When Naomi Front moves her teenage daughter, Ella, to the small town of Fayette, all she hopes for is a new start after an ugly divorce. But the mother-and-daughter duo have a rocky start on day one—finding the corpse of the local busybody in their storage shed. Welcomed into their neighbors’ house when the police arrive, Naomi and Ella quickly learn that the victim on their property is not likely to be missed. Gossiping over Earl Grey and biscuits, Barbara and Ingrid spill the tea about Fayette’s notoriously nosy citizen—Yasmin LeFluer. She never knew how to mind her own business and was even quicker to make enemies. Among her ex-husband, her sibling, and her friends, it seems the list of suspects will run long. Adjusting to a new home is hard enough. Faced with a murder victim having been shoved into her shed, though, Naomi struggles to get her footing. To make matters worse, Ella seems too intrigued, teaming up with Barbara and Ingrid, both to learn more about Fayette and how Yasmin wound up dead in their shed. As the case drags on, more danger lurks in the shadows. It’s plenty to worry Naomi, and it’s fodder for her ex-husband to stir up more trouble about Ella’s custody. With the help of their tea-loving neighbors, can Naomi and Ella find Yasmin’s killer? If they don’t, there’s no telling if their new take on life will be over before it truly begins.

Two months into her position as Assistant Principal Paul’s secretary, Naomi Front enjoys the feeling of finally having a solid job and a new life away from her ex. Ella, her teen, has a best friend and is finding her place. Their neighbors, Barbara and Ingrid, have adopted them as family. Life should be good, but work is not. Dealing with faculty bickering and irate parents nit-picking, Naomi wonders if she wants to keep this job. Add in the fact the school is preparing for yet another levy, and financial headaches are thrown into the mix. When Naomi is sent to the archives in the basement, she finds the body of Tom Werner. All-around jerk and quick to temper, the baseball coach doesn’t seem like a person anyone in Fayette will miss. The school is closed until Chief Mooney can solve the case. Unlike the last time Naomi found a corpse, she’s asked to help with this mystery. As someone who works the front office, she’s an insider this time. Being included doesn’t mean it’s easier. With a runaway witness and foiled evidence, it seems impossible to figure out who killed Tom. Ella, Barbara, and Ingrid join forces to sleuth their way through this whodunit, racing against time so classes can be resumed. Despite their team effort, they wonder if they’ll find the killer or lose more time down dead-ends of old drama that should remain in the past.

Naomi and Ella have embraced many firsts since moving to the small town of Fayette. Now that school’s out, the mother-and-daughter duo stays busy helping their neighbors prepare for their tea shop opening on Main Street. Delays and obstacles pop up from the beginning—competition for the building, deliveries showing up too soon, and Barbara and Ingrid disagreeing on the details. But nothing throws a wrench in the plans like the health inspector being poisoned on site. Owen Zenna was supposed to help them plan renovations for the second floor. Now that he’s dead, the enigma of his murder complicates Naomi’s efforts of getting Tea Time ready. Most of all, the women are pressed with the urgency to identify who would poison one of their own. If such a crime could happen before they open, what would they do if it occurred on their watch, with their drinks? Chief Mooney and his officers try to crack the case, following the tips and leads from everyone within proximity of the drugged beverage. Despite so many people being near it, no one seems to have a clue. Without an answer, Naomi can’t help but feel Tea Time is doomed. Among love spats, quarreling neighbors, old grudges, and family disagreements, plenty could have had a motive to poison the know-it-all health inspector. When another person is found dead among the renovation debris at Tea Time, it seems Naomi needs to consider the possibility this new adventure of managing a tea shop might be over before it even starts.