Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs

Item: Haunted Hibiscus
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted March 8, 2021 by karenbaron in #BookishRecipe, Blog Tour, Contest - Giveaway, Mystery, Review, Series / 3 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Haunted Hibiscus

by Laura Childs

Series: Tea Shop Mystery #22
Series Rating:

Published by Berkley Prime Crime on March 2, 2021
Genres: Cozy Culinary Paranormal Mystery
Pages: 336
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, IndieBound, Google
Also in this series: A Dark and Stormy Tea, Lemon Curd Killer, Honey Drop Dead, Murder in the Tea Leaves, Peach Tea Smash

Tea maven Theodosia Browning brews up trouble in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

It is the week before Halloween and Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her tea sommelier, Drayton, are ghosting through the dusk of a cool Charleston evening on their way to the old Bouchard Mansion. Known as the Gray Ghost, this dilapidated place was recently bequeathed to the Heritage Society, and tonight heralds the grand opening of their literary and historical themed haunted house.

Though Timothy Neville, the patriarch of the Heritage Society, is not thrilled with the fund-raising idea, it is the perfect venue for his grandniece, Willow French, to sign copies of her new book, Carolina Crimes & Creepers.

But amid a parade of characters dressed as Edgar Allan Poe, Lady Macbeth, and the Headless Horseman, Willow's body is suddenly tossed from the third-floor tower room and left to dangle at the end of a rope. Police come screaming in and Theodosia's boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, is sent to Willow's apartment to investigate. But minutes later, he is shot and wounded by a shadowy intruder.

Timothy begs Theodosia to investigate, and shaken by Riley's assault, she readily agrees. Now, she questions members of the Heritage Society and a man who claims the mansion is rightfully his, as well as Willow's book publisher and her fiancé, all while hosting a Sherlock Holmes tea and catering several others.

But the Gray Ghost holds many secrets, as do several other key suspects, while this murder mystery plays out on the eve of Halloween.

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs is quite the doozy of a Halloween read.

Will Theodosia figure out who killed Willow for Timothy’s sake?

Theodosia Browning

Our sleuth is Theodosia Browning, and she is quite the character. I would have to say I wouldn’t mind having her job. Okay, minus the sleuthing that she has to do. Theo, as a lot of people call her, is at the opening of a new haunted house when as she is leaving for the night, she sees the young lady who was signing books earlier die. She is thrust into the world of sleuthing not only because she wants to know herself who would do that to Willow French but also because someone hurt her boyfriend. I have to say that Theo is a lovely character, and it was a fabulous treat to have someone like this as a sleuth.

Pete Riley

Pete Riley is the boyfriend of Theodosia but also her police contact. Okay, and more of the whole reason with why Theo is even more thrust into the world of solving this crime. She wanted to find out who would shoot at her boyfriend and if it was connected. Pete is a great character as well, and I love how concerned he is for Theo. He would make a marvelous boyfriend.

The Mystery

The mystery all starts with who would kill Willow French on the opening night of a haunted house. There are a whole lot of red herrings and so much sleuthing going on in this book. I thought I had it, but then I was like, no, that has to be red herring. There were many suspicions, though, I had about a certain character, and I was right. Be careful of those red herrings. While reading this book, be sure to have a notebook handy to write down the suspects. I had to do that. Also, have food handy. I found that I eat a bit more than I needed to.

5 Stars

Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs is a great book to start in on this series. Granted, I didn’t mean to start on the 22nd book, but it sounded so good. I loved everything about this book, from the characters to the mystery, to the food they were touting off in there and everything that Theodosia does at her tea shop. It just sounded all so sublime. I can’t wait to read another book in this series.

Don’t forget to check out the recipes in the back, and if you want to host your own tea time, there are tips back there. The recipes include Haley’s Pumpkin Soup, Tarragon Chicken Salad, Chai-Flavored Cupcakes, Crab and Avocado Tea Sandwichs, Southern Peach Crisp, Ham, and Corn Muffins, Herbed Chevre Butter, Haunted Hibiscus Cooler, Charleston Apple Pudding, Best Banana Bread Ever, and Haley’s Pork Tenderloin. All of these sound so good. I might have to try one of these recipes in the future.

A Tea Shop Mystery Series

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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Haunted Hibiscus by Laura Childs. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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 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.

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