The Cryptic Clue by Amanda Hampson

 

The tea ladies are back, and as usual trouble isn't far behind.

Each of the Tea Ladies books are set in a new year in the 1960s and this time it is 1966. After the events of 1965 which were covered in the previous book (my review), it is still a time of great change in the world of fashion, and this time we are not just talking about clothes. The owners at Empire Fashion are trying to find ways to cut costs whilst still allowing for their own whims, and so they are bringing in a fancy new coffee and tea machine. This will mean that Hazel Bates will no longer have a job. And it's not just happening at Empire Fashion. The new machines are appearing everywhere! It is time for all the tea ladies in the city to come together to fight for their jobs. After all, how will businesses remain productive if they don't get their tea breaks.

Hazel, Irene and Betty also join together with a couple of other tea ladies including the formidable sounding Mrs Li to try and figure out a couple of other mysteries as well save their jobs. Irene's good for nothing husband has sent her a cryptic letter from jail just before he dies suggesting that he might have left her something. Problem is Irene can't work out what the heck he was talking about. There are also some odd things happening up at the local Catholic church too. It's a lot to keep track of. 

If I asked you to think of an iconic image for Australia, chances are that you would think of one of a couple of places. One of those would likely would be Sydney Harbour with the Sydney Harbour Bridge on one side and the Opera House on the other. Looking at it now, it's hard to believe that the decision to build the Opera House was very controversial in itself  at the time and that the building project was beset with issues. The Danish architect who designed the now iconic building even left the project before it was completed and returned to Denmark.

This controversy provides a backdrop to the story, especially when Hazel meets a man who is connected with the project. After her heartbreak in the last book, she's not really ready to meet someone new, but sometimes things happen. I also really enjoyed that Hazel is working on herself and learning to do something which has previously held her back. 

It really is the characters who carry these books. I love Hazel who is the person that draws everyone together even if it is around some of her unusually flavoured home made wine, and Irene makes me laugh a lot. A lot of the time there is a degree of silliness around the things that happen to Irene, such as when her everyday hat gets stuck on her head, but it provides a balance to the rest of the story. I also was in turns amused by and then felt sorry for her trying to work out how the new decimal currency works which was introduced in early 1966. Poor Irene tries very hard to get ahead but her very nature gets in the way of herself!

This is another great entry in this series. I already have the third book out from the library. After I have read that one I will just have to wait impatiently for each new book as it comes out. 

I am sharing this review with the Foodies Read challenge hosted at Based on a True Story, with Weekend Cooking and with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, both of which I host! 

Rating 4.5/5