Occupation: tea shop maven
So there I was, catering an afternoon tea at a hot-air balloon rally. The weather was lovely, with all sorts of hot-air balloons floating overhead like so many colorful bubbles. Then, with the event finally behind us, my tea sommelier Drayton and I were taken for a ride. What fun that was! Floating, free as a bird, bobbing above the crowd. It was absolutely exhilarating.
Suddenly, a rogue drone came buzzing into the picture. It was like a strange, mechanized insect that dipped and darted in between all the other balloons, as if it were searching for something – or someone. As Drayton and I watched nervously, the drone flew directly into the nearby red-and-white balloon and caused an enormous, fiery explosion! What a shock – pieces of flaming balloon rained down upon my tea table, smashing everything. And people died! One of them was Don Kingsley, software bigwig and, it turned out, owner of a rare Revolutionary War Union Jack flag.
Of course, there was all sorts of suspects – I mean, nobody thought it was an accident, especially the Charleston police. It also turned out that five million dollars was missing from the software firm. I wasn’t too involved until Angie Congdon, a dear friend and a neighborhood B and B owner, begged me for help. It seemed that her fiancé, who owned a drone and worked at that software firm, was suddenly the prime suspect.
Let me tell you, sorting through that mess, running a sort of “shadow investigation,” was no easy task. There were all sorts of rival antiques dealers, museum representatives, and private collectors who wanted to get their hot little hands on that Union Jack Flag! And none of them were particularly forthcoming.
In the middle of all that drama, I still had to entertain my guests at the Indigo Tea Shop, host a Nancy Drew Tea, manage a photo shoot at Drayton’s historic home, and pull off a Beaux Arts Tea, our most elaborate tea party yet.
Did I figure things out? Well, yes, sort of. Until the very end when the killer came after me! But read Broken Bone China for yourself, see what a crazy adventure the whole thing turned out to be!
Oh yes, I did include some of my favorite recipes that include Eggnog Scones, Strawberry Butter, Banana Pudding Pie, Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms, and Sea Scallops with Brown Butter.
Giveaway: Laura will be giving away a hardcover copy of Broken Bone China to one lucky winner. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends March 8, 2019. Good luck everyone!
You can read more about Theodosia in Broken Bone China, the 20th book in the “Tea Shop” cozy mystery series, released March 5, 2019.
Theodosia Browning serves tea and solves crimes in Charleston, a city steeped in tradition and treachery in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.
It is Sunday afternoon, and Theodosia and Drayton are catering a formal tea at a hot-air balloon rally. The view aloft is not only stunning, they are also surrounded by a dozen other colorful hot-air balloons. But as the sky turns gray and the clouds start to boil up, a strange object zooms out of nowhere. It is a drone, and it appears to be buzzing around the balloons, checking them out.
As Theodosia and Drayton watch, the drone, hovering like some angry, mechanized insect, deliberately crashes into the balloon next to them. An enormous, fiery explosion erupts, and everyone watches in horror as the balloon plummets to the earth, killing all three of its passengers.
Sirens scream, first responders arrive, and Theodosia is interviewed by the police. During the interview she learns that one of the downed occupants was Don Kingsley, the CEO of a local software company, SyncSoft. Not only do the police suspect Kingsley as the primary target, they learn that he possessed a rare Revolutionary War Union Jack flag that several people were rabidly bidding on.
Intrigued, Theodosia begins her own investigation. Was it the CEO’s soon-to-be ex-wife, who is restoring an enormous mansion at no expense? The CEO’s personal assistant, who also functioned as curator of his prized collection of Americana? Two rival antiques’ dealers known for dirty dealing? Or was the killer the fiancée of one of Theodosia’s dear friends, who turns out to be an employee—and whistle-blower—at SyncSoft?
includes delicious recipes and tea time tips!
Purchase Link
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About the author
Laura Childs is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, New Orleans Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In her previous life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.
Visit Laura’s website at laurachilds.com for more information.
All comments are welcomed.
One of the BEST series!!!!
Thank you for the giveaway…..
What a dramatic opening! I’m not familiar with this series so have some catching up to do.
Looks Great 👍
Sounds Great 👍
Thanks for Sharing this book with us 😍❤😍
Thanks for the chance 😃💖😍💗
Haha, tea shop maven is putting it mildly! Can’t believe I have been hanging out with these characters for so long and look forward to each new book. Thanks for the chance to win!
Love this series! Thanks for the chance to win.
This is one of my favorite series – have all the books and it’s one of the series I binge read! Thanks for the chance to win!
One of my happy finds. I have poured through this series and also love her New Orleans based series.
Lots of fans here in Chicago! Chicago Public Library has ordered 39 copies! Happily, I’m #11 on the wait list. Can’t wait to dig in.
Thank you for this chance. I love this series.
I was introduced to Laura Child’s books by a dear lady from the church I worked for. She enjoyed each and every book and had nothing bad to say about any of them.
Would.love to read this book..
An exploding hot air balloon would really put a damper on the day!
Love to watch hot air balloons but to see one explode would be scary. This is a wonderful series. Looking forward to reading it.
Lovely series which I enjoy. This release sounds intriguing and unique.
What a way to ruin a beautiful event, I guess I need the book now to find out why someone would do this, lol. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
wfnren at aol dot com
What a way to ruin a beautiful event, I guess I need the book now to find out why someone would do this, lol. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
wfnren at aol dot com
I only submitted my comment once but when I clicked the ‘Submit Comment’ it showed up twice.
wfnren at aol dot com
Yes please Dru, I would love to add this book to my collection of Laura’s books.
Broken Bone China sounds great, and I enjoyed hearing from Theodosia about the Balloon Rally. I have been to a hot-air balloon festival before, and the balloons are enormous! Thanks for the Day in the Life and the giveaway!
Sounds good.
Good grief! The drone menace expands! I never thought about taking out a hot air balloon with one.
This is a series and author I keep to reread!! Just got off a cruise over the weekend where I tried Spinach Parmesan stuffed mushrooms and it was delicious
I love this series. Thanks for the giveaway.
I think that I would like a hot air balloon ride.
Sounds like a great read! Thanks for the chance to win.
Looks like a great book and series!
I am a fan of this author’s books. Must say that I have long wondered about the use of drones. They can be a great help or a great danger depending on the person controlling it.
I absolutely love this series! I like the hot air balloon festival in the storyline. Sounds like a great addition to the series.
This is such a fun series! Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Theodosia’s newest adventure
Thanks for the chance to win a copy of BROKEN BONE CHINA .
I am a big fan of this author and would love to win her book!! Thanks so much for the chance!!
This cover is so pretty.
Love, love, love this series, from the characters to Earl Grey, the adorable dog. Can’t wait for this installment.
This series has been one of my most enjoyable ones especially since I’ve collected bone China tea cups for over 50 years in addition to the creative writing. I’d love to own a hard cover edition or any other from Laura, and thank you for the chance.
Sounds like a winner.
Thanks for the chance. My middle child clued me in regarding these cozies…and we both love them!
Looks Great 👍
And it Sounds Great Too 👍
Thanks for Sharing this book with us 😍❤😍
Thanks for the chance 😃💖😍💗
Shared on Twitter 😍❤😍
https://mobile.twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/1103900644778242049
**** WINNER ****
Broken Bone China is Becky Prazak
Congratulations!