Grab a cup of Earl Grey or a glass of Peach Tea Smash and settle in for another fun-filled installment in the Tea Shop Mysteries. When a man is found bludgeoned by a croquet mallet and strung from chains and paddles at The Mad Hatter Masquerade at the Old Pendleton Grist Mill, Theodosia agrees to help his widow find the killer in PEACH TEA SMASH, the 28th novel in this long-running New York Times bestselling series.
Bank president Harlan Sadler didn’t deserve to die in such a morbid fashion, and Theodosia embarks on an amateur investigation to find the killer. Harlan’s wife, Cricket, has no idea who would want to harm her husband, and Harlan’s son, Duke, is defensive and agitated. As Theodosia and her trusted tea sommelier, Drayton, start looking for clues around Charleston, they uncover some interesting angles for murder, including an old horse mafia rumor, a hostile bank takeover, and a dissolving real estate partnership. Theodosia also has to consider that Harlan’s son, Duke, may have been the target. Duke was involved in a boat crash that killed his girlfriend, and he had swindled some business partners before becoming a greedy slumlord. As the search for a killer continues, Theo and her gang will travel the cobblestone streets of Charleston, take part in numerous city events, and pull off a final showdown involving some quick escape tactics.
PEACH TEA SMASH is everything readers expect from a Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mystery. It is so darn fun to tag along with Theodosia and watch as she plans wonderful tea events, including a Regency Tea, a Chocolate Stroll, a Book Lover’s Tea, and a Silk Road Tea. Along with her entrepreneurial skills, she’s an effective logical sleuth, analyzing the clues and interviewing the suspects. She takes us to places such as Mad Hatter Masquerades, dog racing tracks, antique shops, and opera events. There is so much atmospheric and descriptive writing, that readers are transported to Charleston and placed right in the action. Through it all, Theodosia’s enduring spirit helps uncover a money laundering scheme, deal with vandalism at the tea shop, avoid a side swipe by a dark car, and catch a killer. There’s never a dull moment, and reconnecting with the teashop gang is always a thrill. PEACH TEA SMASH is a true delight. Delicious recipes and Tea Time Tips are included!
Murder at an Alice in Wonderland–themed event threatens to send Theodosia Browning through the looking glass in the latest entry in this New York Times bestselling series.
During the Mad Hatter Masquerade, a fundraiser hosted by the Friends of the Opera on the grounds of the old Pendleton Grist Mill, Harlan Sadler, husband of Cricket Sadler, the chairwoman, is killed. He’s been hit in the head with a croquet mallet, and his body hung on the chains and paddles of the grist mill. Nobody can figure out why since Harlan was much beloved by everyone. It’s only after Cricket and Delaine beg Theodosia to investigate that she realizes the killer might have mistaken Harlan for his crazy son, Duke. After all, Duke is a slum landlord and recently injured a woman in a boating accident.
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