Chamomile Mourning

Tea Shop Mystery #6

by Laura Childs

Charleston, South Carolina, is alive with music, dancing, and the arts as the Spoleto festival gets underway. But Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning feels far from festive when the inaugural Poet’s Tea is forced into one of the Heritage Society’s austere halls by rain. And when it rains, it pours—as proven when a respected auction house owner plummets from the balcony, landing dead on Theodosia’s specially-prepared cake. Worse yet, it looks like someone helped him over the edge. With a full kettle of suspects, Theodosia pursues an investigation into the murky swamps of the Low Country, where she uncovers a thriving criminal enterprise of art forgery, fraud—and murder…

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Tea, Mystery Thriller, Southern

306 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Laura Childs is a pseudonym for Gerry Schmitt and she is the best-selling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, the Scrapbook Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries.

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 fund raising 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 take 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.

Reviews

[BLynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theo finds herself a witness to a murder at and event she's catering. Grace, the young lady who runs the new hat store in the area is having the figure pointed at her due to her affair with the Roger, who was the one murdered. The twist for the end came with who actually did the murder and the reason why. Nice twist. I continue to enjoy this series and plan to continue reading it, especailly with the new issues between Theo and Jory.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more consistent cozy series, and I love visualising Charleston.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the Inaugural Poet's Tea, part of the Spoleto Festival, Theodosia Browning is excited to serve up her delicious summery teas as well as a special almond cake she personally baked. When the heavens open up it seems her cake is ruined but a few flowers do the trick to save the cake. Gracie Venable, the new milliner in town, approves of the décor and provides Haley with a new custom hat. Haley is delighted with the hat and offers to help Gracie get her new shop open. Theodosia's hat will be forthcoming, along with Theodosia's assistance. As Drayton recites "Annabel Lee" and the sky rumbles with thunder, Theodosia brings a cup of cozy chamomile tea to Roger Crispin upstairs in the control booth. Then a clap of thunder sounds and Roger comes tumbling down out of the booth and onto Theodosia's freshly redone cake! With pressure from Roger's widow, Simone, the police are looking at Gracie as the killer. Haley is certain her new friend and mentor could not have done such a thing and Theodosia agrees to look into things. She isn't sure if Gracie is the murderer but she doesn't think so. She just wants to see justice done. Meanwhile, Jorry drops a bombshell announcement on Theodosia and she isn't sure how to respond. Can she figure things out before Gracie is arrested and she loses her beau for good?

This was the best one yet. I did not guess the identity of the murderer. I had a suspicion something was up with that person but I didn't connect the dots. The clues are subtle and not really there until the end. The pacing could have been a little better. As always the tea is lovely and charming and now we have hats too! What I do not like is the "southern charm." In Charleston they celebrate the Confederate soldiers with a reenactment! In 2005! REALLY? Many people just have too much money. The setting feels very old world and old-fashioned. And where exactly are all the people of color in Charleston because this world is pretty devoid of color. There was once a mention of sweetgrass baskets but NO mention of who makes the sweetgrass baskets and why. No mentions ever of the indigenous peoples who lived on the land. That seems a little odd even back in 2005. My grandparents were old and traveled to South Carolina and came back with the story of the Gullah people and their baskets LONG before 2005! Everyone knows about the Trail of Tears...

Theodosia is not a great sleuth. She just gossips and does crazy things until someone decides to kill her. She does one over-the-top illegal thing that would never hold up in court. I noted that even though Theodosia does have a cell phone, she doesn't use it when she needs it and that was a bit far fetched. When you are in trouble being chased by a crazed murderer, call 911 FIRST! I can't believe Tidwell lets her get away with everything she does.

I was pleased with the romantic drama because I've never been in favor of this couple. Jory doesn't see Theodosia, get her or care about her in any way that matters. He still doesn't know what makes her tick, what makes her happy, what she cares about or understand that tea is not a hobby, it's an art and a way of life for her. Plus, his proposal is prosaic and unromantic. Kick him to the curb girlfriend! I wasn't thrilled with her new love interest either. He's a chef/caterer so they share a similar passion but he comes on too strong and is always in the right place at the right time to make me suspect he's up to no good.

