Meh. I wasn't blown away by this one. Death by Darjeeling, while a unique idea for a mystery, felt very cut-and-dry. There weren't really any twists and I predicted whodunnit about halfway through the book. I was a little annoyed that there are several unanswered questions about motivations that could easily have been explained with just a sentence or two--for example, why Theodosia Browning, tea shop owner and former advertising executive, decides to try and solve a murder mystery. Perhaps I'm just not making this connection. I will give Childs credit though--a problem I often have in mysteries is that I forget who some of the characters are and then get awfully confused come the big exciting ending. But each character was distinctly unique and easy to remember, without too many to throw you off. As I said, very meh. ( )

This is an easy and pleasant read, which can be finished in a couple of hours. At the end the murderer is in police custody without any violence or gore.
It's the first in the Tea Shop mystery series and therefore the recurring characters are introduced. There's not much character development in this book and generally that holds true in the others that I have read in the series. The police detective Tidwell is one of the more interesting characters. Some of the others are cartoonish or stereotypical. The storyline is good with several possible culprits identified. One can successfully guess the true villain about two-thirds of the way through the book, but the writing is sufficiently good that you carry on reading to the end.
There's some local colour included about Charleston (its history and so on) as well as the inevitable tea trivia.
All in all, its a good start for the series and better than one of the others that I read. It's too early to say whether the series will turn out to follow a formula. ( )

What can I say but that I absolutely loved this book. Everything about it just got me so wrapped up in Theo's Indigo Tea Shop and the mystery itself was intriguing in its' own little way I had to read this from cover to cover. Everything about it was just so "cozy". I loved the different descriptions about tea, and being a tea lover myself am now in the look out for new teas to try. Aside from the wonderful tea descriptions and the desserts that went along with it, the mystery was a fun read. Nothing too flashy and sensational. However there were proper moments of suspense and intrigue which kept the reader going and more engrossed to keep reading some more.

I loved the characters in the book. The suspects were believable and each had a motive for murder. I liked Theo and her staff at the tea shop who supported her through her investigation. They were all likable characters (although I found Drayton to be a particular favorite as he was the actual tea connoisseur). As for the real murderer and the solving of the case, I thought I had guessed correctly but I was blindsided and it wasn't who I expected it to be. There were a couple of questions I would like to have answered but I figured they would wait until the next book or two to see what would happen to certain characters I'm curious about. Plot flow was good and interesting. Nothing distracting to take away from the main theme. Theo is a great strong character and her determination to solve this case and save the reputation of her business and friend makes her even more likeable and noble.

Overall a wonderful mystery cozy! this will definitely be a series I will continue reading. I recommend this for cozy mystery lovers and tea aficionados alike. ( )

butterflybaby said most of it when it comes to plot or story telling. What is not mentioned is two things. How much this reads like fanfiction and further, how much of a self-insert Mary Sue this is.

I am very glad I did not pay full price for this drivel.

Theo is an elegant southern lady who after being in the grulling world of advertising decides to open her own Tea shop.
Theo becomes an amutuer slueth when one of her employees is made a suspect in the murder of a despised realotor. Theo ends up doing the work of feared Dect. Tidwell. In this story he just sits back and lets Theo bring the murderer to him. I enjoyed reading this story because it was like and easy to put down and pick up. ( )