Hana Keller serves up European-style cakes and teas in her family-owned tea house, but when a customer keels over from a poisoned cuppa, Hana and her tea-leaf reading grandmother will have to help catch a killer in the first Hungarian Tea House Mystery from Julia Buckley. Hana Keller and her family run Maggie’s Tea House, an establishment heavily influenced by the family’s Hungarian heritage and … Hungarian heritage and specializing in a European-style traditional tea service. But one of the shop’s largest draws is Hana’s eccentric grandmother, Juliana, renowned for her ability to read the future in the leaves at the bottom of customers’ cups. Lately, however, her readings have become alarmingly ominous and seemingly related to old Hungarian legends…
When a guest is poisoned at a tea event, Juliana’s dire predictions appear to have come true. Things are brought to a boil when Hana’s beloved Anna Weatherley butterfly teacup becomes the center of the murder investigation as it carried the poisoned tea. The cup is claimed as evidence by a handsome police detective, and the pretty Tea House is suddenly endangered. Hana and her family must catch the killer to save their business and bring the beautiful Budapest Butterfly back home where it belongs.
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Julia Buckley’s delightful new series debut… includes three generations of strong, intelligent women, craving-inducing discussions of food, and a fascinating background of Hungarian culture along with a dandy mystery.
Death in a Budapest Butterfly is the first novel in A Hungarian Tea House Mystery series written by Julia Buckley (A Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series). Hana Keller is twenty-six years old and of Hungarian descent. Hungarian food and the culture are a big part of the family’s lives. We get a comprehensive account of the various Hungarian dishes prepared. It was interesting to learn more about the Hungarian culture, cuisine, traditions and folklore. I wish, though, that the Hungarian words had come with a pronunciation guide (next to each word). Hana works with her mother (Maggie Keller) and her grandmother (Juliana Horvath) to run Maggie’s Tea House which features high tea and delicious pastries made by Francois, a French culinary student. I enjoyed hearing about Hana’s teacup collection. The mystery starts off with a bang early in the book. Since many of the suspects are Hungarian, Detective Wolf asks them to be present while he conducts interviews to help with translations. This allows readers to be introduced to various characters plus we find out what they knew about the victim. Hana stays involved in the case as she uncovers information and relays it to Det. Wolf. While I was able to pinpoint the who, I did not know the why. Clues are revealed as Hana talks to various people in the community. I appreciated that we are given all the details of the murder for a complete wrap-up. There were instant sparks between the single Hana and the fetching detective. Hana’s grandmother is happy to give them nudge or two since she would like to see Hana wed. Erik Wolf needs more fleshing out because I thought he was one-dimensional (lacks life). There is a hint that Hana and her grandmother have special psychic abilities. I hope this will feature more prominently in future books. Julia Buckley is a detail oriented writer. She needs to find a balance between not enough and too much which would greatly help the flow and pacing of the book (in my opinion). My favorite phrase was when Detective Wolf said to Hana, “You’ve got the bug, haven’t you? Solving puzzles exhilarates you.” I can certainly understand the feeling. There are recipes at the end for Chicken Paprikash, dumplings and stuffed cabbage. Death in a Budapest Butterfly has Hungarian charm, dainty teacups, a poisoned patsy, a canny killer, a dashing detective, and a neophyte sleuth.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Welcome to Maggie’s Tea House where Hana, her mother Maggie, and grandmother Juliana, serve cakes and tea focused on the family’s Hungarian heritage. A real treat is that Juliana can read tea leaves and predict the future. The ladies have a vast tea service collection for their customers and Hana has a private collection too. She just added a beautiful butterfly cup, one that she has put on display at their latest event.
With the event well underway Maggie notices her cup is not where she left, but on a table being used by a woman, she doesn’t recognize. Her grandmother is busy reading leaves and Hana overhears some ominous predictions. She looks back to see the woman who was using her cup hurrying off to the bathroom. After a few minutes, Hana heads that way to find the woman dead.
Detective Erik Wolf arrives on the scene, the butterfly cup is bagged as evidence and he and his partner start getting everyone’s information. When he does start questioning witnesses he asks for Hana, Maggie, and Juliana’s help because they are familiar with the woman and the Hungarian language. With their business labeled as a crime scene, they agree but that doesn’t stop them from doing some snooping on their own.
This series is off to a fine start!
