by Laura Childs
Part of Tea Shop Mystery, book 6
First published 2006
Theodosia Browning runs the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston during the vibrant Spoleto festival season. Rain forces her inaugural Poet's Tea indoors to a Heritage Society hall, dampening the festive mood. The evening takes a deadly turn when a prominent auction house owner falls from the balcony and crashes onto Theodosia's carefully prepared cake. The fall appears suspicious, suggesting someone pushed him to his death. Theodosia finds herself surrounded by potential killers and decides to investigate. Her search leads her into the murky backwaters of South Carolina's Low Country, where she discovers a dangerous network of art forgery and fraud. As she digs deeper, Theodosia realizes the victim's death connects to criminal schemes that put her own life at risk.
Genres: suspense, mystery, mystery-thriller, cozy-mystery
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, small-town
Setting: Charleston, Low Country, South Carolina
Period: Spoleto Festival
306 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley