"Sweet Tea and Secrets" by Joy Avon

Author Joy Avon follows up her first "Tea and Read Mystery," In Peppermint Peril, with another well-written cozy mystery, Sweet Tea and Secrets. This go-round, Callie Aspen has left her old job as a tour guide and is beginning to settle in to her new life in Heart’s Harbor, Maine. She moves into a fixer-upper and continues to assist her great-aunt, Iphy, with the operation of Iphy's tearoom, Book Tea, where the teatime treats are book-themed. This time, that includes Hound of the Brownivilles (brownie bites) and Grimm Tales, cookies in fairy tale shapes.

Callie is helping her great-aunt plan a Fourth of July tea, where the fun will include a sweet tea competition, and one of Callie's ideas is to feature some important event in town history. While researching the history of Heart’s Harbor, Callie is intrigued to learn that a famous across, Monica Walker, disappeared from town in the late 1980s and was never heard from again. Callie starts making a few inquiries about the missing actress, and one of her sources turns up dead. Is someone worried about this missing-person case getting another look?

Meanwhile, Callie is getting mixed signals from Ace Falk, the local deputy she met last Christmas. She thought he was interested in her—one of several reasons she decided to move to Heart’s Harbor—but now she’s wondering whether she read him wrong. One thing’s for sure, though: Falk means for her to stay out of his investigations. And as Callie comes closer to find out what really happened to Monica Walker and who wants the story kept quiet, readers will feel increasingly edgy and find themselves looking for the killer at every turn. An excellent second novel in a fun new series!

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley

April Giveaway: A signed copy of "Emeralds and Envy"

Now here is a giveaway I've been eager to announce, because it's for one of the very first Advance Reader Copies (or ARCs) of my newest book, Emeralds and Envy. So for the April giveaway, I'll be delighted to sign this book for one of you and get it headed your way!

If you would like to win a copy, simply leave an "Enter me" to this post between now and 7 a.m. EST on Friday, April 12, making sure I have an email address or other way to contact you if you're the winner, and you'll be entered to win. US only, please. Good luck!

(I'm also ordering copies for family and friends later this week, and I'll be getting some extras for those of you who've told me you would like a signed copy, so I'll have that info up very soon. And thank you all so much for your support over the years, without which I probably wouldn't be writing books today!)

"No Good Tea Goes Unpunished" by Bree Baker

It’s always nice to come across a great new cozy mystery series to check out, and for those of us who have a hankering for camellia sinensis, it’s extra nice when the mystery involves tea. Having read several different cozy series centered around tearooms, I was so pleased to find a new series about an iced tea shop and seaside café, and my first intro to the series is actually the second book, No Good Tea Goes Unpunished.

Bree Baker’s Seaside Café Mystery series centers on one Everly Swan, who has opened a seaside restaurant and iced tea shop in the coastal town of Charm, North Carolina. As befits a cozy mystery town, Charm is utterly charming, and it’s not surprising when one of Everly’s childhood friends decides to hold her wedding on the beach there. It is, however, surprising when the groom is found floating in the surf on his wedding night.

While solving the mystery of who killed the groom is the focus of the story, No Good Tea Goes Unpunished also has some thoroughly entertaining subplots. My favorite of these concerns Everly’s great-aunts, two elderly women who run a honey shop called Blessed Bee. The aunts are determined to enter a video application in a contest whose winner gets to appear in a documentary on “the plight of the American honeybee,” and the aunts' bee-themed antics are quite entertaining.

How Everly manages to juggle a murder investigation, her aunts’ bee obsession, a tea-shop-and-restaurant operation, and dueling romantic interests is quite the feat, but we’re cheering for Everly every flip-flopping step of the way.

Tea-loving readers will also enjoy the recipes included in the book, and if you’re like me and missed the first installment of this (truly) charming new series, you’ll turn the last page and immediately order the first book, Live and Let Chai, to see what you’ve missed!

