Death by Darjeeling

There is nothing like finishing the last page of a book and knowing without a doubt that you will be picking up the next in the series very soon. (the last one I felt that way about was Carrie Vaughn's Kitty series) This series was a no brainer for me. It's a mystery. Check. It's a cozy. Check. It revolves around tea. HUGE check. And it was delightful.

Theodosia Browning, a thirty-something former rat race participant is now the owner of a tea shop in the historic district of Charleston, SC. When a man turns up dead at an event for which she is catering, finds herself sleuthing. After all, he's been poisoned and she notices that her local business is down. She learns that the dead man is an unscrupulous real estate developer with many show more enemies. Within a short time, she has found not one, not two, but at least three people with motive and means for murder. With no help from the investigating officer (who drops hints that one of the shop's employees is a suspect while unnerving staff with his frequent visits), Theodosia follows leads and does a little detective work on her own and soon has all of the suspects zeroing in on her. Her sleuthing skills could use work as far as invisibility is concerned.

The story flows gently but firmly and sweeps the reader along on a most enjoyable ride. There were a few red herrings along the way, which I hope will be expanded upon in later books. I also look forward to getting to know the quirky characters who comprise the world of Theodosia Browning's Charleston.

If you are looking for hard-core mystery, just keep right on looking. This is not your cup of tea. But if you love a cozy mystery with likable characters and an interesting base, you might enjoy the Tea Shop mystery series. show less

Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs is a 2001 Berkley publication.

I’ve had my eye on this series for ages and am happy to finally get around to reading this first book in the series.

Though this book is over twenty years old it stands the test of time in all the ways that really matter. Yes, there is a lack of technology, we take for granted today and the use of some older methods of communication, etc., but the dialogue, plot, characterizations, and charm, are all perfectly fine, making this a very engaging mystery.

Over the past few years, I have grown to love my afternoon tea. I have enjoyed getting to know all about the varieties and the health benefits involved. There is nothing more calming and comforting than curling up with show more my kitties and nice cup of warm tea and my kindle, so naturally, I found premise of this series right up my alley.

Not only that, I found that, as opposed to many other 'first in a series' cozies, there was nothing awkward about it because introducing the basic characters and premise felt effortless. I felt right at home with the characters right away and found the mystery interesting enough I had to force myself not to finish the book in one sitting.

I’m really looking forward to seeing this series develop. Yes, I have started yet another long-running cozy series, but I just love being able to pull one out when the mood strikes, catching up with the characters while enjoying a good whodunit.

Win Win!

4 stars show less

In Charleston, South Carolina, Theodosia Browning purchased the Indigo Tea Shop leaving behind the grueling and stressful world of an advertising agency for the pleasure of sharing the comforts of tea. On the night of the Lamplighter Tour sponsored by the Heritage Society, a new board member moments earlier conversing and enjoying the evening with a cup of tea dies, and suspicion looms over Theo’s occasional employee.

I enjoyed this delightful cozy fusion of southern hospitality, a historical city, a historical society, gossip and rumors, and the fascinating information about tea acquired locally and from around the world, from the natural differences to creating new blends and preparations for serving. I also loved the canine named show more Earl Grey.

It’s a lovely armchair travel visit to Charleston and all who enjoy a comforting cup of tea while reading with extra pleasure for tea connoisseurs. The larger staff of this tea shop enabled a wider range of business possibilities. As Theo also welcomes new ideas from her team, I look forward to reading more of the series to learn which opportunities come to fruition.

