"You don't have to love tea to love this mystery"

Theodosia Browning's Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, South Carolina, is a great success. The Poet's Tea is forced inside. Auction house owner Roger Crispin falls off the balcony and onto Theodosia's cake when a shot rang out during a presentation given by Drayton Conneley.

Since Theodosia was the last one to see Roger alive when she took a cup of tea to him up in the balcony, she is questioned. The police also question Grace Venable who is opening a store near the tea shop. Haley, a co-worker of Theodosia's, is friendly with Grace and is upset when Grace becomes a suspect because she had been having an affair with Roger who was married.

Theodosia and friends begin investigating as Roger's wife is putting lots of pressure on the police to look at Grace. Theodosia does not believe Grace did it, but she isn't positive.

The investigation leads her into the swamps of South Carolina where she uncovers art forgery, fraud, and murder. Can she escape with her life to be able to alert the authorities?

This was the first I have read in this delightful series. It won't be the last. Even though I'm not a tea drinker, I really enjoyed this book. I found the information about tea enjoyable. The author didn't describe it in such depth that non-tea drinkers would be bored.

I really like Theodosia and her friends. They are great characters and having it set in Charleston was great. I have visited there once. She really has the ambiance down.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more.

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Posted July 11, 2005

Summary

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.