Book Review and Giveway: High Tea and Misdemeanors by Laura Childs

High Tea and Misdemeanors (A Tea Shop Mystery)
by Laura Childs

About High Tea and Misdemeanors

High Tea and Misdemeanors (A Tea Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
29th in Series
Setting – South Carolina
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (March 4, 2025)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593815440
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593815441
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D66RG6JG

When a wedding is tragically averted by the death of the bridesmaid, Theodosia is determined to prove that it was murder in the latest entry in this New York Times bestselling series.

Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are tapped to cater the elegant wedding of Bettina and Jamie. Theodosia and Drayton are setting up when they hear a crash from the greenhouse. Shockingly, they discover that part of the roof has collapsed trapping a bridesmaid and the groom. He will pull through but the bridesmaid is no more. Theodosia is convinced it was murder.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are hard at work on the catering of Bettina and Jamie’s wedding. Preparations grind to a halt and the wedding is called off when the greenhouse comes crashing down, injuring Jamie and taking the life of a bridesmaid. When the police are initially inclined to write the incident off as a tragic accident, Theodosia accedes to requests that she conduct her own “shadow investigation.”

Laura Childs takes us on a wild ride in this book! The murder method was unexpected and a little shocking, to think that someone would go to such lengths to kill, and with such disregard for the presence of anyone else other than the intended victim. The book also, unusually, opens with the killer’s point of view, which really ramped up the tension for me. The insights into the killer’s mind were fascinating, and seemed to support the theory that a murderer will keep coming back to the scene of the crime.

Theodosia’s sleuthing skills improve with each book, and here we see her bold enough to actually commit a little crime of her own in the name of investigating. Drayton, bless his heart, tries to be the voice of reason, but sometimes Theodosia throws caution to the winds and persuades Drayton not to let her go into situations alone. I’ll admit to wanting to yell at her sometimes, you know, like you do at the horror movie when a character is leaving the group to go off alone. Don’t do that, Theodosia! It won’t go well!

We have the usual community events, too, which keep the book on the cozy side. I love reading about the different groups the tea shop hosts and the different things they take part in. Here, the Walk among the Tombstones was particularly apt for the season! And I love the recipes at the end. So many delicious things I want to try!

The mystery had enough misdirections and red herrings to keep me guessing, and Theodosia and Drayton do find themselves in a situation it seems they might not get out of. The reveal surprised me when I figured it out (only a little bit before the end), and the ending had some bits that made me laugh (partly in relief, partly at the simply hilarious mental vision it created).

This is one of my top ten favorite mystery series. I don’t know that I can rank it more specifically, because there are several I simply adore, and Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mysteries are in that category. High Tea and Misdemeanors keeps her firmly on my list of must-read authors and Theodosia on my list of favorite amateur sleuths.

About Laura Childs

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that takes place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links: Website – Facebook

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenquinRandomHouse

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