Laura Childs (1)

I love the Tea Shop mysteries and look forward to the newest one every spring. This one didn't disappoint, either!

I think this is one of my favorites of the Tea Shop series so far! I really enjoyed this one. The mystery itself was great. I didn't figure out who the killer was until very close to the end where it was revealed. Plus, this time around we had a new method and a new way of delivering that method. Sometimes having the victim shot or stabbed gets a little old, so this one was a refreshing change.

I absolutely love the characters in this series. Reading about Theodosia, Drayton, and Haley is like visiting with old friends. Their characters are so well-rounded, developed, and complex. It's a pleasure visiting them in each book and getting to know them just that little bit more. It's a pleasure to see how their relationships with each other and with others in the community grow and develop.

I love all the descriptions of Charleston. I've never been there but with as many of these books I've read, I feel like I have. I can easily visualize all the alleys and cemeteries and old mansions that are there. I feel like if I ever make it down there to visit, I'm going to feel right at home! It takes a skilled author to do that without boring the reader with the descriptions. Ms. Childs' does this excellently.

The pace of these books has always been good and this one is no exception. It was never boring and kept moving along at a good clip, but yet not too fast that you couldn't keep up.

This is a great installment in the Tea Shop Mystery series and I highly recommend it! Pick it up and enjoy! If you've never read the series, you don't have to know the back story to enjoy this one, but I highly recommend the rest of the series as well!

** I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions and conclusions expressed are my own. **
… (mais)

I love the Tea Shop mysteries and look forward to the newest one every spring. This one didn't disappoint, either!

I think this is one of my favorites of the Tea Shop series so far! I really enjoyed this one. The mystery itself was great. I didn't figure out who the killer was until very close to the end where it was revealed. Plus, this time around we had a new method and a new way of delivering that method. Sometimes having the victim shot or stabbed gets a little old, so this one was a refreshing change.

I absolutely love the characters in this series. Reading about Theodosia, Drayton, and Haley is like visiting with old friends. Their characters are so well-rounded, developed, and complex. It's a pleasure visiting them in each book and getting to know them just that little bit more. It's a pleasure to see how their relationships with each other and with others in the community grow and develop.

I love all the descriptions of Charleston. I've never been there but with as many of these books I've read, I feel like I have. I can easily visualize all the alleys and cemeteries and old mansions that are there. I feel like if I ever make it down there to visit, I'm going to feel right at home! It takes a skilled author to do that without boring the reader with the descriptions. Ms. Childs' does this excellently.

The pace of these books has always been good and this one is no exception. It was never boring and kept moving along at a good clip, but yet not too fast that you couldn't keep up.

This is a great installment in the Tea Shop Mystery series and I highly recommend it! Pick it up and enjoy! If you've never read the series, you don't have to know the back story to enjoy this one, but I highly recommend the rest of the series as well!

** I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions and conclusions expressed are my own. **
… (mais)

3.5 out of 5 stars rounded up.

Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs is the 16th book in the Tea Shop Mystery series. This series is one of the first cozy mystery series I read and it introduced me to the world that is cozy mysteries. I discovered this series about 10 years ago while I was working as a bookshelver in my public library. I kept shelving these mysteries so I knew they were popular and I finally picked one up and read it. I haven't missed one since.

This is one of my least favorite books in the series. I felt like the beginning of the book was very stilted and it almost made me say "Did someone else write this beginning?" However, it did get better as it went on.

Of course, all my favorite characters were back, Theodosia, Haley, Drayton and I was thrilled to be reunited with them. For the first time in this series, I did figure out the murderer very early on; usually Ms. Childs has me guessing until the very end.

The book beyond the first few chapters was well-written. While, I wouldn't call this the best installment in the series by far, it was decent. I'm still looking forward to more in the series.… (mais)

Scorched Eggs by Laura Childs is the sixth book in the Cackleberry Club series and one that I enjoyed a lot.

When the series first came out, I was thrilled with it and really enjoyed the first three books. Then, the fourth and fifth books left me a bit flat. This installment feels much more like the first few in the series and I'm happy for it.

The plot line in this one is well thought out and it moved along at a good pace. It's also one of the few books in this series where I did not have a clue about who the villain was until they were revealed.

I'm renewed in my enthusiasm for this series and hope another installment comes soon!… (mais)