This is NOT a cozy mystery. It's a collection of annoying characters who are trying to be endearing. the mystery is...not interesting at all. The narration tries to make you care for the characters and their stories, but it feels forced. Many of the moments that are supposed to make you daydream about homecooked food or delicious tea feel unearned. Vera is incredibly frustrating and it feels like her actions and behavior are being excused all the time. The rest of the main characters are meek and self-deprecating as a result of trauma inflicted upon them by exactyl the kind of person that Vera is. Pretty quickly I didn't even care about who killed Marshall. This book tries to be so many things... It completely fails at meshing a lighthearted mystery with really intense and taxing character studies.

A cozy mystery is supposed to be a lighthearted, low stakes, fast-paced read. This is none of those things.