Theo and the Indigo Teashop crew are back and serving up tea, scones, and suspense. This is the 21st book in the series and I can honestly say that you don't need to have read the other 20 to enjoy or understand who or what is involved. Theodosia is one well-rounded character and I must say that I learn something new about her in each book. I would never have guessed that she was such a crack shot with a hunting rifle. Her marksmanship skills are almost as good as her sleuthing skills. It also helps that her tea sommelier Drayton has slowly but surely become accustomed to these occurrences and is even getting into the act by assisting Theo, where once he was completely against her becoming involved. The tea shop crew of Drayton, Hailey, and Ms. Dimple actual brainstorm the list of suspects and possible motives.
As with all Teashop mysteries, there is a slew of recipes that I can't wait to try. One of these days I am going to make it to Charleston and see if there is a little teashop by chance. I must agree that the romance and sophistication of an afternoon tea sounds immensely inviting, especially if there were themed events such as the Gone With the Wind event described in our story. LVM has all the pieces of a perfectly cozy and makes for a great read by not only capturing your attention within the first chapter with the mysterious murder but also cements you to your kindle with the follow-up fire. All of this action takes place in less than 24 hours and there are suspects aplenty and all with completely different reasons to want Mr. Doyle dead. Was it over a diverted stream, an impending land development, an orphaned piece of land from the 1800s, a change in the will, or something else altogether?
I could go on and on, but wouldn't it be more fun for you to pick up this newly released book and read for yourself how the ever-inquisitive Theo manages to make time to run her tea shop, keep her detective boyfriend Riley from locking her up for her own good, and solve the crime. If I had to hazard a guess I would say that her Southern-style hygge helps her to unwind, relax, and ponder.

Theodosia and Drayton are invited to a bird hunt when the guns start firing Theo thinks something is wrong and goes into the neighbors lavender fields and finds the body of their host. A fire, secrets, and murder. Laura Childs at her best.

Theodosia was an interesting character that is thoroughly enjoyable. She has personality for days and is easily able to capture the reader's attention. She has heart and spunk. She has a keen eye and has learned how to ask the right questions. Theodosia is not your average southern lady. And I truly love that about her. She has charm and elegance yet isn’t afraid to jump in and get dirty when she has to.


Lavender Blue Murder was a fun and entertaining mystery. From the opening pages of the shooting party, to two crazy tragedies happening within hours, to the formalities followed when serving tea, to the lavish tea parties themselves and A tea shop owner solving a murder mystery. Laura Childs has something amazing going on with this series. From the British traditions of hunting and shooting and the tea services, to the lavish descriptions of Charleston, one could easily feel like they are visiting a very different place and not reading the pages of a book.

As with any long running series a reader can expect to see bonds between characters. I loved Theodosia, Drayton and Haley. You can tell by their interactions that they go way beyond employee and boss. The friendship they Cher is a highlight of the book. They are fun characters thus making fun times. I Love that I came in at book number 21 in the series and didn’t feel like I missed anything didn’t get a recap of 20 other books in the process.


Lavender Blue Murder is my first adventure into Laura Child’s Tea Shop mysteries and will not be my last. With more than a helping of Southern charm, a well plotted mystery and a cast of characters that keep everything interesting.

Lavender Blue Murder, the latest tea shop mystery from Laura Childs, begins with a bang—literally. Charleston tea shop owner Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier friend, Drayton Conneley, are attending an English-style shooting party at Creekmore Plantation, the home of one of Drayton’s well-heeled Heritage Society friends, Reginald Doyle. When the host himself ends up as the victim of a fatal gunshot that day, Doyle's family is thrown into turmoil. The suspects are legion. There's the neighbor who dammed up his creek, a family member who turns out to have despised him, and more than a few business associates who stand to gain from Doyle's death. Then Doyle's distraught daughter-in-law goes missing.

Doyle's widow asks Theodosia to use her sleuthing skills to help solve the murder of her husband and disappearance of her daughter-in-law, and as always, the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston remains the epicenter of the investigation, even while Theodosia, Drayton, and chef Haley Parker add a few new themed teas to the shop's schedule. This time, the events include a Gone With the Wind–themed tea and a lavender-themed tea, both of which are described in exquisite detail, from the menu to the tea wares, favors, and decor. The victim's widow also uses the tea shop as the site of a séance, which is the source of much grumbling from Drayton, who doesn't at all like the idea.

