Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs

I have very strong feelings about tea. It's a long story, but I'm an adult now and I don't have to drink it and no one can make me. My husband and children love the stuff, but I won't touch it. My feelings about tea didn't stop me from absolutely loving Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs. The yummy descriptions are almost enough to convince me I'd enjoy visiting Theodosia's tea shop. If nothing else, I'm sure I'd enjoy the scones!

It was the idea of a "Rat Tea" that made me want to pick up this book. Elegantly dressed servers in rat heads staff the event, which is a recreation of the parties originally held to bring attention to the need for public sanitation in early twentieth-century Charleston. It's an odd enough experience for Theodosia and her friend, Drayton, even before a centerpiece bursts into flames and one of the gentlemen seated at her tables dramatically goes into convulsions and dies.

There's a lot of great detail in this book and I think the mystery was deeper and more complex than a lot of the other cozies I've been reading lately. The characters were three-dimensional people with developed relationships and possible motives. I'll be looking for the earlier books in the series so that I can get caught up.

About The Author

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:

Webpage – http://www.laurachilds.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31

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