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Sergeant Keya Varma is back in her second “Waterwheel Café” mystery, the ones with the with the clever Tea titles. Darjeeling and A Deadly Disappearance has our sometimes bumbling, but always caring, vegetarian, police woman pulled in three stressful directions on her supposedly week of vacation.
Keya’s Café is nearing the end of construction, and will be soon be opened to the public. Her mind is busy deciding on décor and choosing the delightful sweet and savory treats and beverages she will be serving there.
Family wise, her sister’s wedding plans have fallen through because of a previous reservation of their chosen venue. Keya is tasked to see if she can persuade the “other wedding party” to change THEIR date. Awkward!
And finally, there is the dual police problem of frightful ghost sightings with mobs of obnoxious ghost-hunters causing trouble, and a missing woman who just happens to be the bride-to-be of the other wedding party.
Yes, I know, I would be pulling my hair out if I tried to deal with all these problems at once. However, Keya proves more than capable in juggling all these stressful situations, which eventually become interconnected.
Most pressing to Keya as a policewoman is the missing bride-to-be, especially since she met and felt empathy for the distraught woman before she disappeared. Digging into her background, Keya finds multiple reasons why this young woman could have disappeared either willing or not.
This book keeps your attention splendidly as you race from one drastic occurrence to another. Even Keya’s beautiful sister is roped in to doing a bit of sleuthing. And then, while you are still trying to catch your breath, the solutions (some sad, others perfect) fall into place.
Victoria Tait is in top form writing these cozy mysteries. She seems to know just how much of the secrets to tell, tension to create, and humor to infuse. It’s a joy to read her books, and although they sometimes address serious themes, you know she will write the perfect ending.
FOUR 1/2 STARS
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