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley

Release day is set for "Emeralds and Envy"

Quite a few of you have asked me to let you know when my debut novel becomes available, so today, I wanted to share that over the weekend, I got the very exciting news that my ebook, which will be published on April 16, is now available for pre-order on Amazon! Some of you have told me that you prefer the paperback version, and it will come out after the ebook, so I'll be sure and share about that too. Both versions will then be available on Amazon, and I'm also going to order paperbacks to have on hand for those who want one personally signed. (I'm so honored that anyone actually wants my autograph, ha!)

Seeing the release of my first novel is literally a dream come true, so I'm delighted that my book will be available as an ebook in just a little more than a month. And I've learned that the pre-order price through April 16 is just $2.99 (the regular ebook price is $9.99, and you know how I love a bargain).

I do have a few fun giveaways planned for when the book comes out, so stay tuned for more about that, and you may win some fun prizes! So now that this bit of housekeeping news is taken care of …

Coming Wednesday: You know I've always got my nose in a book, and I am delighted to have discovered a new tea-themed cozy series … set at the beach!

"In Peppermint Peril" by Joy Avon

"Callie was glad Leadenby had come in at that moment with the box containing the table runner. She spread it across the table's shiny surface and smoothed its lacy edges. It was a real vintage piece, like the china and the cutlery. The tea party would have an Agatha Christie vibe …"

— In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon

Tea lovers have a new tea-themed cozy mystery series to enjoy thanks to Joy Avon, who kicks off her Book Tea Shop Mystery series with a delightful Christmas-themed book, In Peppermint Peril.

Callie Aspen has a great career as a tour guide who leads trips to historic venues all over the world. She returns home to Heart's Harbor, Maine, intending merely to celebrate the holidays with her great-aunt, Iphigeneia, who runs Book Tea, a tea business offering book-themed teas. Callie is quickly enlisted to help her aunt set up for a pre-Christmas tea party at Haywood Hall, a historic home whose elderly resident is expected to make an important announcement about her will.

At the same event, Callie's old friend Sheila hijacks the tea and uses it as an opportunity to have her daughter's engagement announced, and the carefully laid plans for the tea soon go off the rails. When the engagement ring goes missing—and missing from a hiding place readers will particularly enjoy—it complicates the event, and so does the dead body found in the home's conservatory.

While the many tea elements of the story will immediately appeal to tea lovers, the mystery itself is fun to solve, as there are so many terrific suspects who might have had it in for the deceased. And Callie Aspen is a character it's easy to root for, so readers will hope to see Callie and her sweet Boston terrier, Daisy, making a permanent home in Heart's Harbor. This book was a well-written, holiday-perfect launch to the series, and I look forward to reading the next installment.

An announcement about … my first novel!

Because so many of you dear blog readers have encouraged me in my writing efforts over the years, I wanted you to be the first to see the "cover reveal" for my debut novel, Emeralds and Envy, a cozy mystery that will be published by Red Adept Publishing next year! The book is about a small-town sleuth, Emma Madison, who is a former newspaper reporter turned jewelry designer. Emma loves to go junkin' for vintage jewelry (sound familiar?), and she uses her jeweled finds to create new jewelry … when she's not busy solving crimes. You can read more about the book here.

And you won't be surprised to learn there's a bit of tea in this book! There may come a day when I write a book that doesn't have a tea scene or two in it, but this is not it.

I wish the book were already published so I could have it available for you on this Cyber Monday, but alas, I took my sweet time in writing and revising it. But I do hope you'll forgive my excitement in going ahead and sharing the cover. My understanding is that the publisher will release the ebook first and then the print book thereafter, and I do plan to order some print copies to sign for those of you who would like one. So please stay tuned because 2019 is going to be an exciting year!

"Elementary, She Read" by Vicki Delany

"That high tea was great," the customer with the grand bust said to me. "I'll be telling all my friends about this place."

"What high tea?" I said. "Oh, you mean afternoon tea. You really shouldn't get those mixed up. High tea, sometimes just called tea, is what the working man calls his dinner, and afternoon tea is what you had."

