Murder in the Tea Leaves

Laura Childs newest book was published earlier this month and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Murder in the Tea Leaves is the 27th installment of her Indigo Teashop Mystery Series and I have been anxiously awaiting its publication. I have read every book in the series and most were fantastic.

In this particular story, main character Theodosia Browning is reading tea leaves on the set of the movie, Dark Fortunes, which is being filmed in her native city of Charleston. Her teashop, the Indigo Teashop, provided the snacks on the set. The next thing she knows the film director has been electrocuted while sitting on a chair that was rigged with electronics. One of the suspects is Theo's friend Delaine Dish who was dating the director but had a noisy break-up of their relationship in a ritzy restaurant the previous night. As usual, Theodosia begins her own investigation of the murder despite being told by Detective Tidwell to stay out of it. Between hosting a Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tea, and a Poetry Tea, Theodosia tries to find clues that will identify the killer. In this novel she did not do the usual interviews of her suspects but she does explore the haunted Brittlebank Manor where the murder took place. Her tea sommelier Drayton Connelly talks Theo through her many theories to help her come to some conclusions about the murder. Soon thereafter, a member of the Charleston Film Board is also murdered.

When I first began reading I had a sense of deja vu. The story sounded familiar and I remember a comment that Theo made in an earlier novel "I was reading a book by Susan Witting Albert." The statement returned! Eventually, I discovered that another one of my favorite cozy mystery series, the Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle, had a murder take place on a film set also. Yet another similarity with this series is that the main characters of both series are dating police officers. Coyle had these aspects of her series in place many books ago.  

It is unusual for Theo not to go out of her way to interview suspects. In fact, it has never before happened in the series. She also did not drive around town inspecting several buildings that might provide her with some clues. Toward the end of the story Theo and Drayton broke into Brittlebank Manor to find evidence concerning the how and why of the murders.

The novel had a slow pace, presumably because there wasn't much action. Detective Tidwell did not play a prominent role and I missed his gruffy personality.  Theo's personality meshed well with Tidwell which always added excitement. Hopefully, he will return in the next installment of the series.

3 out of 5 stars.