The book has plenty of red herrings, and Childs does her usual fine job of leading us down lots of dead-end paths. Surprisingly, local shop owner Delaine Dish, a character we love to hate, has only a small role in this book, but Drayton has a larger one. Theodosia and Drayton even enjoy a few dinners together that are totally unrelated to work, a fitting evolution in their friendship over some twenty-plus adventures together. Childs remains the queen of the tea-themed cozy mystery, and it's nearly impossible to finish one of her books without reaching for another cup of tea and, once again inspired by the charming world she has created, planning an event of your own.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley

Laura Child's 21st offering in her Tea Shop Mystery series, finds Theodosia and Drayton on an English-styled bird hunt. That ends in murder.

Pharmaceutical CEO, Reginald Doyle presents himself as nothing less than the aging lord of the manner. When he opens his plantation home to friends and family on the beautiful autumn day of his hunt. Little did she or anyone know that he was the intended prey.

Of course as fate and Ms. Child's formulaic writing style would have it. Theodosia and Drayton are first on the scene. Doing all they can to rescue a fatally wounded Reginald.
Only to have him succumb to said wounds. Leaving them to begin the search for his killer.
Making matters worse for the characters, and a bit more interesting for readers. Is the subsequent fire which damages the main house and nearly costs Reginald's son Alex his life. Before his father's body is even cold.

At which point...
Readers, Theodosia, Drayton, and crew are off.
Compiling suspects, alibis, and motives.
Some of which include:
-Business deals
-A strip of land separating his plantation from the lavender far next door.
And more.

And once again...
Here come the layers.
When the sudden disappearance of Reginald's daughter-in-law, Fawn.

And back to the formula we go.
The wonderful descriptions of the people and places of Charleston, S.C.
The Lavender-themed event hosted at Theodosia's Indigo Tea Shop.
The admonishment from Tidwell and Riley. Aka the police. To stay out of the literal and figurative lines of fire.
The Theodosia saves the day at her own reckless peril "ending".
All in all...
This book is simply "more of the same". As far as the series is concerned. As was mentioned above. There were more than a few layers that proved unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.

**Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing the review copy of the above referenced literary work.

Lavender Blue Murder earns 5/5 Tweed Jackets...Engaging Entertainment!

Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley are enjoying their participation in an English-inspired shooting party at Creekmore Plantation hosted by Drayton’s good friend, Reginald Doyle, CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. He and his wife are self-professed Anglophiles and went all out with shooting costumes, gun loaders, bird dogs, and a traditional “elevenses” of bourbon and gin fizzes. Theodosia knows her way around a gun bagging herself a grouse, but Drayton, however, needs lessons in gun safety and a lot more practice with accuracy. Ready to bag another, Theodosia hears a distinct “Pop,” more associated with a handgun rather than the shotguns everyone had been using, coming from an area not suppose to used for the party. Theodosia goes off to explore, and finds a terrible sight...Reginald Doyle has been shot! She goes into rescue-mode: yelling for help, putting pressure on the wound, and making a 9-1-1 call. Drayton, the caretaker, and a party guest show up; an ambulance is dispatched. But, his injury was too grave. He’s dead, and his son and now-widow demand answers. Theodosia stops the men who wish to move the body; it’s now a crime scene.

Laura Childs and her Tea Shop Mystery series is a favorite and instrumental in reenergizing my passion with tea blends and accoutrements. Her writing style, using a third-person narrative, is well-written and descriptive bringing to life the elements of the South Carolina low country, Southern phrases and manners, costumes, tea shop, and the tea party. The interactions, reactions, and personalities are illustrated well through her expressive dialogue, and I was fascinated by all the lavender information and tea talk. I am taken with language and its use to show personalities and motives, and although Theodosia has found countless bodies over twenty-one books, she isn’t flippant or look at death in a dismissive “oh, well, there’s another one” manner. She still seems shocked and often disturbed. However, her actions to secure the crime scene and the subsequent investigation with questioning, theorizing, and concluding show growth, in a way, maturity and experience. The murder investigation with which Theodosia gets involved was clever...Centuries-old land dispute? Business conflicts? Family problems? And with suspects aplenty, further capital crimes, perilous predicaments, and a final solution I almost saw coming, this is a page turner I totally recommend!

