FIRST IN THE TEA SHOP MYSTERY SERIES!When a man is poisoned by tea, Charleston shop owner Theodosia Browning must prove her innocence and track down the real killer…before someone else takes their last sip.Meet Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston’s beloved Indigo Tea Shop. Patrons love her blend of delicious tea tastings and Southern hospitality. And Theo enjoys the full-bodied flavor of a … enjoys the full-bodied flavor of a town steeped in history—and mystery.
It’s tea for two hundred or so at the annual historical homes garden party. Theodosia, as event caterer, is busy serving steaming teas and blackberry scones while guests sing her praises. But the sweet smell of success turns to suspense when an esteemed guest is found dead—his hand clutching an empty teacup. Trouble is brewing, and all eyes are on Theo….
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I read this back in 2001 when first came out and I love anything tea related, so thought good fit. With that said I absolutely loved this book. Everything about it just got me so wrapped up in Theo’s Indigo Tea Shop, the characters, and loved the southern charm. I loved the descriptions of the types of tea, I love tea but really knew very little. Aside from tea descriptions and the food that went with it, the mystery had hooked me. It became my favourite series replacing author Anne Perry for reading on Bus and weekends etc. There was suspense and intrigue which kept me going and wanting to read some more.
I loved the characters in the book. The suspects were believable and all had a motive for murder. Theo and her staff at the tea shop were believable and I liked how they supported her through the investigation. Drayton being the actual tea connoisseur and quirky to boot stole a place in my heart. I thought I had guessed correctly but it wasn’t who I expected it to be. Plot flow was good and there was nothing to distract you from theme. Theo is a strong protagonist and her determination to solve this case and save the reputation of her tea shoppe and friend makes her even more endearing.
Overall I highly recommend this mystery series!
I find most “cozy” mysteries to be simplistic in both writing style and plot. Not so with Laura Child’s tea shop mysteries. Her writing flows nicely, her vocabulary is richer than your usual cozy, and her description of Charleston is inviting. I find her books to be delightful and calming. They are a perfect before bedtime read.
I love the Tea Shop Mysteries so much. Not only have I learned so much about tea, and expanded my tea drinking tastes so much because of them, but I also have an excellent stash of “receipts”. The stories are engaging and comforting at the same time. A delightful escape from the world for a couple of hours of southern hospitality and charm. Kind of makes me want to move to Charleston, or at least some place that has a tea shop like the Indigo!
Kept me guessing.
Nice characters interesting story but not a series I will continue at this time
Delightful description and believable characters in this book. Theodosia and her staff at the tea shop solve another Charleston murder.
Laura is a favorite author of mine. I love her scrapbooking series too. I have learned so much about tea and scrapbooking as well as being thoroughly entertained.
Since I visit Charleston often, I enjoy reading books that take place there.
The Indigo Tea Shop is a neighborhood sanctuary created by it’s owner, Theodosia Browning. The peace and calm of the shop suddenly changes when she caters the annual Lamplighter Tour of historic homes and one of the patrons turns up dead. Hughes Barron notorious real estate developer has died with a cup of tea in his hand. Theodosia’s reputation is suddenly at risk. She decides she must work to solve the mystery and save her livelihood.
I enjoyed this book. It moved at a nice pace and the characters were easy to picture as I read. The main character is very nicely developed and you learn enough about the supporting cast to like, despise, or suspect them of murder. I looked forward to reading the next book in the series. I was very surprised with the murderer. This person was never on my radar.
This is a good cozy mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed Theodosia Browning and her employees at the Indigo Tea Shop. There is a nice variety of personalities among this group. They are well developed and easy to connect with.
The plot is great. There are a number of people that appear to be suspects. It was very interesting to see who the real murderer is and how that person is caught.
There is one thing that bothered me about this book though. At times I felt that the story was encumbered by all of the details given in the descriptions. There seemed to be long periods that were just description of something or someone followed by another description about something or someplace else. The story seemed to bog down.