Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs
A Tea Shop Mystery, No. 1
Prime Crime - May 8, 2001
ISBN: 0425179451 - Paperback
Cozy Mystery

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.Com
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I will tell you right upfront, this is a terrific new series, and no one is getting my Tea Shop copy. I have just one complaint - there was only one tea recipe listed at the back of the book. I think other cozy mystery readers will agree with me when I say: More! We want more!

Theodosia Browning owns and operates the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, South Carolina. She lives above the store with her mixed breed dog, Earl Grey. With the help of her employees, who are also good friends, she sells varying tea blends and lovely tea sets, has Tea tasting parties, and, in this storyline, is trying to get a website up and running. When in need of peace, Theo has her Aunt Libby and the family plantation, Cane Ridge, to run to.

Theo's initiation into sleuthing begins when a customer is poisoned after drinking a cup of tea during the annual Lamplighter tour. Since it was her tea that did the dirty deed, Detective Tidwell shows up with plenty of questions. When a friend is fired from the Heritage Society because of it, she decides to deal with it head on, bringing suspicion, danger, and even romance to the Tea Shop's front door.

Here is a highly educated, experienced sleuth taking on crime in a subtle way. The Tea Shop has a pleasant atmosphere. There are no outrageous characters, no sharp jabs, or attitudes to deal with. Readers can expect the typical new series introductions, but once done, the mystery begins! Suspicion is immediately planted in the readers mind; varying directions are taken, then the reader is taken back to center stage as the killer is revealed. It's a great series debut, with simple characters and a mystery that wraps up nice and tight.

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