Childs makes a well-deserved shift to hardcover with the fifth installment in her popular Tea Shop mystery series (Death by Darjeeling
, etc.). Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her staff are serving tea and goodies during the first-ever "Ghost Crawl in Charleston's famed Jasmine Cemetery." The event ends abruptly when Dr. Jasper Davis, uncle of Theo's beau, Jory, dies mysteriously and publicly. Det. Burt Tidwell makes Theo promise she won't stick her amateur nose in, but a frazzled Jory pleads with her to use her special abilities as a sleuth to root out the killer. The victim was vice-president in charge of research at a large medical products company, Cardiotech, and Theo suspects Dr. Davis's death is connected with his job. A second murder complicates things, but Theo perseveres and eventually corners the killer using a snazzy bit of up-to-date technology to summon help. Fans will enjoy the rich brew of murder, tea lore and mouth-watering descriptions of food (recipes included). The alluring jacket art—a tea spread out on a blanket in the foreground with ghostly gravestones under a full moon in the background—captures the mood perfectly. Agent, Sam Pinkus. (Sept. 7)
FYI:
Childs is also the author of
Keepsake Crimes (2003) and other titles in her Scrapbooking Mystery series.
