Review
Murder interrupts a genteel tea party and fashion show in Charleston, South Carolina in the Lemon Curd Killer.
During a catering event, tea shop owner Theodosia finds a fashion show coordinator, Nadine, face down in the lemon curd. It is obvious that Nadine was shot in the back of the head and hidden in the venue’s large fridge. Bettina, Nadine’s daughter, asks Theo, who she describes as the Miss Marple of Charleston, to help find her mother’s killer. Theo is willing to try but the suspects are plentiful: a disgruntled sister, two dissatisfied business partners, a prima donna designer, a possibly cuckolded boyfriend and the rumored lover himself. Theo has a big job ahead of her. Can she solve the crime without being murdered herself?
Another fine cozy mystery in the Tea Shop Mystery series that will make you crave tea and scones while satisfying your armchair detective cravings. The characters within the Lemon Curd Killer feel genuine and make realistic decisions. The mystery itself was a head scratcher that stumped me until the final clue that also gave Theo the killer’s name. The red herrings are plentiful, but looking back, there were clues that I missed earlier.
I must also mention the many tea party recipes (including themed tea party tips), and tea resources located at the end of the book. Who knew there were teas for dogs? How about a sweet tea vodka or wine-flavored teas? There is a whole unseen world of tea and tea parties awaiting discovery.
Overall, the Lemon Curd Killer is an excellent and challenging cozy mystery that is a find for tea drinkers. 5 stars!
Thanks to Berkley Books, Great Escapes Book Tours, and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.
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About Lemon Curd Killer
Lemon Curd Killer (A Tea Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
25th in Series
Setting – South Carolina
Berkley (March 7, 2023)
Hardcover : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593200926
ISBN-13 : 978-0593200926
Digital ASIN : B0B3HQFB3N
High tea and high fashion turn deadly in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.
Tea shop entrepreneur Theodosia Browning has been tapped to host a fancy Limón Tea in a genuine lemon orchard as a rousing kickoff to Charleston Fashion Week. But as fairy lights twinkle and the scent of lemon wafts among the tea tables, the deadly murder of a fashion designer puts the squeeze on things.
As the lemon curd begins to sour, the murdered woman’s daughter begs Theodosia to help find the killer. Tea events and fashion shows must go on, however, which puts Theodosia and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, right in the thick of squabbling business partners, crazed clothing designers, irate film producers, drug deals, and a disastrous Tea Trolley Tour.
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!
About Laura Childs
Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.
The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.
Laura’s Links: Website – Facebook
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound – PenguinRandomHouse –
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I love this series! Can’t wait to read the two new releases for 2023.