What a bonus treat...a mini Tea Shop cookbook! Favorite Recipes From The Indigo Tea Shop include some easy-to-follow and tempting treats: Hayley’s Hawaiian Tea Sandwiches, Pear Butter, Drayton’s Ham and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta, Ginger-Cardamom Tea Cookies, Chicken Breast with Lemon Caper Sauce, Cream Cheese and Green Olive Tea Sandwiches, Poogan’s Porch Buttermilk Biscuits, Parsley and Bacon Tea Rounds, Drayton’s London Fog Latte, Chai-spiced Fruit Compote, Parmesan and Prosciutto Puff Baby, and Candied Edible Flowers. Also included are Tea Time Tips From Laura Childs for Lavender Lady Tea, Queen’s Tea, Music Tea, Paint and Sip Tea, Color Me Pink Tea, and Flowering Tea Party. I appreciated the Tea Resources for further personal exploration: Tea Magazines and Publications, American Tea Plantations, Tea Websites and Interesting Blogs, Purveyors of Fine Tea, and Visiting Charleston. There’s also a Sneak Peek into the next Cackleberry Club Mystery “Egg Shooter” with an intriguing excerpt. Totally enjoyable!

Coming soon from Berkley Publishing, the 21st book Lavender Blue Murder in the tasty tea cozy series, "A Tea Shop Mystery" from author Laura Childs.

"A Tea Shop Mystery" tea cozy series and the latest addition in this series is a fantastic read by a talented and ingenious writer who knows how to describe her subject and makes tea into a mystery everyone will want to solve.

Theo and Drayton are captivating characters that readers will want to spend endless hours with. Other characters play a smaller role but are equally impressive. And Earl Gray is just adorable. The setting of Charleston is romantic, historical and gives readers a sense of stepping back in time into the high society days of the Victorian and Gilded age. This book could have used a bit more of Theo's boyfriend and could have benefitted from a more in-depth background on Theo and other characters for those who have not read the series from the beginning.

The suspects in this tea cozy book are intriguing, the motives understandable and straightforward, but curious enough that readers have to pay attention to the evidence. When the murderer and the kidnapper are finally revealed, it becomes apparent who did it and why. I figured out who the killer was almost from the beginning but had enough doubt to keep reading to the end to verify my guess. Unfortunately, I did not buy the car chase scene and felt that Theo's carelessness with Drayton and an injured Fawn's well being was foolish and dangerous. The solution to the kidnapping was too obvious.

Some say that tea is a way of life, in my case, it is in my DNA. Tea is enjoyed around the world by people from all walks of life. Lavender Blue Murder is sumptuous, compelling, and built around a good old fashioned mystery. Readers should sit back with a hot cup of their favorite blend and enjoy a couple of peaceful hours. In the end, this tea cozy is worth the read. The recipes at the end are so good you can almost taste them.

ARC provided by NetGalley

A good mystery is delicious, especially if it is served at the Indigo Tea Shop. Set in historic Charleston, South Carolina, the Lavender Blue Murder is elegance right alongside of murder. Theodosia Browning and her faithful tea expert Drayton Conneley are two wonderful characters who run a not so quiet tea shop where one can count on good tea, delicious food and of course savory characters. When crime strikes, the tea shop is the place to be all who want to be in the know.

I enjoyed this book because the plot kept me thinking from the moment Theodosia heard a gunshot while attending a shooting party on an old country plantation. The plot got thicker as things went from murder to arson to kidnapping. Were they connected or random acts? In the end, the solution seemed easy but took me on some winding roads to get there. For a fun mystery and good recipes, look no further!

Lavender Blue Murder is the 21st instalment in the ”A Tea Shop Mystery” series by Laura Childs. I love this series and have been reading from the very beginning, I have missed a few books recently but they are in my tbr pile. I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading about Theo, Drayton, Haley and Earl Grey.

Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley are guests at a bird hunt styled in the precise manner of an English shooting party. Which means elevenses (sloe gin fizzes), gun loaders, the drawing of pegs, fine looking bird dogs, and shooting costumes of tweed, herringbone, and suede.

But as gunshots explode like a riff of Black Cat firecrackers, another shot sounds too close for comfort to Theodosia and Drayton. Intrigued but worried, Theodosia wanders into the neighbor's lavender field where she discovers their host, Reginald Doyle, bleeding to death.

I have said this before and I will say it again everything about this series enthrals me! The story had me wrapped up in the goings on of protagonist Theo, the Indigo Tea Shop, Drayton, and Haley once again, it was like visiting old friends. The authors description of Charleston has made me want to live in the South. If I had a dream job it would be to own my own quintessential tea shop/book store just like Theo. As for the mystery itself I found it intriguing, and well thought out.

