Review of A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs

From the publisher of A Dark and Stormy Tea

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.

My review

Fans of the series (of which there are plenty) will be delighted to know that not much has changed at the Indigo Tea Shop as Theodosia, Drayton, and Haley make their return in the 24^th Tea Shop Mystery. With plenty of suspects, there’s ample sleuthing for Theodosia to do. Of course, she’s up to the task of grilling each suspect despite the warnings from the police to back off.

The strength of this series lies in the descriptions of the tea shop events and food. Of course, there are plenty of recipes at the end for intrepid foodie fans who just can’t wait to try their hand at something new and delicious.

The mood for this book was decidedly darker than I expected. That includes the opening discovery of the murder (which Theodosia stumbles upon while it’s in progress) and the denouement. There’s no true gore, but it was darker than I’d expect in a cozy. All-in-all, a good read with a dark and twisty ending.

FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.

Learn more about Laura Childs or A Dark and Stormy Tea at laurachilds.com. Want more author news? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors or follow me on Twitter.