"Lavender Blue Murder" by Laura Childs

Lavender Blue Murder, the latest tea shop mystery from Laura Childs, begins with a bang—literally. Charleston tea shop owner Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier friend, Drayton Conneley, are attending an English-style shooting party at Creekmore Plantation, the home of one of Drayton’s well-heeled Heritage Society friends, Reginald Doyle. When the host himself ends up as the victim of a fatal gunshot that day, Doyle's family is thrown into turmoil. The suspects are legion. There's the neighbor who dammed up his creek, a family member who turns out to have despised him, and more than a few business associates who stand to gain from Doyle's death. Then Doyle's distraught daughter-in-law goes missing.

Doyle's widow asks Theodosia to use her sleuthing skills to help solve the murder of her husband and disappearance of her daughter-in-law, and as always, the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston remains the epicenter of the investigation, even while Theodosia, Drayton, and chef Haley Parker add a few new themed teas to the shop's schedule. This time, the events include a Gone With the Wind–themed tea and a lavender-themed tea, both of which are described in exquisite detail, from the menu to the tea wares, favors, and decor. The victim's widow also uses the tea shop as the site of a séance, which is the source of much grumbling from Drayton, who doesn't at all like the idea.

The book has plenty of red herrings, and Childs does her usual fine job of leading us down lots of dead-end paths. Surprisingly, local shop owner Delaine Dish, a character we love to hate, has only a small role in this book, but Drayton has a larger one. Theodosia and Drayton even enjoy a few dinners together that are totally unrelated to work, a fitting evolution in their friendship over some twenty-plus adventures together. Childs remains the queen of the tea-themed cozy mystery, and it's nearly impossible to finish one of her books without reaching for another cup of tea and, once again inspired by the charming world she has created, planning an event of your own.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley