Carter Fielding

Monkey mayhem and murder mystery, from author Carter Fielding

Finley Blake, a freelance travel writer from Manhattan, is asked by a high-end travel magazine to write a piece about Sri Lanka. She snaps up the opportunity and travels out to Sri Lanka, where she meets up with her sister, Whitt, and is later joined by her boyfriend, Max, and her sister’s boyfriend David. On a visit to a tea factory, a dead body is found, and the sisters help the police identify the victim as a young woman residing at their hotel. As they start their adventure again and explore the local Sri Lankan wildlife, another dead body is found – and another familiar face from their expedition. The police think that the deaths are accidental, but Finley and Whitt notice a couple acting very strangely, and some rather odd monkey business. Will Finley and Whitt discover the truth before any more bodies are found?

Murder in the Tea Leaves is a cosy mystery novel by Carter Fielding and the second instalment in the Blake Sisters Travel Mystery series. This is an excellent mystery, intertwined with a little romance, monkey business, and a travel adventure of a lifetime. Fielding is an excellent storyteller, who really knows how to plot a mystery and build suspense. I was gripped until the very end.

I hadn’t read the first book in the series, and while there were some references to previous events, it did not spoil my enjoyment of the book, or my understanding of the story.

With vivid descriptions of the beautiful Sri Lankan landscape, history, culture, and wildlife, I was transported to this idyllic paradise for a while.

This is a perfect novel for fans of cosy mysteries, women’s fiction, and travel fiction.

Star Rating: 5 Stars

Summary

‘An excellent mystery, intertwined with a little romance, monkey business and a travel adventure of a lifetime. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’