A Deadly Brew
When a professional disaster lands California matchmaker Penny Cavanagh’s business in hot water, the native Irish lass takes a much-needed break from reality and visits her extended family in Blarney Green, Ireland. Having spent much of her childhood in the quaint village, Penny feels right at home with her spunky cousin, Nora Murphy, and their beloved grandmother, Nan, especially at the family’s popular tearoom, The Merry Teapot.
Unfortunately, Penny’s happy reunion is quickly diluted when her new acquaintance, English master gardener Colin Bexley, dies within hours of visiting Blarney Castle’s famed poison garden and kissing the Blarney Stone. The hot gossip brewing around town is that the fussy foliage expert was murdered, poisoned by one of the very plants he came to research. Complicating matters, Bexley had personal and financial ties to Nan’s late husband, Oscar, landing Nan in the sights of handsome Detective Inspector Finn Campbell as he works to unravel the curious clues of the case.
Determined to clear Nan’s good name, Penny takes it upon herself to solve the mystery of who murdered Colin Bexley, aggravating a by-the-book Finn at every turn and being equally vexed by him in return. However, when a star witness winds up dead, Penny realizes that the stakes of this game are higher than she’d realized. If she isn’t careful, she just might wind up in the crosshairs of a killer . . . and pay the steepest price of all.
The Characters
PENNY CAVANAGH
When professional matchmaker Penny Cavanagh gets caught up in the scandal of a high-profile breakup, she decides it’s time for a vacation. She travels to Blarney Green, Ireland, to visit her grandmother, Nan Murphy, and her favorite cousin Nora. She plans to stay only for a few weeks. Unbeknownst to Penny, they intend for her to stay in Ireland indefinitely to take over Nan’s tearoom, The Merry Teapot. But none of them could know how much trouble is about to fall on Blarney Green.
NAN MURPHY
Nan has barely missed a day of work at The Merry Teapot in 70 years, but she won’t be able to keep up that pace forever. It’s time to ensure the future of her family’s tearoom is safe in the hands of the next generation, and if she can kill two birds with one stone by convincing her granddaughter Penny to move to Ireland and take it over, all the better. Unfortunately, the suspicious death of a tearoom guest is not making for a warm welcome.
NORA MURPHY
Professional artist Nora Murphy is delighted when her favorite cousin arrives in Ireland. Maybe it’s because she grew up with six brothers, but she and Penny have always been close, even when they were far apart. She knows they’ll have all kinds of fun together, especially if Nora can convince Penny to stay in Ireland and move into the tower house she calls home. But when English master gardener Colin Bexley, whom Nora knows from her time in London, is dead within hours of leaving the tearoom and kissing the Blarney Stone, things aren’t looking so good.
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR FINN CAMPBELL
Finn Campbell has spent years working his way up through the ranks of Ireland’s police force, Garda Síochána. Now he’s heading the station in his hometown of Blarney Green. He’s near his widowed mother, Linda, who insists that she doesn’t need his help, but he likes being on hand just in case. He’s dated casually, but he’s never found the right woman—until Penny Cavanaugh arrives in town. As the 1384th heir in line for the royal throne, he might just turn out to be her very own Prince Charming. He’d love to ask her out. If he can just keep her out of danger long enough. . .
EARL AND GREY
Irresistibly cute, Earl and Grey come and go as they please between Nan’s cottage and the nearby tearoom. Earl is spunky and sweet but a little on the clumsy side and not quite as good at sneaking around as the typical cat. Grey on the other hand is wise, stealthy, and clever. They have both been known to help their humans uncover clues and solve mysteries.