— From Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany

Tea lovers, I just finished a new cozy mystery that I think you'll enjoy as much as I did, and I particularly love the premise of this one. In the small town of West London, Massachusetts, Gemma Doyle runs a Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium at 222 Baker St. (221 Baker St. wasn't available). Gemma is English but came to America to help her Great Uncle Arthur run his bookstore, and they also own half of the business next door, Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room.

The bookshop sells all things Sherlock, including not only books but also such items as busts, puzzles, mugs, dish towels, and the occasional rare collectible. A near-priceless issue of a magazine that published the first Sherlock Holmes story lands in the shop under some highly unusual circumstances, and when Gemma—along with her tea-shop-owner friend Jayne—tries to restore the magazine to its rightful owner, the two come across a dead body and find themselves suspects in a murder investigation.

Like her store's namesake, Gemma possesses some amazing powers of deduction. It's great fun to watch her do things like introduce herself to a character she's never met before, getting the person's identity correct based simply on her powers of observation. The author gives us plenty of red herrings, the requisite dust-ups with local law enforcement, and, of course, enough cups of tea to make us all want to go browse through the book shop and order "afternoon tea" at Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room. The second book in the series hits shelves September 12, and I can't wait!

"Pekoe Most Poison" by Laura Childs

In this, her eighteenth tea shop mystery, writer Laura Childs takes a bit of a different turn. I found the characters and the plot both a little edgier this time, and this may be one of my favorite tea shop books of recent years. The story begins with Theodosia and Drayton attending a type of tea I initially thought might be rather off-putting: a rat tea. Instead, I found myself thoroughly intrigued. As Drayton explains it to Theo, "Seventy-five years ago, rat teas were all the rage in Charleston. You see, at the advent of World War Two, our fair city underwent a tremendous population explosion as war workers arrived at the navy shipyard in droves." Drayton goes on to tell her that this growth resulted in super busy downtown merchants, who tossed their trash on the sidewalks, drawing rats. Public health officials led a campaign to get rid of the rats, and society ladies even had "rat teas" to help promote the effort. So Theo and Drayton are guests at a modern-day rat tea complete with wait staff in rat costumes. Alas, the tea hostess's husband meets his ghastly demise at the tea, and so our story begins.

If you've read the tea shop mysteries all along, as many of us have, you've probably noticed by now that Theodosia's personality has shifted and changed over the years. It's a transformation I have particularly enjoyed watching. Today's Theo is stronger and more self-assured than the early Theo, and her skills as both a businesswoman and an amateur sleuth seem to have grown by leaps and bounds.

There's a possible new romantic interest for our heroine as well, and I will keep my fingers crossed that Theo finally gets a steady gentleman caller in the next book. One of our regular players is out of town and thus absent from the tale (no spoilers since some of you may not have read this book yet), and I was surprised to find how much I missed this character.

My only complaint about the tea shop mysteries is that they don't arrive nearly as frequently as I would like, but considering that Laura Childs (aka Gerry Schmitt) has three other series going as well, I guess I can't complain. And to satisfy my thirst for more of her books, I have just added two more of her other cozy mysteries to my reading queue. If you have read Pekoe Most Poison, I'd love to hear whether you enjoyed the book as much as I did! Did you find it a little different from the others?

"A Dark and Stormy Murder" by Julia Buckley

The latest cozy mystery I've read is "A Writer's Apprentice Mystery," and that theme appealed to me, but so did that house on the cover. The book may be set in Blue Lake, Indiana, but that house is a dead ringer for what is arguably Newnan, Georgia's most famous historic home, the Parrott-Camp-Soucy house. (Please click here and see whether you agree.)

"A Dark and Stormy Murder" by Julia Buckley is a terrific launch to this new series, and the premise is one I think many of you would enjoy. Lena London is a longtime fan of Camilla Graham's suspense  novels,  and when Lena gets the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the assistant to her idol, she moves to Blue Lake and into Graham House, where she will receive free room and board in addition to the amazing opportunity to help Camilla write her new book. The Gothic home and lakefront property are quite the storybook setting for Lena's new job, at least until she spots a dead body along the shore near the house. Lena finds herself caught up in the search for the man's killer, all while settling into her new job and making sure she meets the expectations of her famous boss.

