Tea Shop Mystery #23
By Laura Childs
Theodosia Browning owns the delightfully successful Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston. Her beloved city is steeped in history and she makes the most of it. Currently chilled by the unseasonably cold weather and what seems like constant rain, Theo takes a shortcut to her tea shop down a hidden path. Suddenly, a hooded figure looms ahead in the fog. She shouts, but no one is within hearing distance. The assailant is armed with a knife but quickly flees. Heart racing, Theodosia sees is a body laying in a puddle of water mixing with blood. To make matters worse, she knows the woman that was killed.
Quickly calling for the police and ambulance, Theodosia realizes she could have easily been brutally attacked or even worse in the darkened alley. Surrounded by flashing lights and fear, she asks the first responders to call her boyfriend, Officer Pete Riley. The first thing that comes to mind is the dangerous killer, Fogheel Jack whose reign of terror seemed to have stopped seven years ago. Could he be back terrorizing Charleston once again?
This fast-paced cozy mystery is delightfully full of red herrings that twist and turn in the stormy nights. Theodosia is told to keep out of the way of the investigation, but she has a vested interest in this case. The young woman that died was the daughter of one of her close friends. Theodosia cannot sit back drinking some of her delightful teas while a killer was on the loose. She is asking questions and poking her nose into secrets that may reveal the murderer. But will she be able to get out of alive?
There is only one thing I like better than a cozy mystery. That would be a cozy mystery with engaging characters, a solid plotline and a surprise killer revealed in the last chapters. A Dark and Stormy Tea meets and exceeds all of my expectations. After reading the last page, be sure to check out the recipes, Laura Child’s Tea Time Tips as well as resources all about tea. I did not know that a plethora of tea is grown right here in the United States.
I have read books by New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs, but none in the Tea Shop Mysteries Series. I can’t wait to read the previous 22 books in the series.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Netgalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2022 Laura Hartman
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