Reviews

Death in a Budapest Butterfly by Julia Buckley

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition

4.0

Death in a Budapest Butterfly is the first novel in A Hungarian Tea House Mystery series written by Julia Buckley (A Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series). Hana Keller is twenty-six years old and of Hungarian descent. Hungarian food and the culture are a big part of the family’s lives. We get a comprehensive account of the various Hungarian dishes prepared. It was interesting to learn more about the Hungarian culture, cuisine, traditions and folklore. I wish, though, that the Hungarian words had come with a pronunciation guide (next to each word). Hana works with her mother (Maggie Keller) and her grandmother (Juliana Horvath) to run Maggie’s Tea House which features high tea and delicious pastries made by Francois, a French culinary student. I enjoyed hearing about Hana’s teacup collection. The mystery starts off with a bang early in the book. Since many of the suspects are Hungarian, Detective Wolf asks them to be present while he conducts interviews to help with translations. This allows readers to be introduced to various characters plus we find out what they knew about the victim. Hana stays involved in the case as she uncovers information and relays it to Det. Wolf. While I was able to pinpoint the who, I did not know the why. Clues are revealed as Hana talks to various people in the community. I appreciated that we are given all the details of the murder for a complete wrap-up. There were instant sparks between the single Hana and the fetching detective. Hana’s grandmother is happy to give them nudge or two since she would like to see Hana wed. Erik Wolf needs more fleshing out because I thought he was one-dimensional (lacks life). There is a hint that Hana and her grandmother have special psychic abilities. I hope this will feature more prominently in future books. Julia Buckley is a detail oriented writer. She needs to find a balance between not enough and too much which would greatly help the flow and pacing of the book (in my opinion). My favorite phrase was when Detective Wolf said to Hana, “You’ve got the bug, haven’t you? Solving puzzles exhilarates you.” I can certainly understand the feeling. There are recipes at the end for Chicken Paprikash, dumplings and stuffed cabbage. Death in a Budapest Butterfly has Hungarian charm, dainty teacups, a poisoned patsy, a canny killer, a dashing detective, and a neophyte sleuth. 3.5 out of 5 stars

kimdavishb's review against another edition

5.0

DEATH IN A BUDAPEST BUTTERFLY, the first in the new Hungarian Tea House Mystery series by Julia Buckley, is a delightful introduction to the author’s Hungarian culture. It’s packed full of mystery, folklore, and three generations of strong women who run Maggie’s Tea House. The protagonist, Hana Keller, along with her mother, Maggie, and grandmother, Juliana, are known for serving European High Tea and specialty events with a Hungarian flair. Ms. Buckley did an outstanding job capturing the essence of the Hungarian community through the use of vernacular and accents added to speech between the characters. Her introduction of Hungarian heritage via myths and legends, along with amazing food descriptions, added to the authenticity of the setting. The characters are well-developed and I enjoyed the touch of paranormal, especially with Grandma Juliana and her tea leaf readings.

When a woman is murdered with poisoned tea served from Hana’s special butterfly tea cup during one of the Tea House events, she gets involved in the investigation to help clear the Tea House’s reputation after clients start cancelling. Detective Wolf, the investigator, pulls Hana, her mother, and her grandmother into the interviews, to help translate the Hungarian spoken by the event’s attendees. These scenes add some light humor as the women help the detective understand their culture, plus it gives Hana an insider’s opportunity to sort out the clues from the witnesses. As the book progresses, so does Hana’s involvement with the detective, and a romance blossoms. Clues were liberally sprinkled throughout the plot but instead of trying to guess, I sat back and enjoyed the story as it unfolded until I’d read the very last page.

Hana’s grandmother is quite the accomplished cook and I was excited to see the author includes recipes for several of her own family’s Hungarian dishes.

I was provided an advance copy via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

karinlib's review against another edition

4.0

Ever since I went with my husband on a river cruise on the Danube, which included Budapest, I have been drawn to all books that have something to do with Hungary. Hungarian authors such as Sandor Marai, Magda Szabo and Miklos Banffy have been wonderful to read. So as soon as I this title, I knew I had to pre-order it.

I really enjoyed all the Hungarian culture included in this book.

sammy6738's review

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

guk's review

4.0

My mom picked this book up because of our recent visit to Budapest and thought that I would enjoy it too. Hanna helps her mom and grandma run a Hungarian tea shop. They are shocked when a woman is murdered at one of their parties and Hanna helps the investigation with her insight into the Hungarian community. Unlike some cozy mysteries, this plot seemed to make sense and the characters were interesting. The little bit of romance was nice too. I read this in an afternoon and had a delightful time.

abigaillaurawriter's review

4.0

I loved this book so much! It was a cozy, adorable, sweet, interesting mystery. I loved all the characters, the fact that the main one has two cats, they love story and the overall feel of the book. The mystery was good and I didn’t guess the murderer! I definitely recommend this book!

thislibrarylife's review

Needed to ready for my cozy mystery book club and ran out of time. 

bookwoman37's review

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 I enjoyed this author's other cozy series and this one did not disappoint. This is the first book in a new series. Hana and her family own and operate a Hungarian Tea House is suburban Chicago. During a ladies tea one of the guests is poisoned. The local police need Hana's help navigating the Hungarian language and culture to solve the crime. I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. The author does a really good job with capturing the immigrant and Hungarian culture. I loved how she incorporated the Hungarian fairy tales and myths into the mystery. The mystery was good with enough suspects to make it interesting. There is some romance and I felt it was introduced too quickly. I look for word to reading the next book in the series. Enjoy 

cradlow's review

mysterious relaxing

5.0

alicechannington's review against another edition

3.0

I skimmed the book for Hungarian tales. Why have I never heard about Hungarian fairy tales?! In spite of the fact I read everything about Hungarian culture considering my great-great-grandmother came to USA with her parents and her sisters to start a new life in Maryland.

I generally don’t like reading mysteries hence the three stars, but I picked it up from the library when I read that it had Hungarian fairy tales. Now my goal is to find a book about Hungarian Fairy Tales, to add to my other fairy tales collection. Peace out.