chez_jae

Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I had very little of my work book yet to read, so I brought it home with me and finished it this evening. I read Gunpowder Green, which is the second book in Laura Childs' "Tea Shop" mystery series, featuring tea shop owner Theodosia Browning.

Theodosia joins members of Charleston's society at the annual yacht race. As the yachts make their final push to the finish, the antique pistol that was meant to signal the end of the race misfires and kills Oliver Dixon. Theo is one of the first people to reach him, but it is too late for Dixon. The sad event is chalked up to a bizarre accident, but Theodosia can't help but think it was murder. There were plenty of people who stood to gain from Oliver's death, including his new bride, Doe. As the police start to take a closer look, they hone in on Ford Cantrell, with whom Oliver had quarreled the day of the race. When Ford's sister begs Theodosia to clear her brother's name, Theo starts looking into the matter in earnest. With the help of her friends, Theo aims to flush out a killer before anyone else is harmed.

I bought a bunch of these books at a second-hand store, and now I'm sort of regretting it. They're okay for the most part, but not my favorite cup of tea. Heh. The characters are portrayed well, and the mystery was nifty, but the resolution was almost more appropriate for an episode of Scooby Doo. Once again, the author drove me batty by calling a character by first-name last-name far too often. In this case, it was Lizbeth Cantrell this and Lizbeth Cantrell that. Introduce her as Lizbeth Cantrell, then refer to her simply as Lizbeth. Guh.

Favorite line: Because not one of those good old boys was smart enough to find his backside in the hall of mirrors at high noon.

Average read, average score

Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I finished reading Death by Darjeeling last night. It's the first book in the "Tea Shop" mystery series by Laura Childs. The main character is Theodosia Browning, who owns the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston.

Theodosia is delighted when the Indigo Tea Shop is chosen to cater to the guests who are participating on a walking tour of some of Charleston's grand old homes. Everything is going well, until one guest is found dead at his table, still clutching his cup of tea. After it's determined that he was poisoned, one of Theodosia's employees is tabbed as the primary suspect. She was known to have argued with the victim mere days before. Theodosia can't believe Bethany would harm a fly, much less murder someone she'd had a disagreement with. She begins looking into the victim's recent business dealings in an effort to find who had motive to kill him. Her investigation seems to have struck a nerve when someone leaves a note threatening to kill her beloved dog, Earl Grey. Rather than run scared, Theodosia is now more determined than ever to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The story was interesting. Theodosia is a compelling character with a strong sense of duty and right. I did not appreciate, however, that some of her sleuthing included lying to people, misrepresenting herself, and snooping. I also didn't like that the author made her into a Mary Sue. Furthermore, editing needed some work. For instance, Theodosia's footwear changed from one chapter to the next, although the scene did not change. Was she wearing heels that clicked on the pavement, or 'crepe-soled' shoes that allowed her to approach someone without him being aware? Also, the man she was most intrigued by was named Jory Davis. We know this was his name, because the author referred to him as Jory Davis repeatedly. Three times in one paragraph, by my count. It was distracting, to be honest.

Favorite line: "You can listen to some good music, then have a jolly snoop in his medicine cabinet, if you like."

Since I'm wavering between a score of 3 or 4, I'm going to put it to my very own "Cozy Mystery Trope Test":

( Cozy Mystery Trope Test )

To be fair, I tend to gravitate to books involving libraries, vintage anything, cats, etc.

Okay, based on the results of the trope test, this book earns three stars.