Name: Death by Darjeeling
ISBN: 9780425179451

Laura Childs

When a guest turns up dead at a tea for the annual historic homes garden party she is catering, Theodosia Browning, the owner of Charleston's Indigo Tea Shop, turns sleuth to save her reputation, clear her name, and track down the real killer. Original.

Death by Darjeeling

Courtney

Cozy and suspenseful! 

I really adored this cozy mystery immensely and have just checked out the second book! Theo is a darling and intelligent woman with a passion for her Indigo tea shop and compassion for her close friends! I want to cuddle her teashop dog, Ear Grey! He sounds like such a floof!

This book had everything going for it. A decent cast of characters, a relatively intriguing mystery, and a moderate list of suspects one could easily remember.

Unfortunately, without spoilers, there really was no hint to the killer until Theodosia is headed over to confront him/her. There is some small talk to that effect peppered in one instance, but it's tossed aside in favor of two others who never really panned out as promised.

I didn't like the romance between Theodosia and Tanner, and the one with Jory seemed like some weird circumstantial feeling suddenly turned intense, as he hired a private security guard for her. The girls, Haley and Bethany, were pleasant enough, but rather forgettable and interchangeable. Drayton was billed as "flamboyant" in some reviews, but he seems dull.

I wanted to love this because I love tea and I liked Theodosia as a character, but it all gets a bit muddled inside of text that is too flowery and too rambling at times. I would still recommend giving it a whirl if you're on the fence, and I might still be picking up the second book in the series.