STEEPED TO DEATH

Taking over her aunt’s tea shop brings a woman head-to-head with an intrusive realtor, making her hope for a bit of left-behind magic that might keep her safe.

Back from Seattle and a mistaken marriage, Phoebe Winchester is surprised at how much she remembers about Raven Creek. Pulling into her Auntie Eudora’s—well, now it’s Phoebe’s—Lane End House, she finds memories of time spent with Eudora cheering her up in the wake of her aunt’s death. As Bob, Eudora’s handsome orange cat, encourages Phoebe to make herself at home, she’s happy to start establishing connections with almost everyone in town. Everyone, that is, except for troublesome Deirdre Miller, who keeps hounding Phoebe to sell Lane End House to her. Though Deirdre may think Phoebe isn’t going to stay, Phoebe’s just settling in, and the most important part of that ritual is reopening The Earl’s Study. She’s always known the tea shop as a special place, but looking at some of Eudora’s recipes, she starts to wonder if it’s a bit more special than she realized. Was Eudora brewing some magic along with the tea leaves? Phoebe hopes that running the store will help reconnect her with Eudora and answer this question, but her attention’s diverted by a dead body and an apparent murder at the back of the store. She’s relieved the deceased isn’t Rich, a childhood friend with whom she’s reconnected. But she wonders who might be interested in the shop, and why, and whether there’s more going on here than just tea.

A series debut that sets up mild notes promising a deeper steep in future installments.