Reviewer’s Note: Gerry Schmitt writes the Afton Tangler Thrillers and, using the pseudonym Laura Childs writes the Tea Shop Mysteries, the Scrapbook Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries. show less

Nice little cosy mystery set-up but slightly forced and didn't quite work in a few places, especially as we jumped POV to potential suspects

Theodorisa (silly name) runs a tea-shop and is just getting her feet underneath her when a businessman dies drinking some of her tea during a street festival. It's soon established the poison was in the cup rather than the pot exonerating her, but rumors spread and so she's forced to chivy the police investigation along a bit to help her business and employees. Too many red herrings are trailed across the path for this to be a well considered mystery, especially with the cutaways to the perpetrator's thoughts (my least favourite writing style). But the blend of foodie fashion cooking tips and crime show more is always an interesting scenario. show less

I was initially feeling this book, but the story picked up about halfway through and I was hooked. I was charmed by the idea of mysteries centered around a tea shop in a pretty Southern city, and this novel definitely leverages its setting. I wasn't intending to continue this series, but I might just need to replenish my tea collection and settle in for the next one.

I was all ready to like this book--and for the most part, I really did! It did, for the most part, exactly what I wanted it to do, and was a beautiful fluffy read that didn't mean very much but was interesting and short (you'll note I blew through it in two days, and one of those days I was on the road.) But what bumped it down from three stars to two was the ending; I just can't get behind the 'sudden twist' ending where everything about the criminal's motives are revealed at the very end, rather than the conclusion being a logical production of the investigating that the main character, even if it's not immediately clear until that moment. I don't know, maybe it's because I grew up reading Encyclopedia Brown, and so is my problem and show more not the book's.

Really I think the issue was: the ending came out of nowhere, and it really felt like the author realized she was running out of space to finish, when she had crammed all these details about Charleston and tea and all these other things and hadn't given more space to the actual mystery solving. And I enjoyed all those details, but with the ending, it felt like they came at the cost of the actual story. There were also so, SO many things that were not tied up at the end--all the moments, for example, when the narrative switched to be in the perspective of one of the suspects or the detective. Is the stalker going to come back in another book? What about the creepy comments of the detective? I don't know that I'm interested enough in the series (based on the way this one went) to really read further and figure it out, and I think that too is a flaw--if those were what was supposed to get me to read more, then why bother having mysteries at all?

For the most part, though, I wasn't mad at the book as a whole; I wasn't even that upset that the narrative makes a single mention of enslavement despite like 90% of the characters clearly having a family history tied up enslaving people (because they are Old Money in South Carolina.) That part I could let go, but the ending sort of ruined all of it for me. show less

Theodosia "Theo" Browning owns The Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston. She left a job in advertising because she was tired of well, being tired. Now she has employees she can count on, and a thriving business. She's recently learned from one of her friends that Hughes Barron, a developer, is trying to buy the building next door so he can turn it into condos, as he's done closer to the beach. Her friend is outraged, and figures Theo should be, too. But Theo wants to see what he's up to before she goes off on anyone.

Unfortunately, at a garden party that Theo is catering, the man turns up dead with one of her teacups in his hand. When Detective Burt Tidwell tells her he was poisoned, Theo knows it had to be in the cup, since no one else got show more sick. But with one of her employees in Tidwell's sights, she decides to do a little sleuthing on her own to see if she can ferret out a killer. Now, with a little help from her friends, Theo's on a mission to find out what's really brewing...

This is the first in the series and I have to say that I like Theo. She's reserved, but it's because she was raised to be a lady in the South. She doesn't go off accusing people, and she doesn't put herself in dangerous situations, nor asks her employees to do so. Most of her information comes from asking people she knows will have the answers, and it's interesting to watch her do so; she even asks her late father's law partner for a favor.

While there wasn't a lot of action in the book, it wasn't supposed to be. Theo is quiet and attractive, thoughtful and intelligent. She owns a dog, Earl Grey, that she adores, and is close with her Aunt Libby, who still lives on the plantation she grew up on. Although there wasn't a lot of description of the surrounding area, I hope that this will be remedied in future books. I have to say that I do love Drayton and would love to have a friend like him.

When the ending comes and the killer is revealed, it was a bit of a surprise, and it's got a different twist how Theo gets herself out of the situation. The reason behind the murder made sense in the murderer's mind, but that's about it. People are going to be what they are, and there isn't anything else you can do about it.

All in all, a nice cozy that can be read in one evening, with a recipe in the back for those who want to try it. I will read the next in the series to see where it goes. Recommended. show less