Tempers in a Teapot

Tempers in a Teapot photo

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All the world’s a stage, and the people of Blarney Green, Ireland, are the players—at least when it comes to the local thespians putting on a musical in the Saints and Scholars Theater, a repurposed stone church in the heart of town. Former matchmaker Penny Cavanagh prefers her owner-in-training post at The Merry Teapot to acting, happy to let her friend and coworker Octavia O’Reilly take the spotlight. However, Penny is drawn into the drama when Octavia asks her to counsel fellow actress Delia Gittan on her complicated romantic life, but the scene turns tragic when Delia falls from the theater tower before she can take Penny’s advice. 

Although Delia’s death could have been an accident, enough curious clues surface to make Penny—and the local garda, including her boyfriend, Detective Inspector Finn Campbell—suspect foul play. Suspicious events at the theater raise the stakes further, and Penny finds herself cast in the role of Octavia’s protector, a position that gives her a front-row seat to the trouble brewing behind the scenes at Saints and Scholars. 

Who is to blame for Delia’s demise? From jealous castmates to the actress’s jilted beaus to a director with something to hide, Penny’s list of suspects grows with every rehearsal. If she’s not careful in her mission to unmask a murderer, she might just break more than a leg before the final curtain falls. 

The Characters

When professional matchmaker Penny  Cavanagh gets caught up in the scandal of a high-profile breakup, she decides it’s time for a vacation. She travels to Blarney Green, Ireland, to visit her grandmother, Nan Murphy, and her favorite cousin Nora. She plans to stay only for a few weeks. Unbeknownst to Penny, they intend for her to stay in Ireland indefinitely to take over Nan’s tearoom, The Merry Teapot. But none of them could know how much trouble is about to fall on Blarney Green.

Nan has barely missed a day of work at The Merry Teapot in 70 years, but she won’t be able to keep up that pace forever. It’s time to ensure the future of her family’s tearoom is safe in the hands of the next generation, and if she can kill two birds with one stone by convincing her granddaughter Penny to move to Ireland and take it over, all the better. Unfortunately, the suspicious death of a tearoom guest is not making for a warm welcome.

Professional artist Nora Murphy is delighted when her favorite cousin arrives in Ireland. Maybe it’s because she grew up with six brothers, but she and Penny have always been close, even when they were far apart. She knows they’ll have all kinds of fun together, especially if Nora can convince Penny to stay in Ireland and move into the tower house she calls home. But when English master gardener Colin Bexley, whom Nora knows from her time in London, is dead within hours of leaving the tearoom and kissing the Blarney Stone, things aren’t looking so good.

Finn Campbell has spent years working his way up through the ranks of Ireland’s police force, Garda Síochána. Now he’s heading the station in his hometown of Blarney Green. He’s near his widowed mother, Linda, who insists that she doesn’t need his help, but he likes being on hand just in case. He’s dated casually, but he’s never found the right woman—until Penny Cavanaugh arrives in town. As the 1384th heir in line for the royal throne, he might just turn out to be her very own Prince Charming. He’d love to ask her out. If he can just keep her out of danger long enough. . .

Irresistibly cute, Earl and Grey come and go as they please between Nan’s cottage and the nearby tearoom. Earl is spunky and sweet but a little on the clumsy side and not quite as good at sneaking around as the typical cat. Grey on the other hand is wise, stealthy, and clever. They have both been known to help their humans uncover clues and solve mysteries.