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Tea Leafing
What if you had to live life anonymously? Hide your job? Know your friends by pseudonyms? Be vigilant to make sure you aren’t being watched or followed? This is life for our four main characters, Sam, Grace, Birdie, and Mary Jane. They are exotic dancers living in Atlanta, and life is pretty good until one of their own is murdered.
In their search for the murderer, they uncover a darkness lurking just below the surface. Not everyone is who they seem, and the culprit is much too close for comfort.
Tea Leafing weaves a fast-paced thriller in with a true insider's look at the world of exotic entertainment.
In their search for the murderer, they uncover a darkness lurking just below the surface. Not everyone is who they seem, and the culprit is much too close for comfort.
Tea Leafing weaves a fast-paced thriller in with a true insider's look at the world of exotic entertainment.
490 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2013
1 person is currently reading
599 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 15, 2022
Mystery/revenge novel about four strippers who pursue justice in the death of a friend who was also a stripper. The book provides a lot of insider information about strip clubs and the lives of dancers. The information is more compelling and valuable than the quality of the writing, which comes across as either self-published, an early draft, or unaware of contemporary fiction standards. The author has natural talent but this all needed a strong, professional editor. The main character is barely distinguishable from her friends as they all run together. Ethnic traits of several supporting characters are amplified to the point of becoming distracting stereotypes. The formatting is not Chicago Manual of Style. There isn’t much of a mystery because the ladies figure out whodunnit half way through without too many serious obstacles. Most of the story is set in the seedy world of adult entertainment, but it ends it with an international Oceans Eleven style caper that doesn’t fit with the earlier material. If your cousin wrote it you’d be really impressed but from a professional you’d expect better.
April 4, 2013
Dancers in a "Gentleman's Club" crack the case and plot revenge when international crime strikes one of their own. When one of their friends is found murdered, the four detectives in six inch heels--and not much else--uncover the Russian Mob's money laundering racket and even the score. Funny and fast paced. This is a great read.
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January 7, 2019DNF 22%
Did not rate as I do not rate books I do not finish. Simply not for me.
Did not rate as I do not rate books I do not finish. Simply not for me.
June 3, 2013
So much fun! Fast paced and as delicious as french fries. I stayed up way past midnight finishing it the other night. Just couldn't stop till it was all gone...
I love the specifics about the industry and I enjoyed the characters -- really vivid. I love that the glitz of the club is totally balanced by the pragmatism of the girls. And while I've not been an exotic dancer, I could completely relate to Sam's breaking away from her upbringing and yet it being so important to her. I would guess a lot of women can relate to that...
I find that the details at the end all wrap up a little too neatly for my taste, but in a way I think that is why I see this as very movie-like. I think that is the way a fun movie might wrap up -- but I tend to want my books a little more ambiguous, I think.
That said, I'm absolutely looking forward to the next book in this series. Can I vote to have Joe come back (I think I have a little crush on him) and maybe also that free-lance spy lady we meet?
Thanks for a fun read -- it was just what I needed!
I love the specifics about the industry and I enjoyed the characters -- really vivid. I love that the glitz of the club is totally balanced by the pragmatism of the girls. And while I've not been an exotic dancer, I could completely relate to Sam's breaking away from her upbringing and yet it being so important to her. I would guess a lot of women can relate to that...
I find that the details at the end all wrap up a little too neatly for my taste, but in a way I think that is why I see this as very movie-like. I think that is the way a fun movie might wrap up -- but I tend to want my books a little more ambiguous, I think.
That said, I'm absolutely looking forward to the next book in this series. Can I vote to have Joe come back (I think I have a little crush on him) and maybe also that free-lance spy lady we meet?
Thanks for a fun read -- it was just what I needed!
April 13, 2013
Tea Leafing, by Weezie MacDonald, was a very well written story that transplanted me into unfamiliar territory, but the author weaves the story so well, you feel as if you are there- it is home. With a fantastic class of characters that jump from the pages and into your heart, Tea Leafing leads you down a carefully paved road with suspense, humor, mystery and intrigue making this a great beach blanket read for summer! I highly suggest this book.
-Melissa R.W
Mkto, MN
-Melissa R.W
Mkto, MN
April 3, 2013
Aside from a few typos (very few), this was much better than I had anticipated. The one thing I felt was a little overdone was all the detail about the strip club and strippers. It was almost as if the author did tons of research then crammed every bit of it in, even though it wasn't all necessary.
