by Laura Childs
Part of Tea Shop Mystery
First published 2021
Theodosia Browning arrives at the old Bouchard Mansion on a cool Charleston evening. The Heritage Society has transformed the dilapidated Gray Ghost into a literary haunted house for Halloween fundraising. Author Willow French plans to sign copies of her new book among costumed guests dressed as Edgar Allan Poe and Lady Macbeth. The evening turns deadly when someone throws Willow from the third floor tower room, leaving her body hanging from a rope. Detective Pete Riley, Theodosia's boyfriend, rushes to search Willow's apartment but gets shot by an unknown intruder. Timothy Neville from the Heritage Society asks Theodosia to investigate the murder. She questions Heritage Society members, a man claiming ownership of the mansion, Willow's publisher, and her fiancé. Theodosia continues running her Indigo Tea Shop, hosting a Sherlock Holmes tea and catering other events while pursuing the killer. The mansion holds dark secrets, and several suspects hide crucial information as Halloween approaches.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, engaging, mysterious, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, boyfriend-detective, small-business-owner-sleuth
Setting: Charleston, Bouchard Mansion, Indigo Tea Shop, Heritage Society
Period: Halloween, Contemporary
336 pages · Hardcover · Berkley
Content warnings: death, murder, violence