Happily for those of us who like our cozies with a side order of tea, this one keeps the pot quite full, including this snippet from a scene with Lena and a local detective:

"Hey—is that a teakettle I hear? You go make some tea. I'm going to have a look around. I'll meet you at the back door."

I nodded and locked the front door after him, then went to the kitchen and fumbled with the box of tea bags, finding one and plunging it into my mug of boiling water. I indulged myself with sugar and cream and sat down, taking a few bracing sips."

Buckley's well-drawn characters, particularly the aging writer and her eager-to-please apprentice, are easy to bond with. Also, the murder investigation is plotted nicely and has an intriguing cast of characters weaving in and around Graham House and leading us in just enough different directions to keep things hopping. And in one new twist for a cozy, at least for me, one plot thread was left unresolved. I'm trusting it will be addressed in the second book in the series, and I'll be ready for it, cup of tea in hand.

"The Crêpes of Wrath" by Sarah Fox

I just finished reading another charming new cozy mystery, this one from Random House's new digital-only imprint, Alibi, and you will note that this book meets my criteria (for this blog's purposes) of having something tea-related on the cover. 

When Marley McKinney’s older cousin, Jimmy, ends up in the hospital, she takes some time off from her job in Seattle to go to the coastal town of Wildwood Cove and help run his business, a pancake house called The Flip Side. Jimmy is released from the hospital, but before he can even make it back to work, his body is discovered on some rocks at Wildwood Beach, and authorities soon determine he was murdered and left there.

While grieving the loss of her cousin, Marley continues to run The Flip Side but soon learns she has some new decisions to make, since her cousin left his home and business to her in his will. In addition to working at the restaurant, Marley also manages to engage in plenty of snooping since she is determined to find out who killed Jimmy. This cozy has a great cast of supporting characters, including the curmudgeonly cook, Ivan; the beloved waitress, Leigh; and a handsome gentleman caller from Marley's past, Brett.

Fox includes some fast-paced scenes that really ratchet up the tension yet aren't too intense for those of us who prefer these kinder, gentler mysteries. Tea lovers will appreciate the fact that Marley is clearly a tea fan: "I made myself a cup of tea and settled into a chair on the back porch, determined to relax for a few minutes at least. As I sipped my tea, Flapjack jumped into my lap and curled up, purring as I stroked his sleek orange fur."

The author also does a fine job of creating a strong sense of place, and we soon begin to fall in love with Wildwood Cove just as much as Marley does—at least, until she becomes the killer's target herself. A heart-thumping conclusion gives this well-written book a most satisfying end, and I look forward to reading more in this fun new series!

Note: This is a book I discovered through NetGalley, a free service which allows authors and publishers to share their books with reviewers, bloggers, journalists, librarians, and others. Go here if you'd like to check out NetGalley for yourself, something I definitely recommend if you're a big reader who likes to write reviews!

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"Death at the Day Lily Café" by Wendy Sand Eckel

I will read almost any book with a teapot on the cover, and as I suspected, Wendy Sand Eckel's newest cozy mystery had plenty of tea-ish moments to keep us tea lovers happy! And although this was the second book in a series, I had no difficulty at all jumping right in with the storyline and understanding what was going on.

The recently divorced Rosalie Hart of Cardigan, Maryland, has just realized her dream of opening her own café when, shortly after the grand opening, her friend and fellow merchant Doris comes asking a favor: Doris's sister has been accused of killing her husband, and Doris wants Rosalie to help prove that the sister is innocent.

