A Dark and Stormy Tea
About A Dark and Stormy Tea
A Dark and Stormy Tea (A Tea Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
24th in Series
Berkley (August 9, 2022)
Hardcover : 320 pages
A possible serial killer on the loose sends tea maven Theodosia Browning into a whirlwind of investigation in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.
It was a dark and stormy night, but that was the least of Theodosia Browning's troubles. As she approaches St. Philips Graveyard, Theodosia sees two figures locked in a strange embrace. Wiping rain from her eyes, Theodosia realizes she has just witnessed a brutal murder and sees a dark-hooded figure slip away into the fog.
In the throes of alerting police, Theodosia recognizes the victim—it is the daughter of her friend, Lois, who owns the Antiquarian Bookshop next door to her own Indigo Tea Shop.
Even though this appears to be the work of a serial killer who is stalking the back alleys of Charleston, Lois begs Theodosia for help. Against the advice of her boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, and the sage words of Drayton, her tea sommelier, amateur-sleuth Theodosia launches her own shadow investigation. And quickly discovers that suspects abound with the dead girl’s boyfriend, nefarious real estate developer, private-security man, bumbling reporter, and her own neighbor who is writing a true-crime book and searching for a big ending.
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!
About Laura Childs
Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries
Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries 
The Scrapbooking Mysteries
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries
Laura’s Links: Website – Facebook
My Thoughts
Theo is taking a shortcut back to
the Indigo Tea Shop when stumbles upon the murderer with his latest victim in
St. Philips Graveyard. Unfortunately, this
is Fogheel Jack’s, as the press have dubbed him, third victim. Theo recognizes the victim as the daughter of
the Antiquarian Bookshop owner, Lois. Lois
is distraught and asks Theo to find who killed her daughter. Detective Pete Riley, Theo’s boyfriend, would
prefer Theo to keep her curious nose out of this investigation. Theo dives into the case and discovers
several suspects. Can Theo unmask the
deadly killer, or will she become the next victim?
A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs is the 24th A Tea Shop Mystery. It can be read as a
standalone if you are new to the series (though, you will be missing out on a
charming cozy mystery series). A Tea Shop Mysteries is one of the two series that got me hooked on cozy mysteries. I look forward to reading a new book each
year. I thought A Dark and Stormy Tea is
well-written with developed, realistic characters. I enjoyed the vivid word imagery that brought
Charleston alive. It is rainy and foggy
in Charleston which gives it a creepy atmosphere especially at night. It is the perfect setting for a murder. It is great to catch up with Theodosia,
Drayton, Haley, Miss Dimple, and Earl Grey.
Detective Pete Riley is in the periphery in this book while Detective
Tidwell takes lead. Detective Tidwell
manages to stop by the Indigo Tea Shop a couple of times to question Theo, see
if she has learned any new details, and enjoy Haley’s delectable food. The mystery was intriguing. It suited the creepy atmosphere of
Charleston. There are several good
suspects along with a red herring. There
are clues, but they are subtle. Details
are important when trying to solve a crime.
While I was able to identify the killer early in the book (I knew who,
but I did not know why), I still enjoyed following the investigation. Both men
should know by now that Theo is not going to stay out of a crime. She is curious by nature and when a friend
asks for help, Theo will give it. I did
feel that there needed to be a better wrap up.
I was left with a couple of unanswered questions which is unusual for
this author. I enjoyed the tea events
hosted at the Indigo Tea Shop with the mystery tea being my favorite. The food descriptions will have your mouth
watering (recipes at the end of the book).
I cannot wait to see what Theodosia gets up to next time in Lemon Curd Killer. A Dark and Stormy Tea is a
chilling whodunit with wet weather, a creepy cemetery, a serial killer, tempting
tea treats, a determined developer, and an inquisitive Theo.
Giveaway
A Dark and Stormy Tea is available from Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and IndieBound. The next A Tea Shop Mystery is Lemon Curd Killer which comes out March 7, 2023. You can find the other A Tea Shop Mysteries here. You can find Laura Child's other novels here. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Two other books that were published today are The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong (I am featuring tomorrow) and A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette (debut of A Hollywood Treasures Mystery series). I hope that you have an interesting day. Do not forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of A Dark and Stormy Tea (US Only). Take care, stay cool, and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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