Chai Another Day

Nothing sounds my peaceful than going to a yoga class and then to a massage, and Pepper Reece is looking forward to both of those events. In Chai Another Day by Leslie Budewitz, Pepper's tranquil massage is interrupted by a medical emergency.

As her friend and massage therapist Seetha rushes downstairs to help, Pepper struggles into her clothes and goes downstairs to her other friend Aimee's vintage decor shop. There she finds Seetha covered in blood, Aimee looking like she is going to faint and someone surrounded by emergency medical technicians. The victim turns out to be Aimee's employee, Joelle, and she has been stabbed to death. 

Shocked and frightened for her friends, Pepper tries to soothe Seetha's anxiety. After the three have been questioned by the police, Pepper helps Seetha gather her things and head to another friend's house. 

As Pepper recalls events, she remembers catching snatches of what sounded like an

argument before she went to Seetha's office. Could she have overheard the murder arguing with Joelle? Could she have interceded and stopped the crime?

At her Pike Place Market Spice Shop, Pepper is planning her fall and winter lineup even though Seattle is experiencing very hot weather. She'd like to add chai to her teas, but wants to make an authentic brew similar to the one Seetha's mother sends her from Boston. 

When Pepper's main suspect winds up murdered, she realizes she has been looking in the wrong direction.

I love these books and every time I read them, I start to plan a trip back to Seattle. This time I mean it. We are going next year.