Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mysteries in Order: How to read the investigations of Theodosia Browning?

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Need some cozy mysteries for tea time? Written by Laura Childs (author of the Scrapbooking Mystery series), this series mixes the pleasure of drinking a good tea (and eating scones) with amateur sleuthing.

The Tea Shop Mysteries are about Theodosia Browning (aka Theo), the owner of Charleston’s Indigo Tea Shop. Loved for her blend of delicious tea tastings and Southern hospitality, Theo can’t seem to do the catering at a social event without stumbling on a corpse! After serving tea, she naturally solves murder mysteries.

How to read Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mystery Series in Order?

Each novel in the Tea Shop Mystery book series delivers a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one book to the other.

  1. Death by Darjeeling – When a man is poisoned by tea, Charleston shop owner Theodosia Browning must prove her innocence and track down the real killer…before someone else takes their last sip.
  2. Gunpowder Green – The Indigo Tea Shop has just come out with its latest flavor: Gunpowder Green. Theodosia Browning cannot wait to hear its praises as it is unveiled at the annual yacht race. But when she hears the crack of an antique gun meant to end the race, a member of Charleston’s elite falls dead. Theodosia has a hunch that his demise was no accident…
  3. Shades of Earl Grey – Theo is mingling with the cream of Charleston society at the engagement soiree of the season. But as they eagerly await the dazzling young couple’s arrival-the groom meets with a freak accident. Theodosia suspects that trouble is brewing.
  1. The English Breakfast Murder – It is a truly exhilarating experience for Theodosia Browning-helping Charleston’s Sea Turtle Protection League shepherd hundreds of tiny green loggerheads safely into the sea. But just as she’s about to celebrate all her hard work, she spots a dead body bobbing in the waves.
  2. The Jasmine Moon Murder – Theodosia Browning is catering a Charleston benefit, a “Ghost Crawl” through Jasmine Cemetery, when the organizer drops dead-and it looks like foul play. Theodosia stirs things up with her own investigation, and gets into hot water up to her neck.
  3. Chamomile Mourning – As the Spoleto festival gets underway, Theodosia Browning feels far from festive when the inaugural Poet’s Tea is forced into one of the Heritage Society’s austere halls by rain. And when it rains, it pours-as proven when a respected auction house owner plummets from the balcony, landing dead on Theodosia’s specially-prepared cake.
  1. Blood Orange Brewing – When social darling Delaine Dish throws a lavish benefit for the restoration of a rundown Victorian home, Theodosia Browning donates tea and treats from her Indigo Tea Shop. But the grand unveiling of Theo’s spread proves a gruesome scene when a beloved local politico falls dead with a jagged piece of metal in his neck.
  2. Dragonwell Dead – Although Theodosia Browning barely knows a Phalinopsis from a Bog Rose, she still enjoys Charleston’s Spring Plantation Ramble, especially since she can promote her Indigo Tea Shop and her latest concoction, Dragonwell Sweet Tea. But the party’s over when Mark Congdon wins a bid for a rare orchid-and promptly dies.
  3. The Silver Needle Murder – When the Charleston Film Festival opens with a bang, the real-life murder of a famous director, Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is pulled into an investigation as perilous as any big-screen thriller.
  1. Oolong Dead – While hosting a lavish luncheon to benefit the Charleston Opera, Theodosia Browning finds her arch nemesis, Abby Davis, dead. What’s more, the victim’s brother is Theodosia’s old flame. Who’d have guessed they’d be reunited through cold-blooded murder?
  2. The Teaberry Strangler – Charleston is bustling with shoppers looking for antiques-and, of course, Theodosia Browning’s delicious teas. But when the cobblestone alleys clear, Theodosia finds the map store owner strangled to death. Many wanted her shop-but enough to kill?
  3. Scones & Bones – Theodosia Browning is attending the Heritage Society’s Pirates and Plunder show when a history intern is murdered amidst the gold earrings and doubloons. Even with that on her plate, Theodosia still has to attend Charleston’s Food and Wine Festival, where she’s hosting a tea and cheese tasting. But Theodosia knows she’ll have to whet her investigative skills to find the killer among a schooner of suspects.
  1. Agony of the Leaves – The opening of the aquarium is a major Charleston event, and Theodosia has been hired to cater tea, scones, and sandwiches for the private party to honor dignitaries and big buck donors. Things are going swimmingly, until Theodosia escapes the party for a momentary rest, only to discover the body of a man entangled in a net, drowned in one of the aquarium’s state-of-the-art tanks.