However, the plot was believable and engaging.
The story takes place in an Atlanta strip club. Near the very beginning we find out that one of the strippers, Lena, has been found murdered execution style. Her five best friends set out to find out what happened and why, and most of all WHO.
Definitely worth the read if you are not shocked by language, nudity, drugs, and the life of a stripper at a strip club.
However, the plot was believable and engaging.
The story takes place in an Atlanta strip club. Near the very beginning we find out that one of the strippers, Lena, has been found murdered execution style. Her five best friends set out to find out what happened and why, and most of all WHO.
Definitely worth the read if you are not shocked by language, nudity, drugs, and the life of a stripper at a strip club.
June 29, 2013
I received this book through GoodReads' First Reads Contest. A big thank you to the author for providing me with a signed copy!
WOW. What a READ!
The story was a little slow at the beginning, but picked up and snowballed with suspense until the very end. I was hooked on the last half of it and couldn't put it down! I appreciate Weezie's ability to phoenetically show through dialogue the accents different characters had. Their individual personalities were also well developed and easily distinguishable from one another. In fact, even the narration changed depending on which character was being described at that point in the story. Clearly a lot of detail went into writing this book.
My vote is.. read it. Without a doubt, just read it. I loved it and I am sure you will too.
WOW. What a READ!
The story was a little slow at the beginning, but picked up and snowballed with suspense until the very end. I was hooked on the last half of it and couldn't put it down! I appreciate Weezie's ability to phoenetically show through dialogue the accents different characters had. Their individual personalities were also well developed and easily distinguishable from one another. In fact, even the narration changed depending on which character was being described at that point in the story. Clearly a lot of detail went into writing this book.
My vote is.. read it. Without a doubt, just read it. I loved it and I am sure you will too.
January 8, 2014
I received this book free through First Reads.
This was a perfect fast-paced quick read. Lots of mystery & suspense - Kept me flipping pages to find out what would happen next.
Also a big thank you to Weezie for signing it! (:
This was a perfect fast-paced quick read. Lots of mystery & suspense - Kept me flipping pages to find out what would happen next.
Also a big thank you to Weezie for signing it! (:
June 1, 2013
Really, really liked this book. It is a fun read, great characters, good plot, beautifully set up for the next book. Can't wait to read the sequel. Way to go, Weezie!
June 18, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. Aside from some typos and some things that seemed random, it was very good. It great easy summer read.
March 25, 2013
Great story! Couldn't put it down. Hope there's a sequel!
January 14, 2014
I won a copy from Goodreads First Reads.
Tea Leafing is a rather long book after a rather long weekend. Running around four hundred pages or something like that, I spent most of my Saturday (yeah, it was awhile ago) trying to finish the book without being seen by relatives. You know relatives right? Those are the people who are trying to talk to you and draw you away from your reading roll.
Tea Leafing has nothing to do with tea leafing. It's not a predicting the future story. It's more of a con story. Four dancers conning their boss because of some pretty nasty things he did. Okay, I'm putting it in a very nice way. Let's just say he makes people flirt with death.
Very nice, isn't it?
Tea Leafing is an odd book. It's quite long for my taste (and yes, I do have taste. I may have a look of preferences, but I do have taste). Four hundred pages is rather too long for me. I can't spend a weekend trying to finish this book.
Oh, well. I just did.
I'm surprised that the author didn't expand very much into the four main characters. The characters who were the most 3D are perhaps Birdie and Grace. Sometimes the author doze off to another character, who is only 2D. 2D characters include the boss, another dancer, and a few other people, who are really into dancing and murder. So lesson learned from this book: When you have a lot of characters, make sure you explore them. There isn't anything I hate more than 2D main characters. (Lie: I do hate spiders more than 2D main characters. I'll take 2D main characters over those nasty hairy creatures. I just don't...ugh!)
The plot is insane, but sort of good for the most parts. I don't even know what some parts...Okay, definitely this book needs some quick revising on plot holes. I have no idea how this book got this guy...
Rating: Three out of Five
-ofpaperandwords.blogspot.com
Tea Leafing is a rather long book after a rather long weekend. Running around four hundred pages or something like that, I spent most of my Saturday (yeah, it was awhile ago) trying to finish the book without being seen by relatives. You know relatives right? Those are the people who are trying to talk to you and draw you away from your reading roll.
