What’s the collective noun for tea ladies? A cosy of tea ladies, of course! It’s an absolute delight to again spend time with these wonderful characters: Hazel Bates, Irene Turnbuckle, Betty Dewsnap and Merl Perlman, as they put their heads together to not only solve a mystery, foil a plot that threatens national security but most importantly, fight to save their very livelihoods.

Hampson has again written a real page-turner. But what sets these books apart from the rest of the cosy crime genre is her eye for the changing cultural landscape of Sydney in 1966. The news reports more Australian boys dying in a war in Vietnam; there is continuing controversy over the building of the new Sydney Opera House and the country is about to convert to decimal currency, causing a lot of confusing.

However the seismic threat to our beloved tea ladies is the introduction of a machine called The Cafe-Bar which promises an end to tea breaks in the workplace: ‘thousands of Australian businesses can testify that with a Cafe-bar in the office, lengthy group tea breaks practically disappear…the Cafe-bar is always on duty and staff tend to have their tea when they want it and keep working while they have it’. Businesses couldn’t resist the appeal of this ‘saving’, but the reality is that the loss of the tea lady and a dedicated tea-break lead to a loss in morale and collegial support. It was a sad day in many workplaces when the tea lady was ‘let go’.

I loved the first Tea Ladies mystery, and I love the second even more! I am thrilled to hear that the third is in publication, as we speak!

Iris Turner has worked for the civil service for seventeen years as a lowly typist. At thirty five, she has led an extremely sheltered life, and likes nothing better than settling into her cosy home after work with a good book and her cat in her lap. But she surprises herself by answering an advertisement for a shorthand typist to work for an English speaker in the South of France.

Iris leaves behind dreary post-war 1950s London for the bucolic French Riviera. The landscape might be breathtaking, but the people she finds herself among are not all they seem. As she struggles to find her feet with her employer Hammond Brooke, the titular perfumer, she discovers a web of intrigue, not to mention an unexplored gift for interpreting the meaning behind aromas. This is hinted at from the beginning of the book, for example a friend who ‘smells of generosity and kindness’, ‘the smell of pure hostility’ from another character, and Iris being ‘hit by the peppery odour associated with friction and discord’.

The French Perfumer is Hampson’s second novel, written in 2017. I read her most recent book, [b:The Tea Ladies|64625125|The Tea Ladies|Amanda Hampson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670467565l/64625125.SY75.jpg|100001743], first. I can definitely see the development of her storytelling skills, but don’t let that deter you from reading this book. It’s full of colourful characters, and it kept me guessing right to the end.

Delightful.

It’s 1965 and the world of fashion is about to be turned on its head by a young English model appearing in a mini-dress at the Flemington Race Day. But before that happens, tea lady Hazel Bates sees a young women in the empty bond building across from her place of work, Empire Fashionwear, who appears to be in distress. When the police don’t seem to be interested, even after the bond building is set on fire, Hazel and her fellow tea ladies join forces to investigate. As they share tea and cake in the back lane adjoining their work places, Hazel, together with Betty (sweet but rather dotty), pipe-smoking Irene (with a shady past) and Merl (who’s son-in-law is a dodgy police officer) find themselves investigating not only arson, but murder.

Many readers won’t remember the invaluable tea lady of old. They were indispensable to the workplace, providing a much needed cuppa and a biscuit or two. They always remembered your name and how you liked your tea, and were a great source of gossip. However, Hazel believes that ‘discretion is the hallmark of a good tea lady’.

In the same vein as [a:Richard Osman|6173710|Richard Osman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1635981852p2/6173710.jpg]’s [b:The Thursday Murder Club|46000520|The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, #1)|Richard Osman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582287822l/46000520.SY75.jpg|70861405], The Tea Ladies introduces us to characters of a certain age, who are full of life and intelligence. These women could easily be overlooked and underestimated, but Hampson shows them to be a force to be reckoned with.

Hampson brings the Sydney rag trade of the 1960s to life, recreating the bustling back lanes of Surry Hills with a deft hand. She explores the rapid changes to fashion that was brought on by the sixties and the effect this had on those who worked in the industry, from the sewers and machinists to those who worked ‘upstairs’. I found myself totally immersed in Hazel’s world and was sorry to leave it. I hope we see more of Hazel and her intrepid fellow tea ladies, dispensing hot beverages and wisdom in equal measure.