  2. Sweet Tea Revenge – Theodosia Browning’s dear friend Delaine Dish has asked her to be a bridesmaid for her wedding. But when the big day arrives, everything seems to be going wrong. First, a massive storm is brewing over Charleston. Second, Delaine’s sister is late for the ceremony. And finally, the groom not only has cold feet-his whole body is cold.
  3. Steeped in Evil – Theodosia Browning has never considered herself a wine connoisseur. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to pass up an invitation to a fancy wine-tasting party at the upscale Knighthall Winery. But a sweet evening takes on a bitter aftertaste when a dead body is discovered in one of the wine barrels.
  1. Ming Tea Murder – Max has organized an amazing gala opening for an exhibit of a genuine eighteenth century Chinese teahouse, and the crème de la crème of Charleston society is invited. But Theodosia makes a grim discovery behind the booth’s curtains: the body of museum donor Edgar Webster.
  2. Devonshire Scream – Catering a high-class trunk show at Heart’s Desire Jewelry is a shining achievement for Theodosia and the Indigo Tea Shop. After all, a slew of jewelers, museum curators, and private collectors will be there to showcase their wares and sip some of Theo’s best blends. But just as Theo settles in to enjoy the fruits of her labor, the party is crashed by a gang of masked muggers who steal the precious gems and jewels on display.
  3. Pekoe Most Poison – When Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued. But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead.
  1. Plum Tea Crazy – While viewing the harbor’s Gaslights and Galleons Parade from the widow’s walk of Timothy Neville’s Charleston mansion, local banker Carson Lanier seemingly tumbles over a narrow railing, then plunges three stories to his death. But a tragic accident becomes something much more sinister when it’s discovered that the victim was first shot with a bolt from a crossbow.
  2. Broken Bone China – 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. An enormous, fiery explosion erupts, and everyone watches in horror as the balloon plummets to the earth, killing all three of its passengers.
  3. Lavender Blue Murder – Theodosia and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley are guests at a bird hunt styled in the precise manner of an English shooting party. But as gunshots explode like a riff of Black Cat firecrackers, another shot sounds too close for comfort to Theodosia and Drayton. Intrigued but worried, Theodosia wanders into the neighbor’s lavender field where she discovers their host, Reginald Doyle, bleeding to death.
  1. Haunted Hibiscus – 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.
  2. Twisted Tea Christmas – Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are catering a Victorian Christmas party at a swanky mansion in downtown Charleston. Drucilla Heyward, the hostess, is one of the wealthiest women in town. As the champagne flows and the tea steeps, Drucilla is so pleased with the reception by her partygoers that she reveals her secret plan to Theodosia. However, before she can make an announcement, Theodosia finds her crumpled unconscious in the hallway. It looks like the excitement has gotten to the elderly woman–except that there is a syringe sticking out of her neck.
  3. A Dark and Stormy Tea – It was a dark and stormy night, but that was the least of Theodosia Browning’s troubles. As she approaches St. Philips Graveyard, Theodosia sees two figures locked in a strange embrace. Wiping rain from her eyes, Theodosia realizes she has just witnessed a brutal murder and sees a dark-hooded figure slip away into the fog. In the throes of alerting police, Theodosia recognizes the victim-it is the daughter of her friend, Lois, who owns the Antiquarian Bookshop next door to her own Indigo Tea Shop.
  1. Lemon Curd Killer – Tea shop entrepreneur Theodosia Browning has been tapped to host a fancy Limón Tea in a genuine lemon orchard as a rousing kickoff to Charleston Fashion Week. But as fairy lights twinkle and the scent of lemon wafts among the tea tables, the deadly murder of a fashion designer puts the squeeze on things.
  2. Honey Drop Dead – Theodosia’s Honey Bee Tea was an elegant affair set in Charleston’s new Petigru Park amid newly planted native grasses and a community beekeeping project. But when a phony beekeeper shows up and sprays toxic smoke at the guests, the party erupts in chaos. Worse yet, a shot rings out and Osgood Claxton III, candidate for state legislature, falls to the ground—dead.
  3. Murder in the Tea Leaves – When Theodosia Browning reads the tea leaves on the set of the movie, Dark Fortunes, things go from spooky to worse. Lights are dimmed, the camera rolls, and red hot sparks fly as the film’s director is murdered in a tricky electrical accident.

If you like our article about the Tea Shop Mystery books in order, don’t forget to bookmark this page to be sure not to miss any new novel. You may also be interested in the Rina Martin series by Jane Adams, Hat Shop Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay, or Amish Candy Shop Mystery series by Amanda Flower.

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