Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve
The sequel to the first novel written by this husband and wife team Dead Girl Gone is, by all accounts, as charming and humorous as readers previously enjoyed.
Written in brief, alternating chapters, Eloise and Garth, own and run Sherlock Tomes in a small New Zealand town, Havelock North. Over time, the number of regular customers, and therefore friends, ensure its success so they now decide to hold a charity fundraiser – a literary quiz night.
Preparations are made; we meet some of the people in the town. There is a colourful character, the admiral, who speaks in nautical terms, even in mundane chat, and Prudence who is focused on easing the fear of death by holding a meeting in her Death Cafe, where she provides ghoulish treats, coffins and such!
Basil, a rogue mouse lightens the plot, and the beloved dog, Stevie adds drama. However, the long clutches of a serial killer, jailed in the UK, adds tension and a problem to solve. Murder looms but the victim remains a puzzle. Here it becomes clear that reading the previous novel which features Pinter, this serial killer, together with Eloise and Garth, once in the police force in the UK, would be an advantage. I was able to follow the plot without too much difficulty but look forward to reading Dead Girl Gone.
Authors cooperating can be awkward, but this team carry off their second attempt with aplomb. Garth and Eloise have distinct personalities so confusion is limited. Tastes vary but unity triumphs where the love of Stevie, their rescue dog, is concerned.
There are occasions when some judicious editing would quicken the pace, but Havelock is a quiet town and life more relaxed and leisurely…
Readers who may have dreamt of one day owning a bookshop like Sherlock Tomes, will find an instant appeal, especially since the likes of the mammoth Amazon, has eroded the number of independent bookshops which struggle to survive. Tea and Cake and Death suggests that all is not lost and there is much to appreciate and enjoy in owning a bookshop, particularly, as happens in the book, life is far from dull!
The Bookshop Detectives: Tea and Cake and Death
[2025]
by Gareth Ward and Louise Ward
Penguin
ISBN: 978 177695 102 4
$34.99; 328pp