A Scone to Die For

Oxford Tearoom Cozy Mysteries, Book 1

By: H.Y. Hanna

Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt

"They say you have to make sacrifices to follow your dreams. I just didn't expect the sacrifices to involve an American tourist and a killer scone."

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 she's sure it will all be worth it. In fact, business is already booming—that is, until she opens up shop and finds an American tourist murdered by one of her signature scones! Now Gemma is apron-deep in a puzzling mystery, with her past coming back to haunt her when the handsome CID detective leading the case turns out to be her old college flame. And with the nosy "Old Biddies" from the local village meddling at every turn and her baker's cheeky cat terrorizing her kitchen, she's beginning to find herself in a real pickle....

Who was the American, and what was he really doing in Oxford? Is his death linked to a long-buried scandal at the historic university, or was he just the unlucky victim of a brawl at the village pub? What about the sultry new member of local book club—is she lying about her relationship with the murdered tourist?

The question that's really bothering Gemma, though, is how she can keep serving warm buttery scones with jam and clotted cream, and fragrant tea in pretty bone china...when her customers think her baking is more deadly than delicious! With the body count rising and her tearoom going bust, can Gemma find the killer before her dreams turn to custard?

A Scone to Die For is the delectable first book in the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries. If you like deliciously endearing characters, intriguing whodunits, and hilarious British humor—not to mention cats with big personalities!—then you'll love the first book in H.Y. Hanna's best-selling culinary cozy mystery series.

©2016 H.Y. Hanna (P)2023 H.Y. Hanna

Great start!

This was an enjoyable and fun book with interesting characters. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Cozy fluff.

Cozy factor - Very high
Romance factor - Meh
Murder mystery - Not bad
Characters - Few but unobtrusive and likable
Narration - Borderline cute "storybook lady" voice, but OK
Final verdict - Fluff. But good fluff. Nothing to actually dislike. Good book? No. Likable book? Yes!

enjoyable mystery with a proper British accent

I loved this audible version of A Scone to Die For. it was great fun to hear it red with a proper British accent. I had read the book in print and that didn't matter a bit. This was great.

Just your standard cozy

This was just a standard cozy for me. The mystery was okay but the main character wasn’t that likable. For a woman who worked a high level corporate job for 8 years before buying the tearoom she seemed at time exceptionally immature. There were some things that saved it a star in my rating. The first is the old biddies – they were great and way better investigators than the main character and worthy of their own series. The other thing that saved the book was the lead detective was intelligent and called Gemma on her sh** which usually not the norm.

For me though the best part was the narrator, Pearl Hewitt. She really brought the story to life for me. As a Texan, I have no idea if her accent was accurate or not but for me the narration brought the whole Oxforshire location to life and make the book much more enjoyable. I will probably continue with the series as I loved the supporting the characters and Pearl’s narration.

Great Little Read

Loved it, Great Story, I listen before going to Bed, and put on a sleep timer

Just right.

The story has just the right amount of suspense. The ending was not predictable. The character development was well done.
A nice comforting cozy mystery.
The perfect escape from real world.

Perfect blend of charm and murder!

H. Y. Hanna has crafted a delightful story with just enough complexity and charm. The characters make you care about their lives and foibles. Pearl Hewitt does a masterful performance bringing the tale to life!

It was a bit young for my taste

This book is aimed towards the younger crowd but it was enjoyable anyway. It is refreshing to get away from bad language, violence and sex. I probably won't do another in the series but in this series but would recommend it to a young teen.

Light, funny mystery

It's a light, funny mystery with a little romantic tension thrown in. Readers who expect that from this book will enjoy it. It's a book where you shouldn't delve too deep into the characters (like why would Gemma dream of opening up a tea shop when she doesn't even know how to cook and how did the handsome, musical, hot-tempered Devlin end up being a detective and wealthy). Otherwise, the inconsistency in some of the characters makes the book unsatisfying.

Enjoyable Story

The story started out a little slowly but developed into an enjoyable story. I especially enjoyed the episode with Gemma and the four old biddies trying to hide from DCI Devon. I would like more of the humor in the story. The narrator did an excellent job with the various voices, female and male. I am looking forward to listening to the next book.