Oh dear, the Surry Hills tea ladies are in hot water again but not for long

The highly anticipated new novel in The Tea Ladies mystery series, a runaway bestseller of the year.

The last novel, The Tea Ladies, was one of my all-time favourite books and this latest instalment didn't disappoint.

There's intrigue, giggles and plenty more between.

In ZigZag Lane, in the heart of Sydney's rag-trade district, tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene find themselves in hot water.

Having already solved a murder, kidnapping and arson case, and outwitting an arch criminal, they have proved themselves a useful resource and earned the respect of a local police officer.

Now he needs their help to solve a plot that threatens 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.

Amanda Hampson grew up in rural New Zealand.

She has lived in London and Sydney, and now lives in Melbourne. Writing professionally for more than 20 years, she is the author of The Olive Sisters, Two for the Road, The French Perfumer, The Yellow Villa, Sixty Summers, Lovebirds, and the bestselling cosy crime novel The Tea Ladies.