I want Delaine to be murdered and like NOW! She's just AWFUL! She's not happy unless she's insulting someone, counting calories so she can brag about fitting into the clothes she carries and gossiping and spreading rumors about someone. She may feel a bit jealous of the attention Grace is getting for her new shop and deliberately sabotaging the other woman. Either way, someone needs to put this woman in her place or she needs to die along with all those Confederate reenactments!

Gracie is lovely! I want to check out her shop and see the beautiful custom hats I can't afford. Gracie is kind to take Haley under her wing as the young woman explores yet another interest. Haley is a passionate young woman and it's good for her to explore different things. In this case, her class helped craft Gracie's business plan so she has a vested interest in the shop. However, I'm not sure I totally trust her. She doesn't seem very business savvy, just giving away hats and getting ready to open without a signed lease. She also has a secret she's keeping from the police which could ruin her business.

Not so lovely is a prime suspect, Jester Moody. He sure lives up to his name because he is cranky! He's an antiques dealer and eager to make money (Asian antiques do command a lot of money at auction). Jester harangues Drayton and there doesn't seem to be any love lost between Jester and Roger for some reason. After Jester, the prime suspect becomes Simone Crispin. She's quick to point the finger at Gracie and because she's a prominent figure in town, quick to throw her weight around. That isn't fair or right. Gracie isn't entirely blameless but Simone has no reason to believe Gracie murdered Roger. There's no motive. There's more motive for Simone to have killed her husband. She seems cold and unfeeling. I don't think she loved her husband and only wants to control everyone around her.

I was beginning to think Timothy Neville might be a suspect again. He had a strong motive to want Roger out of the picture. The Heritage Society is badly in need of money and a sale of a valuable painting might do the trick but if Roger appraised the painting and found it to be a fake or less valuable than expected, that would change everything. The Heritage Society would be the real loser if Timothy murdered Roger unless they went ahead and sold the painting with dubious provenance, etc. just for the novelty? Timothy rules the Heritage Society with an iron fist and they're all a bunch of elderly snobs. Time for new blood and activities that appeal to younger people.

Maribo Pratt is Delaine Dish's new friend. An art dealer, she specializes in obscure Russian expressionist art. She seems a little odd to me. Her choice of art is weird and she's eager to make a sale to Delaine but does it by stringing Delaine along and making Delaine feel like a valued customer. Maribo seems a little disingenuous to me and I don't trust her. I also don't trust Parker Scully. He comes on too strong and is always in the right place at the right time.

Detective Tidwell seems grumpier than usual but he accepts Theodosia's "evidence". He has competition from a hot shot new detective. Neal Beaderman is new on the force and eager to prove himself. He's a bit overzealous and eager to railroad Gracie. Then there's Orrin Hudson, formerly of the Charleston PD and now a private detective. He's even more rude than ever before. He tries to intimidate and threaten people. He's working on behalf of the Heritage Society but I don't think he really is. I think he wants to pin the crime on Theodosia.

There are a couple of recipes I want to try! I'm waiting for the next book in the series and hope to read it soon.

[Guera25 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I continue to read these. While the primary triumvirate are a serviceable set of characters, the mysteries are sloppy at best and riddled with subplots that are never satisfactorily resolved. In this instance, after hundreds of pages and multiple bouts of hand-wringing on the subject by the Three Teakateers, we never do find out if Gracie Venable will get to keep her lease on the Bow Geste, or if the vengeful Simone Crispin will toss her out on her ear.

And mother of God, can Delaine Dish just disappear? She's not a quirky flash of Southern color, but a nasty, petty, sniping cruel harpy who delights in the misfortunes of others and revels in sniping at and belittling those she deems unworthy of her. She's Blanche Devereaux as written by a tone-deaf clod, without the underlying decency.

And I've said it before, but a published writer should know how to punctuate and spell. There are too many glaring mistakes in both areas for them not to be noticed by any editor or line reader with functioning eyes. If I were paying for these, I would be insulted.

Lastly, the Jory Davis subplot was handled like a second-rate soap opera subplot, only without the thoughtful nuance. It's painfully obvious that Childs has gotten bored with her resident Studs McHotterson and wants to play with a new toy, so she turned the inconvenient bit of vestigial narrative known as Jory Davis, formerly known as the sensitive, gallant Hunkasaurus Rex, into a petulant, blubbering manchild and shunted him off to a new job in New York(a job which will likely fail in about three books, naturally)to make room for the dashing Parker Scully, a swaggering caterer from New York who's meant to be self-confident and intriguing, but who really just inspires the urge to grit your teeth and wipe your behind with sandpaper in order to have something more interesting and pleasant to focus on.

