HAUNTED HIBISCUS by Laura Childs

Laura Childs is one of my favorite Cozy Mystery authors so I had some pretty high expectations for HAUNTED HIBISCUS. Thankfully, the 22nd book in the Teashop Mystery series does not disappoint!

HAUNTED HIBISCUS has a little bit of a Halloween theme to it as Theodosia and Drayton visit the Gray Ghost, an old Bouchard mansion. With this eerie backdrop and Childs' expect writing, I felt entirely enthralled by this book from the beginning. There’s something to be said about Childs’ writing. I just love how easily she weaves together this book. Engaging and fun, with a little twist here and there, keep readers on their toes and keeps them guessing. I like the level of detail and the charming/mysterious characters as well.

But most of all, Theodosia and Drayton remain my favorites. When you have excellent protagonists like these two, it’s pretty easy to fall in love with a series. If you haven’t tried this series out yet, then you’re definitely missing out! Packed with suspense and mystery, you’ll want to sit down with a hot cup of tea and binge-read this entire book!

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SUMMARY

Tea maven Theodosia Browning brews up trouble in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

It is the week before Halloween and Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton, are ghosting through the dusk of a cool Charleston evening on their way to the old Bouchard Mansion. Known as the Gray Ghost, this dilapidated place was recently bequeathed to the Heritage Society, and tonight heralds the grand opening of their literary and historical themed haunted house.

Though Timothy Neville, the patriarch of the Heritage Society, is not thrilled with the fund-raising idea, it is the perfect venue for his grandniece, Willow French, to sign copies of her new book, Carolina Crimes & Creepers.

But amid a parade of characters dressed as Edgar Allan Poe, Lady Macbeth, and the Headless Horseman, Willow's body is suddenly tossed from the third-floor tower room and left to dangle at the end of a rope. Police come screaming in and Theodosia's boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, is sent to Willow's apartment to investigate. But minutes later, he is shot and wounded by a shadowy intruder.

Timothy begs Theodosia to investigate, and shaken by Riley's assault, she readily agrees. Now, she questions members of the Heritage Society and a man who claims the mansion is rightfully his, as well as Willow's book publisher and her fiancé, all while hosting a Sherlock Holmes tea and catering several others.

But the Gray Ghost holds many secrets, as do several other key suspects, while this murder mystery plays out on the eve of Halloween.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

EXCERPT

BOOK SERIES

Tea Shop Mysteries