Thursday, March 3, 2016

Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs {+ Giveaway}



There’s always interesting activities going on around the Indigo Tea Shop and this time it deals with expensive gems, jewels and murder.

Theodosia Browning and the gang from the Indigo Tea Shop are excited to cater a high-class trunk show for Brooke Carter Crockett at Heart’s Desire Jewelry. With the event in full swing and precious gems and bobbles on display, a gang of masked thieves literally crash into the shop. The robbers quickly make off with the loot and leave the shop in shattered glass and Brooke’s niece Kaitlin dead.

When Brooke begs Theo for help in finding out who the robbers are, she has no choice but to do all she can do to solve the case. While the authorities believe the brutal burglary was the work of an international jewel thief gang, Theo thinks the mastermind is a local.

Author Laura Childs once again blends the intrigue of murder and mayhem with the comfort of a tea shop and friends for an entertaining and suspenseful read. The story moves smoothly and at a steady pace to hold your attention from beginning to end. The tea shop setting with Charleston as a backdrop adds depth to the tantalizing tale.

The characters are realistic and likable. The main core of characters – protagonist Theo and her associates Drayton and Haley – continue to evolve with each new installment. Their friendship and bantering enhances the story.

DEVONSHIRE SCREAM is the 17th installment in the Tea Shop Mystery series, but can be read as a standalone. New readers won’t be left in the dark and returning fans will enjoy catching up with the gang once more. You don’t have to be a tea drinker to enjoy this story, but a number of delicious recipes, tea time tips and tea resources are included as a bonus. In addition, readers get a special preview of a new series from the author (writing as Gerry Schmitt) that is more thriller than cozy.

This is a delightful cozy mystery that will satisfy your quizzical nature and tempt your appetite.

Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs, A Tea Shop Mystery (Book #17), Berkley, @2016, ISBN: 978-0425281666, Hardcover, 320 Pages 

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Thanks to Roxanne and the wonderful folks at Penguin/Random House, I have a print copy of DEVONSHIRE SCREAM by Laura Childs to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Friday, March 11.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Devonshire Scream Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope I’ve enticed you to check out this latest installment in the Tea Shop Mystery series. Have you ever tried a drink or dish based on something you read in a mystery?


20 comments:

  1. Ooooh.
    A new one to the series. Thank you.

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  2. Seventeen books. I can't imagine writing that many in a series. Well done.

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  3. I love Childs's work—thanks for the chance to win a copy of Devonshire Scream!

    skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

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  4. I've never tried a recipe found in a cozy but have revisited some of mine that are similar and made them again.

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  5. I like this series, but have gotten away from it.

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  6. That's a great title! And it's an interesting premise for the story. Thanks for sharing, Mason.

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  7. I really like Laura's books in fact I am reading one right now. She is one of my favorite authors

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  8. I love the idea of a tea shop mystery series. How cute!

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  9. One of my favorite author, hope to get a chance to read it :)

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  10. Once upon a time, I read the first book in this series and just never continued. Not that I didn't like it, but other books crowded in. I'd like to catch up again. :-)

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  11. This series is wonderful and so unique. Thanks for this lovely feature and giveaway.

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  12. Sounds like a great book and no, I have never tried a drink or food based on something I've read in 'ANY' book, lol.

    wfnren at aol dot com

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  13. Love the cover of the book.
    CABWNANA1@bellsouth.net

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  14. Can't wait to catch up with Theodosia and Drayton! And yes, I've made several dessert recipes from various cozies. Some snickerdoodle bars and black and white cookies were the best hits. Oh, and I bought gunpowder green tea once, because of a previous book in this series! Thanks so much!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. Would love to read the latest book about the Indigo Tea Shop! Thanks so much.
    Sips and Smiles,
    Teresa

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    1. Thank you for allowing me to enter your contest. I won a copy of Devonshire Scream on another blog, so please remove me from your contest. Thank you.

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  17. Thank you for the chance to win a copy of Devonshire Scream! I'm so looking forward to reading it!

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  18. This cover makes me hungry! I want to read!
    Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net

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