This book has a rich and diverse ensemble cast I greatly enjoyed meeting, including Glenn, Rosalie's 72-year-old best friend and right-hand man; her other wait staff member, Crystal, the young "hippie" who makes teas and tinctures; frequent customer Janice, whose hot flashes inject a bit of humor that middle-aged readers will no doubt appreciate; hunky Tyler, who runs Rosalie's farm; Annie, Rosalie's college-age daughter; and Kevin and Jake, a gay couple who find the town surprisingly welcoming— with one notable exception.

Doris's deceased brother-in-law is suspected of having stolen some money from the construction site where he'd worked, and it turns out that plenty of people had a reason for wanting him dead. Eckel keeps us guessing the killer's identity right up till the satisfying end, but best of all, she layers this cozy with some complex, messy, and thoroughly realistic lives that make this mystery a pleasure to read.

"Devonshire Scream" by Laura Childs

Can you believe that Laura Childs is up to Book 17 in the tea shop mysteries? I am frankly astonished that she and tea shop owner Theodosia Browning continue to hold my interest book after book, but after I finished reading a review copy of the latest book in the series, "Devonshire Scream," which releases today, I have to say that I think it's one of her best yet! This book kicks off in a most unusual fashion. A high-end trunk show is under way at Heart's Desire, the jewelry shop owned by Theodosia's friend Brooke, and masked gunmen make a rather spectacular entrance and exit, stealing jewels and leaving a dead body behind.

Burt Tidwell from the Charleston PD shows up, of course, but this time, he's not the only investigator on the scene. Soon, two FBI guys are investigating the robbery and homicide as well. It's quite satisfying to see Tidwell actually asking for Theodosia's assistance on this case, and I felt their relationship (for we can't quite call it a "friendship") somehow deepens in this book. I liked that—a lot—and will be eager to see if Tidwell's view of Theo remains changed.

And as always, Theodosia and her tea shop colleagues, Haley and Drayton, are busy serving up lots of tea and scones in the midst of all the excitement. Drayton is excited that his beloved Heritage Society is about to kick off a show of antiquities that will include the display of an actual Fabergé egg. The Indigo Tea Shop has taken to holding more themed teas lately, including a  Romanov Tea that seems to piggyback on the Fabergé egg excitement building around Charleston. The theft at Heart's Desire, however, has Theo and company wondering whether the jewel thieves might not attempt a theft of the famous egg, and nerves are stretched taut by the time the Heritage Society show opens.

Childs is a master at devising plenty of red herrings, and I honestly had about three good suspects in mind by the end of the book, which made the reading more fun. Also, Haley has a new boyfriend in "Devonshire Scream," and there are hints of a possible new relationship for Theodosia as well, setting us up perfectly to look forward to Book 18 in the series!

"Ming Tea Murder" by Laura Childs

I finally got around to reading the newest tea shop mystery from Laura Childs this week, and since it takes place in the fall, I'm actually rather pleased I waited until fall to read it. "Ming Tea Murder" kicks off with our favorite tea shop owner, Theodosia Browning, at a swanky soiree being held at the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, where her boyfriend Max works in public relations. The occasion is the opening exhibit of an 18th century Chinese tea house purchased by the museum, and Charleston society is out in full force. Alas, one of the museum's board members meets his unfortunate demise at the event, and Max himself ends up on the list of suspects. This murder is extremely personal to Theo since someone she loves is implicated, and she seems more intent than ever on ferreting out the killer.

From a tea standpoint, I quite enjoyed the fact that several new tea events were staged at the Indigo Tea Shop. There was a fun new Titanic Tea, a Tower of London Tea on Halloween, and in what I believe was a first for the tea room, it actually closed one weekday morning to host a post-funeral tea.

This book also introduced a couple of new characters I'd love to see return, including Delaine Dish's Aunt Astra and a fun transplanted Texan named Harlan Duke. As I was reading this book, the 16th in the series, it occurred to me that I have probably read more books by Laura Childs than by any other author. I very much enjoyed "Ming Tea Murder," and I firmly believe these tea shop mysteries are must-reads for any true tea lover!

