Book Review (and a Giveaway!): Who Lit the Whistling Kettle by Marilyn Leach

WHO LIT THE WHISTLING KETTLE? by Marilyn Leach
SERIES: A Tibbyhill Lane Teashop Mystery #1
GENRE: Cozy/British Mystery (Clean/Inspirational)
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2021
PAGES: 265

Something’s burning at Tibbyhill Lane Teashop and it’s not the scones.

Poppy Ellis has exchanged London urban grind for a rural waterside teashop. But her kettle’s not the only thing firing up and her two spirited aunts keep the heat on high.

When a boat docked outside Poppy’s back door bursts into flames on opening day, a loved one is fingered by the police as the arsonist. Handsome solicitor, Andrew St John, steps in to assist and village gossip explodes. Poppy’s determined sense of justice steams into action.

Things get even hotter: a dead body is found nearby in the canal. Despite her urban insights regularly bumping heads with rural sensibilities, she cooks up a plan to catch the culprit. But will she…and her teashop…survive it all?

Colorful village characters, a feisty cat, one legal ‘stuffed shirt’, an unexpected guest, and the village vicar’s wife, Poppy’s best friend, all serve up a cupful of tasty whodunit.

Other Books In This Series

If you’re looking for a cozy British mystery with charming characters, delicious food, and a clever plot, look no further than Who Lit the Whistling Kettle by Marilyn Leach! The quaint English village is the perfect setting for this charming whodunnit, and I’d love to be a daily customer to Poppy’s tea shop, like Miss Couch, where I could nosh on warm scones and cinnamon buns while reading one of the stocked books. Perhaps, though, I could talk Poppy into some hot chocolate as I’m not really a fan of tea (sorry, Poppy!).

Speaking of the tea shop proprietress, Poppy makes a delightful protagonist with a knack for solving mysteries. Her elderly aunts are a hoot, and I would gladly spend time with this little family in a heartbeat. Completing this impromptu sleuthing gang are Poppy’s best friend Emma, Emma’s husband Rick (the local vicar), and the dashing Andrew St. John – a wealthy solicitor (that’s a lawyer, for my fellow Americans) who pitches in to help when one of Poppy’s nearest & dearest is accused of arson (and maybe murder). Andrew also provides a bit of romantic interest for our dear Poppy, and I enjoyed the chemistry between them. I’m quite curious as to why his family poses a problem for Poppy’s aunts, though, and I may have actually groaned out loud when the forthcoming answer was interrupted. Which now means I’m invested in this series and will likely gobble up any future books post haste.

The mystery in Who Lit the Whistling Kettle is full of surprising twists and turns, many of which I did not anticipate. Solving the crime along with Poppy & her crew will certainly keep you on your toes, despite the book’s relaxed pace, and you may kick yourself (for overlooking important clues) once all the pieces come together. Bits of humor pepper the story with reasons to smile, too, and even the ultimate resolution is as cozy and satisfying as a warm scone. (I’ve been craving one or two of those ever since I started reading this book haha)

Bottom Line: Take a relatable protagonist, two delightful aunts, wonderful friends, and a swoony attorney… add a burning boat, a missing corpse, a deranged cat, and a clever mystery with several layers … stir in a good dose of wit and warm scones (there they are again), and you’ve got all the reasons in the world to read Who Lit the Whistling Kettle by Marilyn Leach! Fans of British cozies will heartily enjoy their time spent on these pages, and the author does a great job of setting the stage – and whetting our interest – for future books. I enjoyed my time at the Tibbyhill Lane Tea Shop, and I’ll definitely be back!

(I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read via Kindle Unlimited. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / enjoyed it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / may forget to breathe on occasion

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At the age of nine, Marilyn Leach wrote her first work with a childhood friend. It was a mystery. And she has been writing ever since. A graduate of Colorado State University, she taught art to underserved children and co-authored several plays and screenplays. Marilyn is a dyed-in-the-wool British enthusiast after “discovering her roots” in England. From the Scottish Boarders to Devon, city buzz to rural church bells, she enjoys excursions with her English friends throughout the beautiful isle that inspires her writing. She lives in a lakeside cottage on the Denver outskirts. Connect with Marilyn at her website.

Marilyn Leach is offering an ebook copy of Who Lit the Whistling Kettle to THREE of my readers! (Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read Who Lit the Whistling Kettle by Marilyn Leach?