Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue

Steeped to Death is the first book in Gretchen Rue’s Witches’ Brew Mystery series.

Phoebe Winchester has inherited her late Aunt Eudora’s Victorian mansion and bookshop/tea store The Earl’s Study. Oh wait, there’s a very fluffy orange cat named Bob that comes with the house. Soon after Phoebe’s arrival, she’s pestered by a local busybody, Diedre Miller, to sell Eudora’s house.

When Phoebe refuses the first time, Diedre does not take no for an answer. She comes over the next day with a hefty-looking man. Phoebe once again says no and closes the door. That evening, Phoebe receives a phone call from the local police – Earl’s Study is a crime scene. A man was found dead in the back alley of the store. When Phoebe arrives at the crime scene, she recognizes the victim – it’s tat man who was with Diedre.

Phoebe has two suspects in mind – Diedre (of course) and a handsome hunk named Ricky. Ricky and Phoebe are childhood friends. They lost contact when Phoebe stopped visiting Aunt Eudora. Ricky aka Rich lives in a small apartment above the bookstore. The day after murder, Phoebe finds Rich kneeling down at the crime scene, as if he’s looking for something.

Oh-Em-Gee! This was such a delightful, charming, and completely magical cozy mystery. A perfect debut to the series! This might be the first book in the series but I know for certain this is one of those cozy series that I am going to follow till the end.

I am a cat lover and Bob, the orange tabby that Phoebe ‘inherits’ along with Aunt Eudora’s mansion, is such a cutie pie. How I wish I could dive into my kindle and give Bob a nice pat on the head. Who’s a good boy, koochikoochikooo!

I haven’t read a lot of paranormal/witch-ish cozy mysteries so I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book. First, Phoebe discovers her aunt’s stash of teas in the basement. Then comes the stash of magical teas and recipes. Ooh, wait, we also have tea-based baked goodies – magical and muggle. Phoebe learns that Aunt Eudora was a witch. All those children teasing Eudora (when Phoebe was a child) – turns out, they weren’t joking about Eudora being a witch. Then comes a twist. I never saw it coming. From this moment onward, I was eagerly waiting for Phoebe to try it again, this time by choice, though.

We also have a love angle here – umm, possible love angle, I suppose. Rich aka Ricky is Handsome with a capital H! But he’s also made it to Phoebe’s list of suspects. Oh boy, that doesn’t sound good. Uh-huh.

Speaking of suspects, Diedre Miller is the other suspect in the murder case. She’s also being a pain in the backside. The other shop owners wonder if Phoebe is going to sell off the place – thanks to the rumors that Diedre’s been spreading.

The identity of the killer was surprising and unexpected. I never expected them to be guilty of murder. As is the case in any cozy mystery, Phoebe comes face-to-face with the killer, all right. What happens next is simply fantastic – I am not talking about Phoebe’s brush with death.

Likeable characters. Excellent storytelling. A magical mystery to keep one guessing till the end. Loads of fun. I absolutely enjoyed reading Steeped to Death by Gretchen Rue.

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I received an ARC from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

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