"Steeped in Evil" by Laura Childs

Last week, I got all caught up on the books I was reviewing, editing, and writing, and I had time to actually read a novel that I wasn't being paid to tinker with. So what did I choose but the 2014 release "Steeped in Evil" by Laura Childs! I've clearly been too busy over the past year, because this was the first tea shop mystery I did not read within days of its release. In fact, it wasn't until I saw a new tea shop mystery was coming out this month ("Ming Tea Murder," anyone read it yet?) that I realized I was one book behind.

"Steeped in Evil" brings wine into the mix by having the murder occur at a wine tasting that Theodosia and Drayton attend. I thought it was an interesting twist to have a different beverage featured so prominently in the book, although tea still has, rightfully, a starring role. At first I thought the detective we love to hate, Burt Tidwell, was going to be MIA from this particular adventure, but he indeed has a place in the story. I was surprised to realize how much I was missing him before he appeared. The suspense builds and the identity of the killer remains unknown until the night of the Art Crawl Ball, and there's definitely more of an action-packed conclusion than ever before!

I enjoyed reading about Theodosia's new boyfriend, Max, and I can't help wondering if a tea shop wedding will take place one day. I'm sure rooting for one—and I can just imagine Delaine helping Theodosia find the absolute perfect gown. And now, I'm all caught up and ready for that next tea shop mystery!

New Teapot Collector Mystery: "Shadow of a Spout"

For years now, many of us have been enjoying the teashop mysteries by Laura Childs. Last year, I was delighted to learn there would be yet another series of tea-themed cozy mysteries, and in June came the first in Amanda Cooper's new Teapot Collector Mysteries. Over the weekend, I finished reading "Shadow of a Spout," the second book in the series, and it was especially fun because this was a signed copy I won by leaving a comment on a blog, a giveaway just like I have here sometimes.

I also won a tote bag that I was absolutely delighted to receive because of the pretty teawares in the design!

This book again features Rose Freemont, who operates Auntie Rose's Victorian Tea House in Gracious Grove, N.Y., and her granddaughter, Sophie. In this book, Rose travels to the Stone and Scone Inn in Butterhill, N.Y. for the annual convention of the New York State division of the International Teapot Collectors Society. The division president, a most obnoxious woman who manages to offend many of the teapot collectors almost from the moment they arrive, is soon found murdered, and through a string of unfortunate incidents, Rose ends up becoming one of the prime suspects.

The storyline of this whodunnit is fast-paced and full of red herrings. Just about the time you decide you know who the killer is, there turns up a fact proving that person couldn't possibly have done it after all. The other thing I enjoyed about this book was imagining getting to attend just such a convention and signing up for, say, a session on silver hallmarks, as some of these teapot collectors did.

Have any of you read the first book in the series, "Tempest in a Teapot," or the new one? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

New tea mystery: "Tempest in a Teapot" by Amanda Cooper

Over the weekend I finished reading an advance copy of a great new tea-themed cozy mystery, "Tempest in a Teapot" by Amanda Cooper, and I'm delighted to have discovered another great mystery series for tea lovers! Now if you're like me, I get rather impatient having to wait a whole year for the new Laura Childs tea shop mystery to appear each year. I was surprised to learn earlier this year that Berkley Prime Crime had another tea-themed cozy series in the works, and I must admit I was a bit wary. Would it be a knock-off of my beloved Laura Childs books? How could someone even attempt another tea-themed cozy series? And just what kind of writer was this Amanda Cooper anyway? I'm delighted to report that the new mystery series is terrific, and yet all it has in common with the tea shop mysteries is, well, tea!

Cooper's immensely likable heroine is Sophie Taylor, a young chef whose Manhattan restaurant has gone under, leading her to regroup in the town of Gracious Grove in upstate New York, site of her grandmother's home and tea room, Auntie Rose's Victorian Tea House. Sophie is soon helping her Nana run the tea room, including preparing for an upcoming bridal shower tea for one of Sophie's old childhood friends.