Hana Keller is 26 years old and still single much to her mother and grandmother’s dismay. She lives with her cats Anthony & Cleopatra and she has a passion for promoting her family’s Hungarian culture. Her mother Maggie is the force behind the tea house, but her grandmother is also very involved. I really enjoyed getting to know them, but feel we have just scratched the surface of who they are. There is a thread that purposed that Hana may have a gift similar to her grandmother that seems to have skipped her mother’s generation. I am interested to see how this is featured in future stories.
We are also meet several women/suspects from the neighborhood, the hunky Detective Wolf and his partner. Detective Benton. We are also introduced to pastry chef Francois, Hana’s brother Domo, and her dad too. It is a large cast but the author takes time to make each unique and has left plenty of room for growth. There are some sparks between Hana and Detective Wolf but it is very early in the series and hard to classify as a relationship YET, but we know where they are headed.
The mystery was filled with intrigue. I did like that Hana and Detective Wolf stayed in constant communication and she passed on everything she uncovered. I was also pleased that the family was not automatically pegged as suspects and were treated with respect whenever they needed to answer questions. There were twists and turns too and clues were released in unique ways. The author’s detailed writing style played well for this type of plot.
The Hungarian theme and language continued throughout the story. I had known a little about the culture and was happy to learn more. When Detective Wolf was around it was necessary for words to be translated and as a reader, not familiar with the language that was appreciated. I love that recipes are included in the back of the book. To learn that Grandma Juliana is partly based on the author’s grandmother brought me even more joy about this book. What a wonderful to pay tribute to someone important in her life.
I found Death in a Budapest Butterfly to be delightfully entertaining. I want to get to know these characters better and visit the tea room again soon.
Hana is a smart and engaging heroine with just the right amount of sass.
I was drawn to this book because of the teahouse. I’m studying to become an herbalist, and making tea is a daily event for me, so I love reading stories that revolve around it. And this being the start of a new cozy mystery series made it that much more enticing!
Also, I read and really enjoyed the first book, A Dark and Stormy Murder, in A Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series by Buckley, so I was pretty confident this would be a good book.
I know nothing about Hungary or it’s legends, so that aspect was also very interesting to me. Legends and folklore always add a unique layer to fiction, and learning about cultures this way has always fascinated me. And
I always look at the recipes at the end of cozies, but have never made any of them. With the Hungarian recipes that Buckley has included though, they actually seem pretty easy to make and super tasty. Maybe I’ll finally make something.
For me, cozies need to have good character development, and Buckley has a real talent for it. I enjoyed watching the different generations interact with each other, and you could see the love that Buckley has for her own heritage through these characters. I’m excited to read more about Hana and her family, and see where Buckley takes this series next.
So often in cozies, the heroine is not believed by the police and greatly discouraged with their investigating. Buckley did something I really like, and have been seeing more of recently in newer cozies, the detective actually worked with Hana and didn’t tell her continually to stop investigating. Det. Wolf even told her a couple of times she should become a cop because she has such an inquisitive nature. This is such a refreshing change.
Even better, Det. Wolf believed Hana and her grandmother when they started sharing information that came to them from their feelings and psychic powers. He didn’t believe them right away, but came around quickly enough, and didn’t ever make them feel like they were crazy. It is nice to see open channels of communication and encouragement in a cozy mystery.
Buckley also handled the romance part of the book well, not only between Hana and Det. Wolf, but with all the other couples. It was sweet seeing older couples still in love, and Hana’s brother trying to encourage his girlfriend to become more part of the world. I’m happy that Buckley doesn’t make use wait forever to see if Hana and the detective will be together, and am looking forward to see how everyone’s relationships continue.
As for the mystery itself, Buckley had me guessing through most of the book. The clues and red herrings she left were the perfect amount. And the final reveal was handled really well. I’m excited to see what Buckley comes up with for the next book in the Hungarian Teahouse Mystery series!
Series: A Hungarian Tea House Mystery – Book 1
Author: Julia Buckley
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Coffee/Tea Shop/Paranormal
Publisher: Berkley
Page Count: 304
Publishing Date: July 30, 2019
The first cozy book Death in a Budapest Butterfly in a new series “A Hungarian Tea House Mystery “from author Julia Buckley hits stores on July 30, 2019, published by Berkley.
