News, Press & Reviews

Another Scandal in Tunbridge Wells?
Tea Museum Under Intense Scrutiny After Famous Skeleton Unearthed

Uhrichsville, OH— Just when you think the culinary capers are over…

Another mystery is brewing at the Royal Tunbridge Wells Tea Museum in Kent, England, and super sleuths Nigel Owen, executive director, and Dr. Felicity “Flick” Adams, chief curator, find themselves embroiled in the case of The Final Crumpet (August 2005, Barbour Publishing, $9.97). Following on the heels of the case of poisoned lingonberries in Dead as a Scone, The Final Crumpet by Ron and Janet Benrey serves up another scandalous blend of secrets, deception, and murder.

After surviving the murder of a well-known trustee, it appears the tea museum holds even more secrets when a skeleton is unearthed beneath the Assam tea trees in the tea garden. But, in true CSI fashion, this is no ordinary skeleton. It’s the illustrious Etienne Makepeace, the dashing “English Tea Sage” and radio personality who vanished more than 40 years ago. And, he has a gunshot in his head.

Makepeace’s skeleton is barely warm when its discovery begins to raise questions with serious implications for the museum. Nigel and Flick are in the midst of securing millions of pounds of financing to purchase the Hawker Collection of Antiquities from the founders of the museum. When the bank learns of the unearthing of the famous skeleton, it demands Nigel and Flick ensure Makepeace had no scandalous connection to the museum. And they want an answer in 10 days. At the same time, the pair faces questions from the press as to whether the museum will create an exhibit on Makepeace and his contributions to Britain’s tea heritage.

As Nigel and Flick begin to dig into Makepeace’s past, they stumble on more then either had anticipated: two mysterious men who claim they ghostwrote—and plagiarized—all of Makepeace’s material; the former tea museum director who believes Makepeace worked for Britian’s intelligence agency; and a man who only refers to himself as “Anonymous Bystander,” who infers that Makepeace, a known womanizer, died at the hands of a jealous husband.

So, who really was Etienne Makepeace? And, why were his remains buried in the tea garden? Nigel and Flick struggle to sort through the clues before the bank pulls its financing, but someone doesn’t want them to ever find out.

Ron Benrey has written more than a thousand bylined magazine articles, 6 published books on technical topics, and scores of major speeches for the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of
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The Final Crumpet/Barbour Publishing/2.2

Technology. A native of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England, Janet Benrey has experience as a successful entrepreneur, a professional photographer, and an executive recruiter. Over the years, Janet has written magazine articles for consumer, business, and special interest publications before working in books. Together, they are the authors of three books in the Pippa Hunnechurch series, including Little White Lies and The Second Mile. Ron and Janet love to sail as much as they love to write and make their home in Maryland.

Barbour Publishing has created an in-store merchandising kit to promote the series. Retailers should contact their Barbour sales representative to receive the kit and sign up for the promotion.

Coming August 2005…The Final Crumpet, Ron and Janet Benrey, Barbour Publishing, 5 3/16 x 8, softcover, 352 pages, $9.97, ISBN: 1-59310-870-2

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May 25, 2006

Related Authors

• Ron Benrey

• Janet Benrey

Related Books

• Dead As A Scone (Trade Paper)

• Final Crumpet, The (Trade Paper)