Tea
shop owner Theodosia Browning is back in this 17th book in
the Tea Shop Mystery series. This time, the team from her
Indigo Tea Shop has the honor of catering a trunk show at
the high-end jewelry shop, “Heart's Desire Fine Jewelry.”
The event initially seems to be a roaring success, but not
for long. Almost right out of the gate, on page five, a black
SUV drives through the showroom window and a bold and terrifying
smash-and-grab robbery turns the night into a complete debacle.
The devastation
isn't limited to the destruction of the store and the theft
of valuable and irreplaceable jewels, however, as a young
woman dies from injuries incurred during the robbery. When
the shop’s owner, Brooke Carter Crockett, asks her friend
Theodosia to investigate, she agrees. After all, the thieves
may have another local upcoming event in mind for a second
heist. The Heritage Society is soon to display a Peter the
Great Fabergé egg, worth between 20 and 30 million
dollars! If she can discover who killed Brooke's niece, Kaitlin,
and whether it was intentional or not, it could lead her right
to the team of professional thieves. Although the FBI thinks
the criminals are part of an international gang, Theodosia
suspects there may be someone local involved.
As always,
a trip to Charleston and a visit with Theo, Drayton, Haley
and the other cast of characters is enjoyable. The smash-and-grab
action was an exciting opening, and the mystery was layered
enough that I didn't figure out what was going on before Childs
was ready to reveal it. The dichotomy of the violence of crime
and the calmness of the tea shop is striking and very well
executed.
If
you love a solid cozy mystery with a healthy dose of drama
and excitement, you'll love Devonshire Cream. You
don't need to read the earlier books in the series to thoroughly
enjoy this entry, but personally, I've made the most of watching
the character development and relationship changes, and the
anticipation of a new book in the series each year. Highly
recommended.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Death
by Darjeeling, #1 [review]
Chamomile Mourning, #6 [review]
Blood Orange Brewing, #7 [review]
The Silver Needle Murder, #9 [review]
Oolong Dead, #10 [review]
The Teaberry Strangler, #11 [review]
Agony of the Leaves, #13 [review]
Sweet Tea Revenge, #14 [review]
Steeped in Evil, #15 [review]
Ming Tea Murder, #16 [review]
Devonshire Scream #17 [review]
Pekoe Most Poison #18 [review]
Reviewer Notes:
Laura Childs also writes The Scrapbooking Mystery series.
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