*Note: This book was an advanced reader’s copy from Net Galley. It was published on August 9, 2022, and is available for order on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LH6VG4P
*****5-stars
This is the first mystery I’ve read by Laura Childs, and I can’t believe what I’ve missed. She has several series. This one, the Tea Shop Mysteries, takes place in Charleston, South Carolina and features Theodosia Browning who owns the Indigo Tea Shop and has a knack for solving crimes as well as brewing tea.
In A Dark and Stormy Tea, the 24th Tea Shop Mystery, Theodosia witnesses the murder of a bookstore owner’s daughter in a cemetery but, because of the rain, she was unable to see the face of the killer. Could he be Fogheel Jack, the name given to a murderer who has strangled women in the past in foggy weather?
The victim’s mother, a friend of Theodosia, asks for her help catching the killer. Against her Detective boyfriend’s wishes and despite her tea sommelier, Drayton’s discouragement, she pursues her own investigation and is nearly killed after a successful mystery tea at her shop.
I found this a charming cozy. The characters and atmosphere were great, and there was an interesting twist. A big plus are the recipes at the end of the book for tea and other yummy goodies. You will devour this story. Highly recommended.
I'm a retired librarian and the award-winning author of the Cobble Cove, Buttercup Bend, and SOUP THE SUPERNATURAL KITTEN cozy mystery series and other novels, short stories, poems, articles, and a novella. My books include CLOUDY RAINBOW, REASON TO DIE, SEA SCOPE, MEMORY MAKERS, TIME'S RELATIVE, MEOWS AND PURRS, MEMORIES AND MEOWS, A MIXED BAG OF CAT TAILS, and A MYSTERY BOX OF CAT TAILS.
My Cobble Cove cozy mystery series published by Solstice Publishing consist of 6 books: A STONE'S THROW, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, WRITTEN IN STONE, LOVE ON THE ROCKS, NO GRAVESTONE UNTURNED, and ROCK A BYE BYE BABY. My standalone short story collection featuring the Cobble Cove characters is SNEAKY'S SUPERNATURAL MYSTERY AND OTHER COBBLE COVE STORIES. My Buttercup Bend series published by Next Chapter Publishing includes THE CASE OF THE CAT CRAZY LADY, THE CASE OF THE PARROT LOVING PROFESSOR, THE CASE OF THE LLAMA RAISING LIBRARIAN, THE CASE OF THE WHALE WATCHING WEDDING PLANNER, THE CASE OF THE REPTILE RESCUING RESCEPTIONIST, and the forthcoming CASE OF THE BULLFIGHTING BUILDER.
I've also written a paranormal romance, CLOUDY RAINBOW, and short stories of various genres published as eBooks and in anthologies published by the Red Penguin Collection. My poetry appears in the Nassau County Voices in Verse and the Bard's Annual. My latest book is SUITCASE STORIES, a collection of mostly mystery short stories. My forthcoming standalone gothic mystery is LOOKING FOR LUCY.
I'm a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Cat Writers' Association. I live in South Carolina with my husband, daughter, and 3 cats.
View All Posts
Ruff Drafts 