Synopsis:
Tea-Maven Theodosia Browning brews up trouble in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.
Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley are guests at a bird hunt styled in the precise manner of an English shooting party. Which means elevenses (sloe gin fizzes), gun loaders, the drawing of pegs, fine looking bird dogs, and shooting costumes of tweed, herringbone, and suede.
But as gunshots explode like a riff of Black Cat firecrackers, another shot sounds too close for comfort to Theodosia and Drayton. Intrigued but worried, Theodosia wanders into the neighbor’s lavender field where she discovers their host, Reginald Doyle, bleeding to death.
His wife, Meredith, is beside herself with grief and begs Theodosia and Drayton to stay the night. But Theodosia awakens at 2:00A.M. to find smoke in her room and the house on fire. As the fire department screams in and the investigating sheriff returns, Meredith again pleads with Theodosia for help.
As Theodosia investigates, fingers are pointed, secrets are uncovered, Reginald’s daughter-in-law goes missing presumed drowned, and Meredith is determined to find answers via a séance. All the while Theodosia worries if she’s made a mistake in inviting a prime suspect to her upscale Lavender Lady Tea.
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!
Lavender Blue Murder starts out with a bang, quite literally! While at a shooting party on a friend’s estate, Theodesia overhears a gunshot that doesn’t sound like one of the shotguns that she and the other guests are carrying. When she goes to take a look, she finds the host dying of a gunshot wound.
As if that wasn’t enough, in the middle of the night someone tries to burn the house down. Theo investigates to help the grieving widow but may be putting her own life on the line by doing so.
I enjoyed this visit with some old familiar characters, as well as plenty of new faces. The mystery was intriguing and well planned, and there are lots of suspects to keep you second-guessing if you think you have it all figured out.
This is the 21st book in the Tea Shop Mystery series. While having read previous books will give you a better insight into the characters’ relationships, you can read this or any of the books in the series as standalones.
About the Author:
Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries
, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries
. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
Laura’s Links:
Website – http://www.laurachilds.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play IndieBound
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The cover is lovely and the story sounds like so much fun to read. Thanks for the lovely review; it made me want to read the book too! Best wishes to the author on the latest release.
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Thank you for such a nice review of Lavender Blue Murder.
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I really enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by.😊
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Thank you for your review on “Lavender Blue Murder” by Laura Childs and for being part of the book tour.
Fabulous cover with all my favorites (blueberries, hydrangea and the color purple)! Can’t wait for the opportunity to read this book by an author who never disappoints.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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Have read a couple of them and always good. Love this cover.
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This sounds like a great cozy mystery, Erika. Thanks for sharing.
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I always enjoy this series!😊 Thank you for coming by.
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