In the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs, Theodosia Browning attends a “Rat Tea,” where the mice will play…at murder. When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued. As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves … costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health.
But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat.
The distraught Doreen soon engages Theo to pursue a discreet inquiry into who might have murdered her husband. As Theo and her tea sommelier review the guest list for suspects, they soon find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse…
INCLUDES RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS
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Favorite Series Alert! Laura Childs‘s Tea Shop Mystery Series was one of the first cozies I ever read. And I fell in love with Charleston, South Carolina, the Indigo Tea Shop, Theodosia, Drayton, and the entire crew.
When this book came in the mail, I confess I sat the other book I was reading aside because I just couldn’t wait to catch up on the latest installment of this series. In Pekoe Most Poison, we follow tea shop owner Theodosia Browning as she is a guest at a “rat tea” that goes horribly wrong. A fire breaks out and in the midst of the chaos and the event hostesses’s husband is found dead. Can Theodosia and Drayton solve the case and bring the killer to justice?
It is probably no surprise I enjoyed this one. Here are my top reasons to read this book.
The Imagery
Laura Childs has me ready to book a plane ticket to scenic Charleston, South Carolina with every book. Her imagery of the city’s culture, as well as the architecture, right down to the cobblestone streets make it an idealistic setting. And then you step inside the doors of the Indigo Tea Shop. From descriptions of their upcoming speciality tea events to what Haley is cooking on the daily menu. This is one of my top five cozy mystery locations that I’d love to visit in real life someday!
The Characters
Theodosia is a great protagonist and her passion for life and her strong work ethic always shine through the story’s pages. I also adore her and Drayton’s friendship. They are an “odd couple” of sorts, but they have a strong friendship and their bond always is evident in how they work together in the tea shop, as well as how they solve cases together.
The Extras
It is customary for many cozy mystery books to provide recipes inspired by book at the end of the story. Laura Childs takes it one step further. Not only does the book contain mouth watering recipes, but also tea time tips and resources. It is a wealth of information and ideas for you to try at home.
This series is not one to miss!
From the vivid imagery, to the exciting characters, to the page turning excitement, this book is not one you want to miss. And as a special bonus, the covers are beautiful! This book is actually sitting on my coffee table as part of my fall decorations because I enjoyed the look of it so much.
Originally published at: https://cozyexperience.com/pekoe-poison-great-book-giveaway/
Love all Tea Shop Mysteries!
Eighteen books in and the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs are still strongly brewed and refreshing!
What can I say about PEKOE MOST POISON that hasn’t already been said about the other seventeen books in this series? I think all of the positive adjectives have been used, and rightly so. The one thing I can say . . . the very fact that this is book eighteen speaks to the brilliant writing talent of Laura Childs. Her middle name must be diversity, because she always manages to make each book in this series unique.
One thing for sure that I can say about this book is, rats! Yes, like the rodent. Author Childs introduces us to the tradition of a Rat Tea. It’s a fascinating piece of history that I knew nothing of. (You’ll learn about it when you read this book!) It also happens to be where the victim in this book is murdered. Very original idea!
This excellent installment of the Tea Shop mysteries had a wonderfully complex plot. With more than a few suspects surfacing in the murder investigation, and business at Indigo Tea Shop being as brisk as ever, protagonist Theodosia “Theo” Browning, and her friend and tea sommelier Drayton really had their hands full trying to solve this murder, and keep things at the shop running smoothly. By the end of the book I was breathless from all the perfectly planned twists in the plot.
And as always, the fun isn’t over after the story is. The back of the book contains recipes, and Tea Time Tips!