We not only had a Gone With the Wind tea and a Lavender Lady tea in this story we were teased by Haley’s menus! Good thing we are blessed with wonderful recipes from the tea shop at the end of the book.

If you are looking for a light, fun read then this series fits the bill.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Laura Childs does it again with another great book in her cozy tea series. Theodosia Browning and tea sommelier Drayton Conneley are at it again. This time along with serving fabulous tea and hosting creative tea parties at The Indigo Tea Shop they get drawn into yet another murder mystery. when she finds Reginald Doyle dead at a hunting event, Theodosia steps up to the plate and in true Theodosia style drives her police officer boyfriend crazy with her shenanigans. This book is the 21st in the series and while I have read many of them I never tire of the fun story lines that the reader finds the whole crew involved in. The bonus - recipes and lots of great resources for tea parties. I needed a light hearted book to read after reading a series of pretty heavy books and this one was just the perfect one to indulge in.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy of Lavender Blue Murder for my honest review.

I've read every single one of Child's Tea Shop Mysteries since the very beginning and to tell the truth, I found the last few to be dragging along in plot. This twenty-first addition to the series surprised me- I loved it! It was well-paced and the beloved characters of the series, Theodosia and Drayton, were back in full force.

Theodosia and Drayton are invited to a hunt, but soon after the start of the hunt Theodosia comes across the body of their host. Asked to stay the night by the widow, Theo wakes up in a haze of smoke as the house goes up in flames. Needless to say, Theo gets involved in solving the murder and finding the person who set the house on fire. Secrets abound, Theo has her hands full but is determined to find the murderer.

I always get a cozy feeling being in Theodosia's tea room and surrounded by old friends. The recipes at the end of the book always make my mouth water. Do not miss this installment of a beloved series.

LAVENDER BLUE MURDER, the twenty-first book in The Tea Shop Mysteries is another entertaining addition to an endearing series by Laura Childs. You can always count on Ms. Childs to start her stories off with a bang, and in this newest release, it is quite a literal bang! I love the descriptive settings the author evokes, from a proper English shooting party being hosted by a local plantation, to the quaint, genteel Southern city of Charleston, to the charming Indigo Tea Shop. The reader is immediately immersed into both the atmosphere and the mystery. There is non-stop action, whether protagonist, Theodosia Browning, is hosting a themed tea party at her shop, or involved in zany antics as she tries to solve the murder of the plantation owner. With plenty of clues and suspects provided, the book progressed quickly, making it difficult to set it down for any length of time

Along with a fast-paced story, Ms. Child’s creates memorable characters. While Theodosia may be a Southern genteel woman, she’s also a force of nature to be reckoned with. Her sidekick, elderly tea sommelier Drayton Conneley, provides a calming influence on her while creating the perfect tea blend for the guests who come through Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia and Drayton have a sweet relationship and I admire the respect they show for each other, no matter what kind of scrapes they find themselves in. We don’t see much of Theodosia’s handsome detective fiancé in this book, and I hope he has a greater presence in the next story.

Not only does the Indigo Tea Shop host themed tea party events, but each one has plenty of delicious dishes to match the theme. I appreciate that Ms. Childs includes recipes at the back of the book, along with numerous tea party tips to help plan your own.

4.5 Stars

This is the 21st book in the A Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs. Wow. twenty-one books in this series. Talk about longevity How cool is that? I haven’t read too many of these Tea Shop mysteries but I am totally loving them! I have a couple of hardbacks in my collection that I really need to get back to!

This was a pretty involved mystery. First a man in the hunting party gets killed and then before the next dawn there is a fire in the place many are staying. It’s just one thing after another.

The Gone With the Wind Tea Party was a pretty clever event for the tea shop. And the Lavender Lady Tea was just so posh. If there are any tea shop owners out there, you could look to this book for inventive ways to put on tea shop events.

Theodosia is a protagonist that I think many can relate to. It is easy to see yourself in these situations and making similar choices as the mystery pushed forward. There was so much sleuthing going on that I could barely keep track of all the clues. My whodunit skills were not on point and I had no idea to the identity of the killer and what motive they might have.

One part I found a bit odd was when they wanted to do a police stakeout at a party with a bunch of people present. I though that funny since if I was the police, I don’t think I would want to put that many people in possible danger. Other than that, this was a great mystery that kept me on my toes all the way throughout. I definitely want to keep this series on my radar. I think a marathon might be in order. I hope my library has many of the older books.

