Death at a Firefly Tea by Laura Childs

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

Death at a Firefly Tea

by Laura Childs

Series: Tea Shop Mystery #30
Series Rating:
Published by Berkley Setting: Charleston, South Carolina
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Format: Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, BookShop.org, Penquin Random House
Also in this series: Haunted Hibiscus, A Dark and Stormy Tea, Lemon Curd Killer, Honey Drop Dead, Murder in the Tea Leaves, Peach Tea Smash, High Tea and Misdemeanors

A brazen killer sparks Theodosia Browning’s sense of justice in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

As fireflies dazzle like tiny glowing lanterns, tea maven Theodosia hosts an elegant evening tea on the patio of the Tangled Rose B and B. But in this gentle darkness an intruder has made their way in and slipped deadly drugs into the baked Alaska of Mrs. Van Courtland, one of Charleston’s local grande dames. Shocked by this brazen act, urged on by Mrs. V’s grieving son, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation.

Soon, she finds herself at odds with a greedy developer, the questionable residents of Honey Badger House, a vengeful ex-daughter-in-law, ne’er do well relatives, and a housekeeper who knows all the secrets.

As Theodosia hosts a Moulin Rouge Tea and a Queen Victoria Tea, her tea sommelier Drayton is assaulted by a masked stranger and the fiancé of Mrs. V’s son is kidnapped. It’s only at the Starry Starry Night black tie ball that Theodosia stumbles upon the killer and gets pulled into a dramatic life and death chase.

Death at a Firefly Tea by Laura Childs has us chasing a killer who doesn’t show any mercy.

Will Theo catch Mrs. Van Courtland’s killer before they do anything else to harm someone?

Theodosia Browning

Theo’s latest tea party was ending on such a good note when one of her guests was killed. She is mortified and hopes it won’t put anyone off coming to her tea shop. I love how Theo doesn’t mean to get involved in investigations. Yet sometimes she really feels like she needs to solve it. She is a great character who is trying her hardest to keep her nose clean of investigating. I like Theo, and if we met in real life, I think we would be friends.

The Mystery

Theo was hosting a tea party, with Mrs. Van Courtland as a guest, along with Theo’s aunt. Then Mrs. Van Courtland dies. Theo tries to stay out of it, but with her aunt being with Mrs. Van Courtland, Theo couldn’t help but try to solve it. This case was a major doozy. Theo and the police had a lot of suspects that were starting to prove to be red herrings, and I did get caught up with one of the red herrings before the little thought in the back of my head wouldn’t get me past another character. I happened to be correct with that little thought. Except I didn’t figure out why until afterwards.

Four Stars

My rating for Death at a Firefly Tea by Laura Childs is four stars. I do recommend this series, and I’m loving all the installments that I have been able to read. Ms. Childs is a fantastic author, and I love being with Theo, Drayton, Haley, Detective Tidwall, and everyone else who encompasses these stories.

Ms. Childs has recipes in the back, along with some tea time tips. The recipes are Tea-Infused Whipped Cream, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Avocado, Basil, and Tomato Salad, Blueberry Scones, Drayton’s Favorite Shrimp Chowder, Haley’s Pink Lemonade Cake, Gluten-Free Scones, Easy Peach Clobber, Yummy Cornbread, and Southern Beef Stew. The tea time tips are for a Teddy Bear Tea, Easter Tea, Cinnamon and Spice Tea, Artist’s Studio Tea, Kentucky Derby Tea, Strawberry Tea, and Roman Holiday Tea.

A Tea Shop Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! What do you think of Death at a Firefly Tea by Laura Childs?

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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• 2026 Goodreads RC
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