Lavender Blue Murder
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

What begins as an elegant English-style shooting party on a sunny autumn day in South Carolina's low country ends with the host mortally shot in the chest, his mansion in flames, and most of the guests, plus some neighbors, plausible suspects. Among the guests of Reginald and Meredith Doyle are Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston's Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley. The now-widowed Meredith asks Theo for help in finding the killer, leaning on Theo in the following days, even as Theo is trying to run her business and stay out of the investigation, as urged by her boyfriend, Charleston police detective Pete Riley. The lusciously described themed tea parties at the shop provide the backdrop for her inquiries, as Theo seeks to learn who among the other guests, neighboring estate owners, and business partners had motive to kill. Childs includes recipes from the tearoom, as well as tips for successful tea parties, expanding the appeal to lovers of tea and Southern culture.--Karen Muller Copyright 2020 Booklist

At the outset of bestseller Childs's agreeable 21st Tea Shop mystery (after 2019's Broken Bone China), Theodosia Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, S.C., and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are attending a bird hunt at Creekmore Plantation when their host, pharmaceutical company CEO Reginald Doyle, is found fatally shot in his neighbor's lavender field. Reginald's hysterical widow asks Theodosia, who has a reputation as an amateur sleuth, to help with the investigation. Later that evening, the main plantation house burns down, and days later Reginald's daughter-in-law goes missing and is presumed dead. Theodosia and Drayton proceed to interview all the usual suspects, including the victim's widow, his business partners, and the plantation caretaker, much to the chagrin of Pete Riley, Theodosia's police detective boyfriend. An appendix collects the recipes from the Indigo Tea Shop mentioned in the story, including candied edible flowers. Cozy fans will be more than satisfied. Agent: Sam Pinkus, Keystone Literary. (Mar.)

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are guests at a hunting party at the Creekmore Plantation. Gunshots are firing fast as firecrackers around them when Theodosia is alarmed by a sound that is suspiciously closer than it should be. She finds plantation owner Reginald Doyle lying gravely injured in a neighbor's lavender field. Doyle succumbs to his injuries, leaving behind his wife, Meredith. She begs Theodosia and Drayton to stay the night and help solve the murder. Both agree only to awaken in the wee hours of the morning to the smell of smoke--the plantation house is burning around them. Theodosia doesn't think the events are coincidental, so she agrees to investigate, only to end up with numerous suspects and secrets. VERDICT Newcomers should find this a great entry point to Child's established series (after Broken Bone China) and enjoy the charming Charleston, SC, setting, while longtime fans will relish the return of the sassy characters they love. [See Prepub Alert, 8/19/19.]--Bill Anderson, Scott Cty. P.L., Scottsburg, IN

A knockoff of a British bird hunt is deadly for the Anglophile who hosts it.Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in the low country of South Carolina, and her friend Drayton Conneley, a tea expert, are participating in a game-bird hunt at Creekmore Plantation. Drayton, no hunter, is a friend of wealthy host Reginald Doyle, who served with him on the board of the Charleston Heritage Society. Doyle's shot dead at the hunt, the weapon not a badly aimed shotgun but a pistol. Doyle's wife, Meredith, knowing of Theodosia's reputation as a sleuth (Broken Bone China, 2019, etc.), begs her to help, asking that she and Drayton stay overnight. So they're still on hand when the house goes up in flames in what seems likely to be another staged accident. The sums of money involved guarantee plenty of suspects. Doyle had been thinking of giving the plantation to the Heritage Society, but his most recent will leaves it to his hot-tempered stepson, Alex, who's constantly arguing with Fawn, his recent bride. Doyle was also at odds with two of his neighbors, including the Lavender Lady, whose fragrant farm borders Creekmore. Although things seem to be going well enough at the pharmaceutical company where Doyle was CEO, Theodosia learns that Guy Thorne, Doyle's partner in a restaurant, has financial problems. When Alex's sailboat is found drifting in the harbor, Fawn, who went out for a walk and never returned, is feared drowned. Aside from Meredith's need for constant hand-holding, Theodosia, Drayton, and Haley, their fabulous chef, are busy with the usual activities plus a plethora of exotic-themed tea parties. The police and especially Theodosia's detective boyfriend urge her to let them do their jobs, but she can't break her promise to Meredith.Genteel Southern charm and murderous mayhem mix in a mystery that keeps you guessing. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

What begins as an elegant English-style shooting party on a sunny autumn day in South Carolina's low country ends with the host mortally shot in the chest, his mansion in flames, and most of the guests, plus some neighbors, plausible suspects. Among the guests of Reginald and Meredith Doyle are Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston's Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley. The now-widowed Meredith asks Theo for help in finding the killer, leaning on Theo in the following days, even as Theo is trying to run her business and stay out of the investigation, as urged by her boyfriend, Charleston police detective Pete Riley. The lusciously described themed tea parties at the shop provide the backdrop for her inquiries, as Theo seeks to learn who among the other guests, neighboring estate owners, and business partners had motive to kill. Childs includes recipes from the tearoom, as well as tips for successful tea parties, expanding the appeal to lovers of tea and Southern culture. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Owner of Charleston's Indigo Tea Shop, Theodosia Browning is attending a bird hunt styled as a traditional English shooting party (think tweeds and sloe gin fizzes) when the rat-a-tat of a gun clearly not meant for fowl sounds, leaves host Reginald Doyle dead. Later that night, the host's house bursts into flame, and Theodosia starts her investigation by inviting a prime suspect to her Lavender Lady Tea. Is this wise? Next in the New York Times best-selling series.

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are guests at a hunting party at the Creekmore Plantation. Gunshots are firing fast as firecrackers around them when Theodosia is alarmed by a sound that is suspiciously closer than it should be. She finds plantation owner Reginald Doyle lying gravely injured in a neighbor's lavender field. Doyle succumbs to his injuries, leaving behind his wife, Meredith. She begs Theodosia and Drayton to stay the night and help solve the murder. Both agree only to awaken in the wee hours of the morning to the smell of smoke—the plantation house is burning around them. Theodosia doesn't think the events are coincidental, so she agrees to investigate, only to end up with numerous suspects and secrets. VERDICT Newcomers should find this a great entry point to Child's established series (after Broken Bone China) and enjoy the charming Charleston, SC, setting, while longtime fans will relish the return of the sassy characters they love. [See Prepub Alert, 8/19/19.]—Bill Anderson, Scott Cty. P.L., Scottsburg, IN

At the outset of bestseller Childs's agreeable 21st Tea Shop mystery (after 2019's Broken Bone China), Theodosia Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, S.C., and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are attending a bird hunt at Creekmore Plantation when their host, pharmaceutical company CEO Reginald Doyle, is found fatally shot in his neighbor's lavender field. Reginald's hysterical widow asks Theodosia, who has a reputation as an amateur sleuth, to help with the investigation. Later that evening, the main plantation house burns down, and days later Reginald's daughter-in-law goes missing and is presumed dead. Theodosia and Drayton proceed to interview all the usual suspects, including the victim's widow, his business partners, and the plantation caretaker, much to the chagrin of Pete Riley, Theodosia's police detective boyfriend. An appendix collects the recipes from the Indigo Tea Shop mentioned in the story, including candied edible flowers. Cozy fans will be more than satisfied. Agent: Sam Pinkus, Keystone Literary. (Mar.)