If you love a good cozy mystery, you have to check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

In this 21st installment of Child’s Tea Shop mysteries, we once again find Theodosia Browning and her friends caught up in solving another murder. While attending a British themed bird hunt at the Creekmore Plantation, tea shop owner Theodosia and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, hear a gunshot not meant for the birds. They soon discover the body of Reginald Doyle, the owner of the plantation, in a nearby lavender field. When the widow asks them to spend the night, they narrowly escape a suspicious fire that burns the plantation house to the ground. When Doyle’s widow asks Theodosia to investigate, she readily accepts and is soon on a chase to find the killer, before he or she strikes again.

With a plethora of suspects and even more southern charm, this latest addition to the series won’t fail to entertain. The Gone With the Wind tea and a Lavender Lady tea, along with all the recipes and entertaining tips at the end, will inspire the readers to at least throw their own tea party if they don’t have a ready-made murder of their own to solve.

Installment 21 of the Tea Shop Mystery series finds Theodosia caught up in a murder when she and Drayton attend a English-style hunting party on a country estate. This cozy mystery series is filled with the flavor of Charleston and the charm of Theodosia's Indigo Tea Shop; it is peopled with characters with varying degrees of Southern charm!

***I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs is a fun cozy mystery series that centers around a tea shop. Theodosia and Drayton attend a hunting party where the host is murdered. Theodosia hears the gunshot and feels a responsibility to help solve the murder.

This is the 21st book in the Tea Shop Mysteries series. There is a Gone With the Wind tea and a Lavender Lady tea in the story with wonderful recipes from the tea shop at the end of the book. This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I love the relationships between Theodosia and friends, especially Drayton. The tea shop is a place I would want to visit to enjoy Haley's menu and Drayton's specialty teas.

Lavender Blue Murder is a wonderful addition to the Tea Shop Mysteries and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thrillers & Mysteries
Release Date: March 3, 2020

I have enjoyed this series and these characters in previous novels. The author, Laura Childs does an excellent job of weaving Charleston throughout the book, so you can feel as if you are there. While I’m not positive about every twist and turn, most of her descriptions of streets and names are accurate and leave me with the sense of once again visiting the city.
The same interesting characters of Theodosia, tea shop owner, Drayton, tea sommelier, and Haley, chef to the tea room are present here, but they take a back seat to the ever growing series of disasters that befall the widow of the murder victim. While some of these additional disasters were easily accepted, after a point they begin to feel not only contrived but excessive to the point of straining belief beyond where it could go.
It didn’t help any that I could not develop any sense of sympathy for the widow. In one paragraph, she is described as elegantly dressed and imperious while in the next paragraph she becomes a weeping, shaking mess who cannot keep her emotions in check and must rely on Theodosia, a virtual strange, to provide assistance and comfort. My suspension of disbelief was stretched beyond it’s limit when Childs involved the Charleston police department in the kidnapping portion of the book (did I mention there were an overabundance of crises?). It is inconceivable to me that a police department would set up surveillance to try and catch a kidnapper in the midst of a ticketed tea party and that the owner of the tea shop would allow them to do so at the risk of her businesses’ reputation.
Theodosia’s actions also become increasingly frantic and unbelievable as the book continues. While it is easy to accept in the realm of cozy fiction that a tea shop owner could take an interest in solving murders, some of her actions, culminating in a mad car chase through the wetlands of the low country stretched that acceptance too far.
I had figured out the murderer long before the end of the book, but wanted to read to the end to see how everything was resolved and revealed. The murder itself was well plotted, and would have been more enjoyable to me without the trite overworked phrases that were included throughout the book.
My thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital reader copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoy this series! These books are a lot of fun and the characters are great. I liked the mystery and it kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Laura Childs entertains again with her newest tea mystery! Right in the beginning someone is murdered, but by whom? The wife? The son? The neighbor? Althought the man killed was liked by so many, there were others that held grudges. Theodosia and her coworker Drayton get caught up in figuring out who most likely committed the crime, and has information about a missing person.

I’ve read all of the books in this series, and I’m still always excited when a new one is released.
In Lavender Blue Murder, Theodosia, Drayton and Haley are once again involved in another murder investigation, where the tragic death of a husband leaves a wife begging for answers.
Besides the great storyline, I enjoy reading about the unique tea parties, the specialty blends Drayton creates, and the delectable treats Haley whips up in the kitchen.