This new series has stout, gifted women, tasty food, exotic teas, a delightful teacup collection, and a look at Hungarian culture. There are plenty of recipes and tasty treats for those who spend time at Maggie’s Tea House. The main character, Hana, is stubborn, set in her ways and at times naïve. Her mother and grandmother are special and love what they do. Hana’s budding relationship with Detective Wolf will be interesting to watch. With just a hint of the paranormal, this cozy book will make readers smile.
Although this is a sweet story and the murder itself intriguing, there was just a bit too much emphasis on the Hungarian side of the women’s lives. There are times when the reader may have to remind themselves that this book is set in modern-day America. The cultural aspects are fun but seem to be used more for filler than real background information on the characters. I would like to see the paranormal aspects of the three women more defined and enlarged in future books as I felt this was one of the more engaging inclusions in the storyline.
Ms. Buckley knows how to write a cozy book. Her story is littered with twists and turns, insightful commentary, and heartfelt family values. Death in a Budapest Butterfly is a cozy book that will entertain readers of all types of mysteries.
I am looking forward to seeing the direction this series takes, and the continued development of the characters.
A Budapest Butterfly china teacup is a thing of
beauty but can it be turned into a weapon of death??
Hana Keller sets up a special display for the Anna
Weatherley butterfly teacup in Maggie’s Tea House
for a function hosting a group of Hungarian women.
Somehow the teacup is removed from the display. A
Hungarian saying is written inside the cup, poison
added then the cup is served to one of the attendees
by a non employee of the Tea House. After drinking
from the cup, she dies. Who removed the cup, added
poison to the team and gave it to the woman???
This is a very informative read as the reader will learn
about Hungarian customs, folklore, common saying and
many delicious Hungarian food specialties.
Hana, her mother, her grandmother and her mother have
a paranormal gift of sight which will aid in the solving of
the murder.
Characters are vivid, very colorful, well define, quirky
and extremely interesting. There are several fur babies
that add to the story: Hana’s cats: Anthony & Cleopatra
(one black & one gray), Boris the wolfhound, Serena the
Siamese cat, Inspektor the store cat and a Major a house
cat.
The plot is complicated by mixing the past and present.
It is a fast moving story, intense with plenty of thrills and
chills, intrigue plus some humor and romance.
This is the first book in the A Hungarian Tea House Mysteries
series. A very enjoyable read!!!
Hungarian Recipes included at the end of book.
I volunteered to read Death in a Budapest Butterfly. Thanks
to Penguin’s First-to-Read Program for the opportunity.
My opinion is my own.
Hanna Keller works with her family at Maggie’s Tea House, the family’s European-style tea house. Hanna’s grandmother is a big draw to the business as she reads tea leaves, predicting the future, for customers.
When a local Hungarian women’s club hosts a tea at Maggie’s some of Grandma’s readings are dark and before she can finish Hanna finds one of the guests in the restroom, deceased. Her death is labeled a homicide and business is affected by an article implying the tea house is somehow responsible due to negligence.
This is the first book in the Hungarian Tea House Mystery series. I can’t believe I put off reading this book for so long. I enjoyed it very much. The characters are interesting and realistic. I like the sprinkle of Hungarian culture throughout the story. I do which the author included a pronunciation guide as many of the Hungarian words are difficult to decipher without help. The plot is very engaging and I didn’t want to put the book down. I recommend this book and will be reading the next book soon!
I enjoyed this author’s other cozy series and this one did not disappoint. This is the first book in a new series. Hana and her family own and operate a Hungarian Tea House is suburban Chicago. During a ladies tea one of the guests is poisoned. The local police need Hana’s help navigating the Hungarian language and culture to solve the crime. I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. The author does a really good job with capturing the immigrant and Hungarian culture. I loved how she incorporated the Hungarian fairy tales and myths into the mystery. The mystery was good with enough suspects to make it interesting. There is some romance and I felt it was introduced too quickly. I look for word to reading the next book in the series. Enjoy
Wonderful story filled with Hungarian folklore and Hungarian food. I really enjoyed this story and learning some of the Hungarian stories of mythical creatures. After a woman is poisoned at Hana’s family’s tea room, she is on the hunt to find a killer and save the reputation of the Tea room. I loved the relationship between Hana, her mother, and grandmother. Hana’s relationship with Detective Wolf was fun to watch develop as well. I highly recommend this series and can’t wait to read more!!