Charleston, South Carolina, and the surrounding low country are vividly brought to life in Childs' twenty-fifth Tea Shop Mystery. Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton, become involved in a police investigation after their friend Delaine Dish's sister, Nadine, is murdered at a tea-themed fashion show, and Nadine's daughter, Bettina, asks them to investigate. Suspects include Nadine's business partners, an intern, a film director, a fashion designer, and Nadine's new boyfriend--plus, there is evidence that a drug deal may have played a part in the crime. Against the wishes of Theodosia's police-detective boyfriend, the two interview reluctant suspects, do a little breaking and entering, and find a second body along the way. Tea, delicious food, lovingly described clothing, and the particulars of running a tea shop frame this satisfying cozy, reminiscent of Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear series. Childs concludes with recipes, ideas for tea-themed parties, scone variations, tea resources, and Charleston tourist information.

A Charleston tea shop owner's life continues to be steeped in murder. Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, doesn't seek out trouble, but it seems to find her. She and her colleagues are doing a lemon-themed tea at a local B & B featuring a rollout for Lemon Squeeze Couture, a project of Theodosia's friend Delaine Dish's sister, Nadine; both sisters are high-strung divas in the fashion world. When Theodosia finds Nadine dead in a bowl of lemon curd, she adds another investigation to a long list. Nadine, who was unpopular with the entire film and fashion crew, hadn't been getting on with her partners lately, either, and she'd had a big fight that very day with film director Eddie Fox. Theodosia's main man, homicide detective Pete Riley, fails once again to get her to ignore the latest murder. Promising Nadine's daughter that she'll look into the death, Theodosia sets out to learn more about the key players in the clothing business and figure out who might want Nadine dead. A trace of cocaine found near Nadine's body, which certainly raises the stakes, may have something to do with a case Pete's working. As Theodosia runs her popular shop while continuing her round of specialty tea parties, she tries to identify the motive for Nadine's murder: bad luck or bad relationships? The genteel environment of a high-end tea shop neatly entwines with murder, mayhem, and the obligatory recipes. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.