Larry’s hug was pretty good, too, of course. Yet she couldn’t help missing Tony’s arms around her.” Will she end up in his arms?

The narrator, Ellen Quay, brings the story to life with nuanced narration. As a classically trained singer, she has the vocal range and versatility that is unique to her.

I received a redeem code for this audiobook.

tea is one of several things going on

Brooke is a consultant researcher for the local police department. She took in a homeless college professor, Henry and gets him back on his feet. They have a neighbor Abby who is into tarot and psychic time travel. Henry convinces Brooke to give Abby a chance to help them solve some recent murders.
The story was a little hard to follow. There were a lot of details pushed at the reader and both Brooke and Abby have childhood traumas that affect current day.
The idea of tendencies for certain things passing through genetics is an interesting idea. I think it would have been a big enough theme to present. Adding flashbacks/dreams for Brooke and issues dealing with Abby's family made this book feel busy and a bit of an emotional overwhelm.
The narrator did a good job with the story. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook.
I received a copy through the author.

Brook, Abby and the gang look to the past to solve murder

Tea Anyone? A Brook and Abby Cozy Mystery Book 1. S R Mallory has written an interesting cozy mystery. Tea Anyone? Not only has an interesting murder to solve, but, the author lays the foundation for the characters in an enjoyable way. The unusual murder is solved by going back to the Boston tea party. I really enjoyed the narration performance of Ellen Quay. She made an amazing story come to life. I received a code for my honest review.

A Cozy Mystery With A Twist

This was my first exposure to S. R. Mallery's stories and it was a delightful and enjoyable experience. She cleverly blended the key elements of a cozy mystery with an historical event and paranormal phenomenon. Her characters were believable in spite of the fact that one of her characters was described as having psychic abilities. The interaction between the characters is one of the elements that help this story to shine. I recommend this book for those who love cozy mysteries with a twist. Ellen Quay's narration is good and her voice is pleasant and expressive. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Engaging cozy mystery

When one thinks of having tea, one often imagines a quiet cuppa by a cheery fire, but this cozy mystery, Tea, Anyone? is far from a quiet cuppa by a cheery fire. Lovable, quirky characters (and a few nasty ones, too), murders to solve, time-travel via a vintage Packard, broken family relationships, and the beginnings of romance--this engaging mystery has it all. Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries will not want to miss this new series. I am looking forward to reading more about Brooke and Abby as they deepen their friendship and collaborate to solve more mysteries. I listened to the audiobook and Ellen Quay did a great job narrating the story which made for an enjoyable listening experience. I was given a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

Tea, Anyone

This was a fun mystery to listen to. Although I was able to guess who was the guilty party, I enjoyed listening to the mystery unfold and would definitely look for more from this new to me author.

Great book

Loved the storyline. The characters were good. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. Narrator did an excellent job.

nice listen

The narration was good and the storyline fine. It had a lot going on with a lot of characters. So much so that it didn't hold my attention well.
I was given this free audiobook copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun Mystery

I did enjoy this cozy mystery with decent narration. Enjoyed the characters of Henry, Brooke, Abby, and Junebug even with their bickering. Abby joins with the police to solve murder with her abilities. Look forward to next book. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you

Quirky and cozy

A cozy mystery that follows neighbors, Brooke and Abby, a chalk and cheese pairing who turn out to be a great team.

I will admit that I did struggle through this a little. The storyline was interesting enough and the main characters were fairly likable. However, I personally found that it took a lot of effort to listen to. Maybe there was just so much going on and half of it didn't seem very relevant to me.
I also didn't feel like I clicked with characters. Brooke and Abby were a good pair of leading heroines who had a great relationship going on, but it did feel to me that to be any kind of important character in this, you had to have a tragic back story that didn't really get elaborated on (other than Brookes which makes sense).

Narrator Ellen Quay did a good job of the story. She had a good pace and a good range to keep conversations going. Her quite chilled tone fit the story and was easy to determine the difference between story and dialogue.

I think I would suggest this for mystery lovers and maybe young teens who are starting to get interested in mystery books. Looking at other reviews I think that I just didn't gel with the story much, it was very well written and I think this would be very enjoyed by others!

A really great audibook

I loved this one, Fun intelligent storyline, Wonderful Narrator who made everything come to life. I had read the eBook earlier and I must say the audio version works even better. Superb

Lethal murder in separate time zones

Ingenious murders in different time zones with humour and good believable characters realistic responses from everyone

Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy

I enjoyed this book. This is the first book by this author that I have listened to but it won't be the last as it was a fun book and a series I would like to visit again. I loved the way the past held clues that helps in the present, it was nicely done and add a different and quirky element to the mystery. The author obviously does a lot of research for her books and this comes across in the way that she writes each scene and the story draws you in, so you are hooked until the end. The characters were like able, sassy and tough and I loved how the two main characters (Brooke and Abby) weren't sure if they even liked each other and the friendship that develops between them and there friends. The story is told by a few of the characters, which works well and helps you form a bond with the characters, although it did mean I had my heart in my throat at one point, but even that turned out interesting. The mystery was good and had a few twists to keep you guessing. There was even a love interest and of course a loveable pet. All in all a good book I would recommend.
When two ladies in her fitness class are murdered Brooke can't help but offer her services as a researcher. The ladies were killed and a cloth bag placed over there heads. The police chief wants results but it is only when Brooke turns to her tarot reading neighbour for help that they get the break they need. Abby isn't just a tarot reader she is also psychic with the gift of being able to visit the past. Can something Abby learns from the past help with the case now? As more bodies are found it looks like Brookes time working for the police is drawing to an end but Brooke doesn't know how to quit, even if it means she and her friends become a target for a killer.
I liked the narrator and thought she did a great job of bringing the characters to life.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.