Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a former newspaper reporter turned cozy mystery writer, tea blogger, and cookbook author. If thereā€™s a book with tea in it, count me in. I love the beverage itself, the ritual of teatime, tea parties, collecting tea wares, and growing tea (I grow camellia sinensis at home). Of all the hobbies and passions Iā€™ve had, exploring all things tea is the one that never gets old. And so far, Iā€™ve managed to include at least a bit of tea in every book Iā€™ve written. 



I wrote

Emeralds and Envy

By Angela McRae,

Book cover of Emeralds and Envy

What is my book about?

Emma Madison loves junkinā€™ for old baubles to turn into dazzling new creations and launches her career as a jewelryā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Death by Darjeeling

Angela McRae Why did I love this book?

Laura Childs is the reason I read and write fiction today. When her debut tea shop cozy mystery came out in 2001, I was still working as a journalist and was waiting inside a local bookstore to interview a Pentagon official, who had just released his first military thriller. Killing time, I browsed the paperback books, a section of the store Iā€™d never considered before. When I laid eyes on Death by Darjeeling, birds started singing and fairy dust floated through the air. Who knew I could enjoy fiction? Readers have asked why I have no plans to write a tea-themed cozy series myself, and Iā€™ll tell you why: I donā€™t think I could top Laura Childs.

By Laura Childs,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Death by Darjeeling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

FIRST IN THE TEA SHOP MYSTERY SERIES!

When a man is poisoned by tea, Charleston shop owner Theodosia Browning must prove her innocence and track down the real killer...before someone else takes their last sip.

Meet Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston's beloved Indigo Tea Shop. Patrons love her blend of delicious tea tastings and Southern hospitality. And Theo enjoys the full-bodied flavor of a town steeped in historyā€”and mystery.

It's tea for two hundred or so at the annual historical homes garden party. Theodosia, as event caterer, is busy serving steaming teas and blackberry scones while guests sing her praises.ā€¦


Book cover of Hidden Treasure

Angela McRae Why did I love this book?

Jane Clelandā€™s Josie Prescott Antique Mysteries are just my cup of you know what. Her fiction is a treat, with savvy characters, a strong sense of place, clever plots, and the collectibles I love. Cleland is not only a talented writer but also a particularly generous one. She pens writing craft books that many of us swear by, and aspiring writers would do well to look up all of her books and follow her on social media. She even started offering free writing webinars during the pandemic. 

By Jane K. Cleland,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Hidden Treasure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The discovery of a mysterious antique trunk leads to a disappearanceā€”and murderā€”in the latest in this beloved cozy series set on the rugged New Hampshire coast, Jane K. Cleland's Hidden Treasure.

When antiques expert Josie Prescott finds a mysterious trunk, no one thinks it could lead to murder. Josie, the owner of Prescottā€™s Antiques & Auctions, and her new husband, Ty, have finally found their dream home, a Victorian beauty on the beach known in the town of Rocky Point as the ā€œGingerbread House.ā€ It was recently vacated by Maudie Wilson, an aging widow, whose concerned nieces have moved herā€¦


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Book cover of That First Heady Burn

That First Heady Burn by George Bixley,

Donā€™t mess with the hotheadā€”or he might just mess with you. Slater IbƔƱez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side ofā€¦

Book cover of There's a Murder Afoot

Angela McRae Why did I love this book?

A Sherlock Holmesā€“themed bookshop located at 222 Baker Street in West London, Massachusetts, with an adjoining tea shop. Thatā€™s really all I need to say, isnā€™t it? But in this particular book in the series, our heroine, Gemma Doyle, heads across the pond to attend a Sherlock Holmes conference, and there were so many cups of tea being brewed that I couldnā€™t help grinning at how it seems to be the cure for every British ailment. 

By Vicki Delany,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked There's a Murder Afoot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Just in time for Sherlock Holmes's 166th birthday, the fifth installment in national bestselling author Vicki Delany's Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery takes Sherlockania to the max with a Holmes convention and historic 221 Baker Street.

Gemma Doyle and her friends travel to London for a Sherlock Holmes convention--but will Gemma's father take the fall for a felonious forger's fatality?

The 6th of January is Sherlock Holmes's birthday, and lucky for Gemma Doyle, January is also the slowest time of the year at both the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, and Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. It's a good time for Gemmaā€¦


Book cover of No Good Tea Goes Unpunished

Angela McRae Why did I love this book?

In her Seaside CafƩ Mysteries, Bree Baker has conjured a thoroughly modern tea shop with Surf, Sand, and Tea, a business located in an old Victorian home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Everly Swan (fun name!) has lots of varieties of iced tea on offer, and two elderly aunts bring some well-plotted family history into the mix. This series gives a modern-day spin to the tearoom enterprise, and this seven-book series ended far too soon for my taste.

By Bree Baker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked No Good Tea Goes Unpunished as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the second book of the popular Seaside CafƩ Mysteries, No Good Tea Goes Unpunished, Everly Swan caters a high-profile beach wedding where the groom doesn't make it to the altar before the wedding bells ring.

Hitting All the sweet-tea spots, this series is:

A delightful Tea Shop and CafƩ Culinary Mystery

The ideal cozy beach read

Perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Kate Carlisle

Catering her childhood friend's beachfront wedding was a dream come true for Sun, Sand and Tea Shop and CafĆ© owner Everly Swanā€”and the hundreds of guests in attendance would be great exposure for herā€¦


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Book cover of In the Crosshairs: The Body on Leffis Key

In the Crosshairs by M. S. Spencer,

Palmer Lind, recovering from the sudden death of her husband, embarks on a bird-watching trek to the Gulf Coast of Florida. One hot day on Leffis Key, she comes uponā€”not the life bird she was hoping forā€”but a floating corpse. The handsome beach bum who appears on the scene atā€¦

Book cover of A Scone To Die For

Angela McRae Why did I love this book?

Twenty-nine-year-old Gemma Rose, an Oxford grad, leaves her corporate life in Australia and decides to move back home to England and create a new life for herself, said new life including the operation of the Little Stables Tearoom in the Cotswolds village of Meadowford-on-Smythe. Hannaā€™s books feature likable characters, fun plots, and did I mention the Cotswolds?

By H.Y. Hanna,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Scone To Die For as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ā€œThey say you have to make sacrifices to follow your dreams. I just didnā€™t expect the sacrifices to involve an American tourist and a killer scone.ā€ ~ Gemma ditches her high-flying job and returns to Oxford to pursue her dream of opening a traditional English tearoom. It means giving up her savings, moving back with her parents and coping with her bossy, matchmaking mother, but sheā€™s sure it will all be worth it. In fact, business is already boomingā€¦ that is, until she opens up shop and finds an American tourist murdered by one of her signature scones!

Now Gemmaā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Emeralds and Envy

By Angela McRae,

Book cover of Emeralds and Envy

What is my book about?

Emma Madison loves junkinā€™ for old baubles to turn into dazzling new creations and launches her career as a jewelry designer in small-town Roseland, Georgia. After making out like a bandit at a garage sale, Emma visits a local antiques shop to share her fabulous finds with the owner but is shocked to learn that a salesclerk friend, Tina, has just been murdered.

When the case remains unsolved, Emma uses her newspaper reporting experience to assist. Not everyone in town liked Tina, including her two siblings. But someone is trying to stop Emma from helping, even threatening her business. While eager to resume making jewelry, Emma is determined to find the person responsible for Tinaā€™s death, even if that means coming face-to-face with the killer.

Book cover of Death by Darjeeling
Book cover of Hidden Treasure
Book cover of There's a Murder Afoot

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