This tea room, it so happens, has a rival tea room right next door, and the proprietor of that tea room, La Belle Époque, sees Sophie's Nana as an enemy and would very much like to put her out of business. An engagement party tea for Sophie's old childhood friend is held at La Belle Époque, where a poisonous cupcake kills a very important guest. So whodunit? There are loads of suspects with loads of motives, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Cooper includes lots of red herrings to throw us off the murderer's trail. Cooper is particularly gifted at creating distinctive characters and voices, and I'm already attached to quite a few of these new "friends."

I also enjoyed the fact Auntie Rose's Victorian Tea House has a teapot collectors' club, the Silver Spouts, who meet at the tea room for tea and conversation about their teapots. I found myself thinking of my own favorite teapots and which ones I'd bring for show-and-tell if I were allowed to join the group! A yummy-sounding scone recipe is included in the book as well. I greatly enjoyed "Tempest in a Teapot" and wanted to learn more about this "new" author, who it turns out is actually a Canadian writer named Victoria Hamilton, who also writes the Vintage Kitchen Cozy Mysteries. If you'd like to learn more about the Teapot Collector Mystery books, visit the Facebook page for the series here. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

"Sweet Tea Revenge" by Laura Childs

Laura Childs' latest tea shop mystery, "Sweet Tea Revenge," was published this week, and I'm happy to report it's another winner! Can you believe this is her 14th book in the series? It amazes me that she can sustain the storyline about Theodosia Browning's Indigo Tea Shop and keep it fresh and new as she does. This book begins on the day Theodosia's friend Delaine Dish is set to marry her beau, and I don't think I'm giving away the farm to disclose (as the book jacket does) that the groom doesn't quite make it to the altar. As you might imagine, Delaine is devastated and Theodosia has to step in and help find the killer.

For some months now I have been working on writing a "cozy" mystery myself, and I can tell you it's hard work. I've read probably a dozen different series now to get a better feel for what readers of this genre expect, and I was surprised to learn that "heroines" aren't all as admirable as our beloved Theo. The one cozy I read with a main character who glibly drove while drunk just about sent me over the edge! Because of Laura Childs, I have high expectations of what a good cozy can be. I won't be submitting my own manuscript until it's the sort of book I personally would like to read, and the fact Childs has kept me interested for 14 books now tells me she has mastered the art of keeping us reading! I also appreciate the fact the author recognizes her characters need to change and grow, their tastes may need to wander a bit, and that happens, regularly, in the tea shop mysteries.

Another thing I have enjoyed about the tea shop series is that Theodosia and friends keep up with the latest in tea room trends. I'll let you read the book to discover which new sweet treats Haley and Drayton are serving in the tea shop these days. Like me, you'll probably nod your head and think, "Yes, she got that just right." As always the book concludes with some yummy sounding recipes. And even more exciting was a teaser for Childs' upcoming book "Living a Tea Shop Life," which is said to be "a nonfiction book that applies life lessons learned from tea shops and tea masters to everyday life." It will also include 100+ recipes and tea time tips, and I can't wait to read it!

"Agony of the Leaves" by Laura Childs

It was bound to happen. It was simply a matter of time. And sure enough, just like that, in Tea Shop Mystery #13 we face the death of one of the old familiar characters from Theodosia Browning's Indigo Tea Shop crowd in Charleston, S.C.

I was fortunate to get an advance copy of the new novel, coming March 6, and it begins with the grand opening of the city's new Neptune Aquarium. Theodosia and company are there catering when she takes a break to admire one of the huge tanks on display, only to find a familiar face come bobbing by, the victim of an apparent drowning--or was it something more sinister instead?

This novel finds Theo quite a bit more personally involved in solving the mystery because of her past relationship with the deceased, and it makes for some *very* interesting reading. And though I found myself suspecting everyone at first, I must admit it wasn't 'til near the end of the book that I figured out who the culprit was. "Agony of the Leaves" also teases us with plans for a longtime character's wedding coming in the next book. My only beef with Laura Childs is that she doesn't write these books fast enough to suit me!