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The Cryptic Clue

A Tea Ladies Mystery

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The Cryptic Clue

By: Amanda Hampson
Narrated by: Zoe Carides
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About this listen

Welcome back to Zig Zag Lane in the heart of Sydney's rag-trade district, where our intrepid tea ladies, Hazel, Betty and Irene, have their work cut out. Solving a murder, kidnapping and arson case, and outwitting an arch criminal, earned them the respect of a local police officer. Now he needs their assistance to help solve a plot that threatens national security.

As if that's not enough, Irene gets a coded message directing her to the spoils of a bank robbery, which sends the tea ladies on a treasure hunt with an unexpected outcome.

There's also trouble brewing within the walls of Empire Fashionwear, where an interloper threatens not just Hazel's job but the very role of tea lady. It's up to Hazel to convince her friends to abandon their trolleys and take action to save their livelihoods - before it's too late.

©2024 Amanda Hampson (P)2024 Penguin Random House Australia Audio
Amateur Sleuths Cosy Historical Mystery Women Sleuths
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What listeners say about The Cryptic Clue

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Zoe Carides narration

great story that I could relate to, in as much as the locations, I love, love, love Zoe Carides narrations.

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1 person found this helpful

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So beautiful and funny

I think l loved this even more than the first instalment, if possible! I never imagine l could have such affection for a character like IreneTurnbuckle, but l can’t get enough, she is so horrendous . The magnificent Hazel and her companions are so beautifully created, and Zoe Carides is just brilliant bringing them to life.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great story

Possibly even better than the first book which I also loved. It was an entertaining story and it gave a wonderful glimpse into the changing time it was set in.

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1 person found this helpful

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Loved it!

i've not come across this uthor or narrator before. Such a great story and beautifully narrated.

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1 person found this helpful

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Love these ladies

Such an interesting story with the development of the Harbour Bridge as the backdrop. Really enjoying hearing about the tea ladies again in this lovely second book!

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2 people found this helpful

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wonderful

development of the lovely ladies characters, intermingled with key historical events in Sydney's past - realistic conclusion

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A satisfying cosy mystery

The Cryptic Clue by Amanda Hampson

The Cryptic Clue is the second book in the Tea Ladies series. The third book, The Deadly Dispute, will be released in April 2025.

A few years back, I read the first book in the series, The Tea Ladies, while I was staying in a hotel in Surry Hills, Sydney, which just happened to be where the book was set. I saw some of the locations and did a little self-guided walking tour, which was fun.

The Cryptic Clue is also mainly set in Surry Hills in 1966, but it has one of Sydney’s biggest tourist attractions, the Sydney Opera House, as a secondary location due to the introduction of a new character in the series (and love interest for Hazel), Oscar, a sound engineer working on the acoustics during the construction of the Opera House.

In addition to Hazel and Oscar’s relationship, The Cryptic Clue has a lot of different story arcs; the tea ladies’ jobs are under threat, Irene gets a coded message from her imprisoned husband, something weird is happening at the Catholic Church where Maude has taken a job, and Hazel is getting reading lessons. I was worried it wouldn’t all come together, but everything is neatly and expertly tied up in a satisfying bow at the end.

A big thumbs up 👍

Go read a book!

Body count: 2, all in the background, confirming The Cryptic Clue to be a satisfying cosy mystery.

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nothing

really boring. taking far too long to get to anywhere. I expected much more from this story

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