Reading: DEATH IN A BUDAPEST BUTTERFLY - Julia Buckley

Though mysteries - and particularly cozy mysteries - have been one of my biggest loves as a reader for some time, in the last couple of years I've gotten more ... picky about my tastes in the genre; to me, only a fraction of cozies I read today give me the same satisfaction they used to, mainly because of what has become fairly generic/formulaic plotting, the lack of real clues that build up to a logical conclusion as to the identity of the killer (I was spoiled by Agatha Christie since age 12), or - worse - the intrusion of a romantic storyline that, instead of being an extension of the main character's life or world, becomes almost more important than the mystery. So imagine my relief and excitement when a cozy comes along that breaks these negative trends; one with good plotting, characters I truly care about, and writing that comes off engaging and fresh. Such is book one of the Hungarian Tea House mystery series, a wonderfully-written mystery that finds Hana Keller playing amateur sleuth when a customer in her family's tea shop drops dead, poisoned - with spiked tea served to the victim in Hana's newly-acquired treasure, the one-of-a-kind Budapest Butterfly teacup. I immediately loved Hana and her family, in particular Hana's tea leaf-reading grandmother - an old-school, no-nonsense lady from Hungary who may or may not have psychic ability. Everything flows so naturally and wonderfully in the book: Hana takes up the investigation as amateur sleuth to defend both her family's reputation and avenge the use of her precious keepsake in the murder, and even when she finds herself attracted to the lead detective investigating the crime, never ever does this budding romance overtake the story or intrude on the book's central mystery. Indeed, again, all the character's here come across so real on the page, it's as if I knew them - or would like to. The police investigation, as well as Hana's own poking around in the case, reveal clues that build logically and realistically to a satisfying reveal of the killer and motive behind the murder. Best yet, author Julia Buckley has tied nearly every aspect of it all into Hungarian folklore and/or the backstory of more than a few of the Hungarian characters in the book, making the cozy come off not just original but genuinely interesting a read. Death in a Budapest Butterfly is nothing short of a terrific opener to a new series, a fresh and solid debut that guarantees this reviewer's place at the head of the line for future installments.  4.5/5 stars