Tea Leafing has nothing to do with tea leafing. It's not a predicting the future story. It's more of a con story. Four dancers conning their boss because of some pretty nasty things he did. Okay, I'm putting it in a very nice way. Let's just say he makes people flirt with death.
Very nice, isn't it?
Tea Leafing is an odd book. It's quite long for my taste (and yes, I do have taste. I may have a look of preferences, but I do have taste). Four hundred pages is rather too long for me. I can't spend a weekend trying to finish this book.
Oh, well. I just did.
I'm surprised that the author didn't expand very much into the four main characters. The characters who were the most 3D are perhaps Birdie and Grace. Sometimes the author doze off to another character, who is only 2D. 2D characters include the boss, another dancer, and a few other people, who are really into dancing and murder. So lesson learned from this book: When you have a lot of characters, make sure you explore them. There isn't anything I hate more than 2D main characters. (Lie: I do hate spiders more than 2D main characters. I'll take 2D main characters over those nasty hairy creatures. I just don't...ugh!)
The plot is insane, but sort of good for the most parts. I don't even know what some parts...Okay, definitely this book needs some quick revising on plot holes. I have no idea how this book got this guy...
Rating: Three out of Five
-ofpaperandwords.blogspot.com
February 26, 2014
Full disclosure - I received this as a First-Reads Giveaway.
While this was a good book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I would not rate it a top-tier mystery, character story, or adventure. There was very good character development and interaction, but it seemed to fall short of real insight. Dialogue was very good, and fit the characters well. The lifestyle of the strippers and others was very plausible, as were some of the aspects of the club - other aspects were very implausible.
The pace of the plot seemed to go all over the map. It started out at a good pace, dragged for a while, got back to a reasonable level, and then at the end, it seemed to be in a hurry to get done with. The pace at the end, and lack of build-up and background for it seemed to rush to the ending.
There was also some built-in implausibility with the characters. For example, with them being clever enough to pull off what they did in the end, how could they have been so blind and bumbling in the beginning, such as going to Fedya and thinking he would help - then being surprised at the outcome; or taking Joe at his word without any backup or verification. I just never got the feeling of consistency.
Despite my complaints, this was a good book, and a fun read. I disagree with the commenters who called it too long - on the contrary, I think it should have been longer.
While this was a good book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I would not rate it a top-tier mystery, character story, or adventure. There was very good character development and interaction, but it seemed to fall short of real insight. Dialogue was very good, and fit the characters well. The lifestyle of the strippers and others was very plausible, as were some of the aspects of the club - other aspects were very implausible.
The pace of the plot seemed to go all over the map. It started out at a good pace, dragged for a while, got back to a reasonable level, and then at the end, it seemed to be in a hurry to get done with. The pace at the end, and lack of build-up and background for it seemed to rush to the ending.
There was also some built-in implausibility with the characters. For example, with them being clever enough to pull off what they did in the end, how could they have been so blind and bumbling in the beginning, such as going to Fedya and thinking he would help - then being surprised at the outcome; or taking Joe at his word without any backup or verification. I just never got the feeling of consistency.
Despite my complaints, this was a good book, and a fun read. I disagree with the commenters who called it too long - on the contrary, I think it should have been longer.
September 1, 2014
*few spoiler alerts*
I won this book from the Goodreads giveaway. This book is the first in what I am hoping to be an exciting series. What I like about this book is that it is not one person trying to solve the death of her friend but a group they are also out for a little revenge. These group of women are very unique in each and every way but are bonded through their lifestyle. I love how the author described these characters it reminded me a lot how Peggy Webb describes her characters so you get a sense to know the characters and relate to them. I believe a this series progresses you will be able to identify with the characters more and more. I did love the plot of the story and thought it had a lot of detail and it kept me engaged. Some of the minor characters were just as engaging as the 4 main ones. It was a little wordy in some parts and I think towards the end too many character/story lines were introduced that made the end of this story loss/fuzzy/messy. I am not sure if it was suppose to wrap up the story at the same time leave unanswered questions. However, with all that being said I am very much looking forward to the next book to come out so I can figure out those questions.