And if Tidwell is pining for Theodosia, I'm going to suffer a fatal ocular hemorrhage from rolling my eyes so hard.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

.
This woman sleuth happens to own a tea shop. Who knew there were so many different types of tea and ways to serve them? Not me, this series has taught me something there.

Theo stays busy, busy, busy. But she always finds time to investigate the current murder. Each book delivers a cozy read for enjoyable entertainment. I liked this one. Although it was not exceptional, it was entertaining.

Each book is able to stand on its own and deliver an HEA, which is an important attribute in a series when I chose to read it.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stelle
Bel libro, ma non mi ha preso come i precedenti, per cui tolgo mezza stella.

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I'm on a jag reading this series b/c it's predictable, and hopefully, reading these will pull me out of my reading slump. Nothing I read is really grabbing me right now. So... a visit with Theodosia.
In #6, Theodosia et al are providing refreshments from the Indigo Tea Shop at the Poet's Tea, a poetry reading event at the Spoleto Arts Festival, a big deal in Charleston. However, a thunderstorm moves the event inside the Heritage Society. Theodosia witnesses a bit of a dust-up between the head of the Heritage Society, Timothy, and one of the local auction house owners, Roger. The argument ends when Roger has to run upstairs to run the audiovisual portion of a dramatic poetry reading by Drayton, Theodosia's tea master. Unfortunately, during the reading, Roger falls from the balcony square onto Theodosia's beautiful cake on her tea table. Roger has a round hole in his forehead, and is quite dead.
As Theodosia was the last person to see Roger alive (she took a cup of tea up to him), she is quite interested in solving the murder, even though -- as always -- she has been warned off by the detective chief. Haley - the tea shops master cook - wants Theodosia to solve the murder, b/c the chief suspect is a shop owner whose business proposal Haley helped to write as a class project. Haley is therefore quite avid that the shop get to open -- but could Gracie REALLY be the murderer? Roger was going to be her landlord -- and maybe they were involved personally? Hmm.
Read it and see. Once again, the denouement is tense with Theodosia in serious danger. I only began to suspect the identity of the murderer toward the end of the book, when an interesting plot twist is thrown into the mix.
Rounded up to 5 stars.
There is also a surprising twist thrown into Theodosia's love life for added interest in continuing reading the series... but I am going to take a break from Theodosia for a while now.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a poetry theme party, but it rains. Drayton recites some poetry, and a body falls off a balcony, which happens in every book in this series. Theodosia's boyfriend wants to move to New York, but that's really the only difference between this and all the other books in the series.

[Lisa Cornelius Ashby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series!!! I am so happy that I can look forward to reading many more stories with Theodosia and her Tea Shop! I love visiting her tea shop in each book. The teas and foods are always so well described along with the setting of the tea shop. I feel as if I’m really there visiting South Carolina and her quaint cozy tea shop. The mystery was a lot of fun! I did not guess the killer, so that made it a little more fun for me. I can’t wait to delve into the next book in the series.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cozy mystery ... but my favorite part is all the information about TEA. I am a tea drinker so all the various kinds that are mentioned, the various blends, have made me want to create my own. The recipes may well be used in one of my future teas. And other general historical information is also included. So while I enjoy the cozy mystery, and the thought processes and shenanigans that go into solving it, I truly enjoy all the extra fluff that fills out this series of books.

[ML Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. I rarely see the twist coming so I’m clueless about the killer. I don’t read it to solve the mystery. They are just nice easy reads.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stilted and oddly constructed dialogue, goofy and contrived names, extraneous details that are repeated constantly (filler maybe?) and uninspiring characters. A litany of name-dropping that contributes nothing to the story and appears to serve only as a way to make pop culture references (hello, Manolo Blahnik shoes!)

Laura Childs seems to assume her readers live in a bubble and don't have the background or capacity to understand concepts like 'sweet tea' unless she provides a good paragraph of explanation. It's a bit insulting, especially in a book that deals so heavily in Southern politeness and civility.

This is a mystery for people who don't read mysteries. It might even be a book for people who don't like books. Unfortunately, it's the only thing around the office to read right now.

