Chamomile Mourning (A Tea Shop Mystery) [Hardcover]

Laura Childs (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Tea Shop Mystery | Publication Date: May 3, 2005

Another tempest in a teapot from the national bestselling author of The Jasmine Moon Murder.

At Charleston's Spoleto festival, teashop owner Theodosia Browning is far from festive when the Poet's Tea is forced indoors by rain. But rain proves to be the least of her problems after a local auction house owner plummets from a balcony to his death-and it looks like someone helped him over the edge.

With a full kettle of suspects, Theodosia investigates and uncovers a criminal enterprise of art forgery, fraud--and murder--that leads her into the murky swamps of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Now, she's hot on the heels of a criminal who plans on showing her just how dangerous it is to stick her sensitive nose where it doesn't belong.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laura Childs is the author of the popular Scrapbooking mystery series.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425202518
• ISBN-13: 978-0425202517
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Non-tea lovers and tea-lovers alike!, September 14, 2005

By 

Tonya Speelman "Hoarder of books" (Goldendale WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Chamomile Mourning (A Tea Shop Mystery) (Hardcover)

Will love this book. Laura Childs has created a world with some mystery, plenty of good friends, lots of good recipes, a little love and some mystery. This was my first book by Ms. Childs and I was throughly engrossed in it from beginning to end. It kept me wondering who really did it the whole time.

The book leaves you with a lot of questions, so I look forward to the next.

I like to drink sweet tea, and I like a cup of hot tea every once in awhile but this gave me such a warm feeling that I have started checking out teas online. I look forward to reading others in the series and hope you do too!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful amateur sleuth, May 4, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chamomile Mourning (A Tea Shop Mystery) (Hardcover)

In Charleston, South Carolina, Theodosia Browning's Indigo Tea Shop is a smashing success and is now very much one of the in places. Theodora's contribution to the first Poet's Tea is moved indoors to the Heritage Society when the weather turns nasty. During a presentation given by Drayton Conneley, a shot rings out and a man falls off the balcony and lands on Theodosia's cake. The killer escapes and the gala obviously ended early.

She was the last person to see auction house owner Roger Crispin alive when she brought him a cup of tea in the balcony. The police question her and Gracie Venable who is just about to open a millenary story near the Indigo Tea Shop. Haley another co-worker of Theodosia's is friendly with the woman and is upset that the police are looking at her as a suspect because she was having an affair with the much married Roger. His wife, a mover and Shaker in Charleston, is putting pressure on the police to look at Grace as the killer, leaving it to Theodosia and company to find the real killer just like they have five times before.

The protagonist is one of the most realistic and likeable characters to grace the pages of a mystery novel. Her investigative techniques are all within the realm of possibility so readers feel that anyone could do what Theodosia is doing. This delightful amateur sleuth mystery is entertaining and keeps the audience interested from the time the victim falls into the heroine's cake. Laura Childs knows how to create the ambience that makes this series so special because one of the main characters is the city of Charleston.

Harriet Klausner

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cozy mystery with very good plotting, September 1, 2005

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Chamomile Mourning (A Tea Shop Mystery) (Hardcover)

I can't resist saying that if you like cozy mysteries, this will probably be your cup of tea! The "detective" in this series owns a tea shop in Charleston, SC -- upscale and inventive, with luncheons and some catering activities, etc. The murder victim that begins the book lands on her tea table at a special event, so naturally she gets involved in trying to solve the murder, particularly since the police suspect someone she believes is innocent -- or is she.

There's a LOT of stuff about tea in this book, which I like, but it does slow the pace down. If you like your mysteries fast-paced, this might be a problem for you.

I intend to read more by this author -- this was my first. But I'm unlikely to get on a waiting list for her next book, if you understand the distinction.