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Julia Buckley: Hungarian Tea House Mysteries

Death in a Budapest Butterfly (A HUNGARIAN TEA HOUSE MYSTERY Book 1) Sometimes I come across a writer who is such a compelling storyteller that I just have to try her other series. When I was looking for a series to try as part of my  Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series posts, I found one of Julia Buckley’s series, the Hungarian Tea House Mysteries, and am I glad I did. And, it turns out that this is the second series of hers that is part of this series of posts. So, that’s a long-winded introduction just to say that Julia Buckley’s Death in a Budapest Butterfly is the book I’m highlighting this month.

Death in a Budapest Butterfly is written in the first person by Hana Keller who is the soon to be twenty seven year old who runs Maggies’ Tea House, along with her mother and grandmother. As the name of the series suggests, the tea house is very Hungarian. Both Hana’s mother and grandmother were immigrants, and the tea house sits in a fictional very Hungarian neighborhood, and the story begins with the three proprietors of the tea house preparing for a meeting of the almost wholly Hungarian women’s group, the Magyars. 

Suffice it to say that before long there is a mysterious death in the tea house which is soon determined to be a murder. Hana becomes a sort of liaison with the handsome detective, helping him understand the ins and outs of this immigrant society. She also gathers evidence on her own.

In the course of the story, we learn quite a lot about the Hungarian immigrant society. The author, Julia Buckley, comes by this information quite naturally, as her Author’s Note, at the end of the book describes. Her paternal grandparents were both born in what was then part of Hungary, at the beginning of the twentieth century.

You know, it is not unusual nowadays for a Cozy Mystery to get all of the elements right: an attractive (and often) young sleuth, a theme that creates a small close-knit community that transports us into a world with which we are not familiar, a handsome detective providing at least the possibility of a bit of romance, a bunch of unusual recipes, and even a couple of cute cats. Unfortunately, however, it is more uncommon than I would like for all of these elements to be woven together into a compelling story that creates a real page-turning read that is so hard to put down. Death in a Budapest Butterfly is one of the good ones for sure.

So, of course, I give Death in a Budapest Butterfly a wholehearted and enthusiastic recommendation.  

Julia Buckley also writes, as Veronica Bond, the Dinner and a Murder Mystery series.

If you’d like to see other entries about some of the most recommended Cozy Mystery authors, be sure to check out the Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

Comments

  1. I might have to give this a try. My paternal grandparents both emigrated from Slovakia (formerly part of the Austria-Hungarian Empire) in 1906. My maternal side is Irish & love alot of Irish cozies, so I guess I’ll have to work on the other side now, lol.

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  3. Thank you for reminding me of this series! I read the first two books, never got around (then forgot about) the third. As soon as I’ve read the eight books (all mysteries) I have on loan from my library, I’ll look for the 3rd in this series and also “Dark and Stormy Murder” in her Writer’s Apprentice series, which also sounds good.

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  4. Sounds really intriguing ! I find that good writing–really, really good writing–is often hard to come by. I’ll give this a look.

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  5. This series sounds wonderful. Although, being Cuban, I LIVE for coffee, I also enjoy tea. In fact, I have a cup of Twinings Lady Grey steeping, as I type.

    Also, every time I see a Cozy Mystery Series focusing on tea, I think of a client, who is also subscribed to my YouTube Channel. She only drinks tea, and that makes her even more wonderful (smile).

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  6. I’m so happy to see you highlight this series as it is one of my favorites. I almost didn’t read it because of the somewhat odd title but I was so glad that I did. The other two books in the series are just as good if not better than the first. The characters are fascinating and I have enjoyed learning about the Hungarian community. I keep checking for a new entry in the series -I would hate to see it end with just three books.

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  8. Read the book and and really enjoyed it. I am part Hungarian so that made it even better. Some of the food was bringing back memories.
    Good writer.

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  9. I love this series! Smart and romantic. And now I want to visit a tea house! And of course I googled the beautiful china that Hana collects.

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  12. I’ve enjoyed all of Julia Buckley’s books–just wish she was more prolific! The Hungarian Tea Room series is wonderful; Buckley writes with a great sense of place–I can almost taste the tea and food and join the conversations! I wish she would continue the series.
    I also like her Writer’s Apprentice and Undercover Dish series.

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  13. Thank you for bringing the author Julia Buckley to my attention 🙂 . Once again i learn of a promising author or tv show from your blog 🙂

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  14. I’m in a Tea and Cozy bookclub at our library. I mentioned that Julia Buckley is one of my favorite authors. The librarian hosting the club said Julia used to be her English teacher. Julia just retired so I’m hoping that means she will be continuing her series for all of us readers.

    Reply

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