Pekoe Most Poison {+ Giveaway}

◊ PEKOE MOST POISON by Laura Childs

◊ Series: A Tea Shop Mystery, Book 18

◊ Hardcover: 320 pages

◊ Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

◊ Publisher: Berkley (March 7, 2017)

◊ Language: English

◊ ISBN-10: 042528168X

◊ ISBN-13: 978-0425281680

SYNOPSIS:

         

In the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs, Theodosia Browning attends a “Rat Tea,” where the mice will play...at murder.
 

When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued.  As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health.
          But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat.
          The distraught Doreen soon engages Theo to pursue a discreet inquiry into who might have murdered her husband. As Theo and her tea sommelier review the guest list for suspects, they soon find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse...

INCLUDES RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS

Author Laura Childs continues to share some of the most unique events relating to tea through her Tea Shop Mystery Series.

This time around Childs has her protagonist, Theodosia Browning, attending a ‘Rat Tea’ with her friend and tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley. As it turns out, someone turns up dead and Theodosia can’t help but get involved.

The author places the reader in the middle of the action (and unusual setting) through her rich descriptions and eye for detail. She explains about a ‘Rat Tea’ and its history. Readers can also almost smell the delicious aromas from the dishes prepared by chief baker Haley at Theodosia’s Indigo Tea Shop. The sights and sounds of Charleston come alive through the pages as well.

The story moves at a good pace with some twists and turns and a few misdirections to keep you guessing. The characters are well-developed and likable. The characters continue to grow with each new installment in the series, but new readers won’t be left in the dark.

PEKOE MOST POISON is a delightful and entertaining cozy murder mystery you’ll find hard to put down once you begin. The author’s blend of murder, mystery, suspense, humor, and friendship combine well with a touch of romance, a dollop of history, and a sampling of tasty recipes and tea time tips.

You don’t have to be a tea lover to enjoy this tantalizing tale.

Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs, A Tea Shop Mystery (Book #18), Berkley, @2017, ISBN: 978-0425281680, Hardcover, 320 Pages

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

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Penguin Random House, I have a print copy of PEKOE MOST POISON 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 17.

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 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. Had you ever heard of a ‘Rat Tea’ before this? If so, have you been to one and if not, would you go to one?

a Rafflecopter giveaway