[Roxie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps it's because I'm jumping into this series out of order-- the books were handed to me by a friend, and this was the first in the series she had-- but I feel like this book can't make up its mind about what sort of story it wants to be. Is it a mystery? Is it a character study? Is it chick lit, all about interpersonal relationships? I found the "mystery" completely superfluous to the story; I was more interested in the characters and how they all interacted. Also-- and I freely admit this is a stylistic complaint, nothing more-- I really didn't like the dialogue. Several times I found myself thinking, "This isn't how real people talk. Not even people down South."

[Librarylady90 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books in this series aren't deep, but they are enjoyable. I think of them as popcorn for the brain. And at the end of a school year, it's perfect.

[Trudy Nye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Childs always provides a good mystery...and she has written so many! Charleston charm exudes from the pages of her tea-shop series.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mystery in this one. It involves a milliner, an affair, an art auction, and a poetry tea. I liked the teas and food and hats in this book. I especially like the frilly hats. That was new. The Heritage Society was interesting, too. I liked the art and artifacts that were discussed in this book.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riktigt spännande om konst, otrohet och någon som faller från övervåningen. Vem kan man egentligen lita på? Och hur många underbara hattar kan man äga?

[Ms. Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

More action and angst than previous books in this series. I did guess the murder correctly which does not happen often. These are like potato chips. You can't just have one.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much thriller and not enough cozy. Too much Haley and not enough Drayton and quite a bit of relationship drama.

[Syrdarya · Rating 2 out of 5]

When auction house owner Roger Crispin winds up dead, and a friend of one of Theodosia's coworkers is blamed for the murder, Theo takes up the case. Things look pretty grim for Gracie Venable, who is just about to open a hat store, but might be heading to jail or bankruptcy or both.

This book is the second in the series which I've read, and the earliest in the series which was available through my library. Unfortunately I didn't like this book as much as Oolong Dead. The characters just don't seem real to me, and although the descriptions of the settings was spectacular, I just didn't connect with the people in the book at all. There was an element of ridiculousness to everything, especially with characters running around with names like Jester Moody and Dan'l Oates.

I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief that a tea shop (or a hat shop, or any of the other local businesses mentioned in the book) were that busy continuously. Also, the standard series trick of introducing a new love interest just as an old one is exiting the scene is a bit too convenient. Theodosia's sudden entrance into a nightclub and her decision to have a rebound date (which then gets skipped over in the novel) struck me as a bit odd, like maybe the book was running too long and that whole evening was edited strangely as a result. Maybe towards the end of the book the author decided to change some things. Adding to this feeling about the editing was a conversation between Theo and a policeman, in which she asks him about the results of an evidence test when he had told her the results about a dozen pages ago, and I felt like Theo asked about one thing but was actually supposed to have asked about another piece of evidence.

[Moondance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the weatherman had predicted a glorious evening, that's exactly what Theodosia Browning was expecting.

Theo and company are providing the refreshments for the first Poet's Tea at the Heritage Society when bad weather forces them inside. The body of Roger Crispin falls into the cake table during Drayton's reading of Annabel Lee. A new shop owner, Gracie Venable, becomes the prime suspect when it is revealed that she had an intimate relationship with the victim.

This is a good addition to the Tea Shop series. I really enjoy learning about the teas that Drayton provides for various dishes and occasions. As always, Haley is a champ in the kitchen. Her recipes are divine and I look forward to trying a few of them. The decorating tidbits make me happy, too.

The addition of Gracie provides a new shop and information on hat making. I'm a sucker for a good hat.

Theo and Jory experience a jolt in their relationship when he is offered a new position. I was really disappointed in his attitude towards Theo when she started sleuthing. He has always had her back but this time tried to get her to stop as it made him look bad in his firm.

The mystery was good and had several twists and turns that I did not expect. And could there be a new romance brewing for Theo? I need to catch up in this series. It is always enjoyable and I'm not sure why I haven't read one in a while. Particularly since I own most of them.

A delightful Saturday morning read.

[Redfox5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Graeme Willy: Whats the matter Clive?
Clive Gollings: There is an alien in the kitchen making bagels and coffee.
Graeme Willy: Did you want tea?
Clive Gollings: No, I don't want tea!
Graeme Willy: Right, because tea is weird in America.