I won this book from the Goodreads giveaway. This book is the first in what I am hoping to be an exciting series. What I like about this book is that it is not one person trying to solve the death of her friend but a group they are also out for a little revenge. These group of women are very unique in each and every way but are bonded through their lifestyle. I love how the author described these characters it reminded me a lot how Peggy Webb describes her characters so you get a sense to know the characters and relate to them. I believe a this series progresses you will be able to identify with the characters more and more. I did love the plot of the story and thought it had a lot of detail and it kept me engaged. Some of the minor characters were just as engaging as the 4 main ones. It was a little wordy in some parts and I think towards the end too many character/story lines were introduced that made the end of this story loss/fuzzy/messy. I am not sure if it was suppose to wrap up the story at the same time leave unanswered questions. However, with all that being said I am very much looking forward to the next book to come out so I can figure out those questions.
June 1, 2013
A five star review for "Tea Leafing" by Weezie Macdonald
Dear Readers: What if you had to live life anonymously? Hiding your job? Knowing all your friends by pseudonyms? Being constantly vigilant to make sure you aren't being watched or followed? This is life for our four main characters, Sam, Grace, Birdie, and Mary Jane. They are exotic dancers living in Atlanta, and life is pretty good until one of their own is murdered.
In their search for the murderer, they uncover a darkness lurking just below the surface. Not everyone is who they seem, and the culprit is much too close for comfort.
A must read! Get your copy today!
Dear Readers: What if you had to live life anonymously? Hiding your job? Knowing all your friends by pseudonyms? Being constantly vigilant to make sure you aren't being watched or followed? This is life for our four main characters, Sam, Grace, Birdie, and Mary Jane. They are exotic dancers living in Atlanta, and life is pretty good until one of their own is murdered.
In their search for the murderer, they uncover a darkness lurking just below the surface. Not everyone is who they seem, and the culprit is much too close for comfort.
A must read! Get your copy today!
January 25, 2014
I received this book from the author and I so enjoyed it and could not put it down. The girls in the book all had such unique personalities and close friendships, only caring and wanting to protect each other. I loved the twist and turns on how they figured out what to do to get back at those who were involved in killing their friend. Really a good read and look forward to your next. Thank you again for the opportunity to sit and relax with such a good book. Rosie Mc Clurg
January 13, 2014
First of all, I am new to Goodreads and I received this book for free signed by the author. That was a very nice surprise.The book kept my attention and I have to say the characters were lively and interesting, especially Birdie.Since the previous reviews are quite accurate, there is no need to explain it again. I do look forward to your future books Weezie.
May 8, 2014
The concept was there, but the rest was just really boring for me and hard to get into and to really care about what was happening. Birdie was a great character though. I liked her. The rest of the characters were a little forgettable though. This book was very long and very dull.
Edit: Forgot to mention that I won this from a Goodreads Give away
Edit: Forgot to mention that I won this from a Goodreads Give away
January 16, 2014
this book had me hooked from the start! The main 4 characters keep me on the edge of my seat, Sam was my favorite. This is a must read! You will not be disappointed!! I hope there is more to come, would love to read more about, Sam, Birdie, Grace and MaryJane! This is deff one of my favorite new books!!!
January 13, 2014
Fantastic Read!
I could not put this book down! Suspenseful, smart and witty. It kept me hoping this book wouldn't end. This better be turned into a movie. I would love to see it come together on the big screen!
I could not put this book down! Suspenseful, smart and witty. It kept me hoping this book wouldn't end. This better be turned into a movie. I would love to see it come together on the big screen!
December 31, 2016
Never underestimate a girl who can pole dance and wear 6 inch heels. A Russian mobster who runs the Pink Pussycat finds out the hard way when one of the girls is killed and her friends determine to find out why.
March 31, 2013
What a page turner. This is a great read and a fascinating peek behind the scenes.
July 9, 2014
really good story!
January 22, 2014
Very clever character and plot development.
Easy reading, cannot figure out the ending until the end.
Interestingly contemporary in plot and characters.
Really enjoyed the writing.
Easy reading, cannot figure out the ending until the end.
Interestingly contemporary in plot and characters.
Really enjoyed the writing.
February 27, 2014
Very interesting first novel! Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Want to read
July 29, 2016Won as part of the Goodreads first reads program. Can't wait to read it!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews