fires small and large

Tea shop owner Theodosia, along with her tea sommelier Drayton and chef Haley, has decided to throw a Firefly Tea. As the fireflies dance around the guests, Theodosia and Drayton do their own dance, bringing out course after course of delicious eats along with teas hand-chosen and brewed by Drayton. The final course includes tableside torching to finish it, but when screams cry out from one of the tables, they stop what they’re doing and head over.

One of the guests is struggling to breathe, and Theodosia is trying to figure out why. She knows that neither she not Drayton had torched their desserts yet, but all the ones sitting on the table had been torched. It takes only seconds for the guest to stop breathing. There was nothing that could have been done. And when the police show up and start investigating, it’s clear that she was poisoned. The police think it was fentanyl. Theodosia can’t believe it happened.

The woman who died was Mrs. Van Courtland, an old money dame of Charleston. The suspects start appearing almost instantly. Her son shows back up in town, with his new love interest. His ex-wife, who clearly expected to be in the late Mrs. V’s will. A real estate developer who has been itching to buy her mansion. A housekeeper with all the secrets and some family medical debts. And the young residents of a halfway house called Honey Badger House that Mrs. V. sponsored.

Theodosia agrees to look into the murder, but almost immediately, the stakes are raised. Someone throws a flash-bang at her while she’s out running. Mrs. V’s son’s new girlfriend is kidnapped. Drayton is attacked. Mrs. V’s sister is also poisoned. And Honey Badger House is set on fire. Clearly, someone is desperate, and Theodosia is in the middle of it. If she doesn’t figure out who the killer is soon, she just may be the next victim.

Death at a Firefly Tea is book 30 (30!) in Laura Childs’ popular Tea Shop Mystery series. Theodosia and Drayton have been in Charleston, making tea and solving crimes, for a long time, so they have the rhythm down. These books are filled with descriptions of teas and snacks, from scones to cakes to sandwiches and heartier meals. And helpfully, several of the recipes are listed in the back, so you can make Haley’s Pink Lemonade Cake, Drayton’s Favorite Shrimp Chowder, or Blueberry Scones. There is also a wealth of tea resources, ideas for your own tea parties, and information about visiting Charleston at the end.

I have been a fan of these Tea Shop Mysteries for years, and this is one of my favorites. I love the idea of the Firefly Tea, the celebration of spring and the magic of nature. There is also a Moulin Rouge Tea that they throw that sounded like lots of fun. This was a complex string of crimes, but I did guess pretty early on who the killer was and why. It didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book, so this will stay one of my favorites, at least until the next book in the series.

Egalleys for Death at A Firefly Tea were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.