^Tea is weird in America, where's the milk!? That quote is from the film Paul, if anyone was interested. I just had that in my head every time tea was mentioned. Anyways....

Normally I love a good cosy mystery. Always keep me page turning and generally make me a hungry for whatever food theme that these things seem to have. But I just found this one rather dull. I really didn't connect with any of the characters and I really don't like the name Theodosia. Drayton was alright though. The plot was meh and I kept flicking to the back to see how much I had left. It also didn't help that I knew once I finished it I had 'A Street Cat Named Bob' to read which I've been really excited about and was eager to get to. Won't bother with any of the others in the series.

[Angela Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit by Laura to a great series. This book gave us plenty of twists. There was some relationships that ended but then some that are just beginning. I can't wait to see what is in store for us in the upcoming books. Through the whole book you have one person that the police were focused on and one person that Theo was focused on but thanks to Theo's good investigative skills she found the real killer. My thoughts on some of the characters - I wish Haley would grow up, I think she acts like a teenager as times and she is not one of my favorite people. I love Drayton and as the series goes on I love him even more. Delaine is a rude uppity person and is someone I would not care to be around. Timothy was a little off and grumpy in this book. Gracie I think is going to be a good addition to this series and a friend to Haley. I loved the idea of a tea cup exchange party at the tea shop. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An evening of poetry at the local historical society ends ends suddenly with the death of one of the society's members and tea shop owner Theodosia Browning happens to be right there when the murder happens.

Despite her best intentions to not insert herself into the investigation, as usual, Theodosia does begin to look into the death when she finds out that the man's widow makes accusations — and puts political pressure on city and police officials — at Theodosia's friend and fellow small business owner Gracie Venable.

And as readers of this cozy mystery know, Theodosia manages to get into places, question people and come up with the solution. A bit unrealistic? Undoubtably, but the writing in this story is crisp, the characters believable and likeable and the mystery itself is clever. What more could a reader ask for?

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theodosia Browning is back, once again doing what she does best, serving tea and solving murders. This time, the victim is the owner of a local auction house, who is shot to death and falls smack on top of Theo's tea table. Gracie Venable, a friend of the Indigo Tea shop gang and proprietress of a brand new shop on Church Street, becomes the prime suspect, and Theo makes a promise to find the real killer and exonerate Gracie. Will Theo succeed in her quest or will all her efforts lead her back to Gracie?

Once again, another enjoyable read from Ms. Childs. The Indigo Tea Shop has never seemed more cozy and the Tea Shop Gang has never seemed more emotionally connected to the story. The book is exactly what you would expect from this series and this author. Classic cozy mystery.

[Heathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

After finding 6 of the Tea Shop Mysteries at a thrift shop, I was eager to start reading the series. The premise looked so cute and the covers are lovely! Plus, they have recipes in the back.

Sadly, this book was a huge letdown. The dialogue was atrocious ("Good Heavens!", "Oh my word!" "Golly Gee!"). The characters really grated on my nerves because of the way they spoke... all cartoonish and over-the-top. I don't care if they're in Charleston... there's no way every Charlestonian speaks like that.

The sentence structure seemed weird too... random sentence fragments that made me wonder if I had accidentally skipped a line.

I will more than likely donate the rest of the series that I purchased.

The book makes a better cookbook than a novel.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like this series. This time Theo and her friends are so busy they are running in circles. When a local businessman is killed during one of their events Theo and the rest are busy hunting the killer.

There were several interesting parts of this book, hints on baking, teas, hat making, wreath building and painting, and all woven in with a hunt for a murder. I'll admit to still not following all the tea rituals but Childs is so good at writing that it doesn't intrude on the story, it is just a small part of the narrative.

No way did I even come close to figuring this one out, the killer was totally a surprise. So, I'll keep reading her books, no matter which series she is writing.

[Rita Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say that I disliked this book, it's just that it made me feel a little sad. I wonder about the women who love this series and why the picture of women engrossed in the brand of china holding a cup of tea, the excitement of scoring another board membership, the longing for a new wardrobe accessory featuring ribbons and feathers, I just wonder.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, complex, cozy mystery. If you love tea and/or antiques, you will really enjoy this one. Looking forward to reading more of Laura Child's mysteries.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like these Tea Shop mysteries. Makes me want to try different teas :)