Review & Giveaway : Oolong Dead by Laura Childs

Well, you saw it here on Cover Attraction, then it was on Tueday Teaser and now, at last, ta da..... the review! That is what you have been anxiously awaiting, right? Oh, you want a chance to win a copy, too. Okay, we can do that. Laura has generously offered a copy of her new book, Oolong Dead, which has already hit the NY Times best seller list, to one lucky winner. This is the tenth in her teashop series.

During the Charleston point to point race, Theodosia Browning has a slight mishap when she takes a tumble off her horse. Although she is quite winded from the fall, she begins to take stock of herself. Nothing feels broken and she can move okay, so why does she see blood ? As she looks around, she sees the body of a woman. Upon closer look, Theodosia realizes it is Abby Davis, local t.v. reporter who also happens to be the sister of Theodosia's former boyfriend, Jory Davis. Although the last time she saw Abby, she did not have a bullet hole in her forehead!

Even though Theodosia is the owner of the very successful Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston's historic district, she always finds time to do her part in fundraising for the arts and historical societies. She, along with her staff; Drayton, tea master extraordinaire and Haley, the young baker, host many a tea for these events. Theodosia has another talent and that is amateur sleuth. In the past she has managed to solve several of Charleston's mysteries, much to the chagrin of Burt Tidwell, chief of police.

So, when Tidwell actually suggests she do a little snooping at the funeral services, and Jory, the victim's brother, asks her to help find the murderer, Theodosia just can't say no. Between running the tea shop and preparing for the Verdi masked ball to be held in the opera house, Theodosia is one busy lady.While investigating who might have wanted Abby dead, Theodosia discovers that there is certainly more than one person. There are a lot of heart stopping moments as Theodosia is unwillingly spirited out of the ball by a masked man, finds a very old skeleton , then is later trapped in the dusty cellar of a crumbling mansion and finally has a close call run-in with Abby's murderer.

 Childs supplies lots of credible motives and suspects, keeping the reader guessing throughout. This is one cozy that will get your attention and keep it throughout!One of the many delightful parts of this series is the tea shop itself. Childs has created a homey type ambiance with such wonderful characters, it is easy to imagine this shop actually exists. Her descriptions of the other shops and their proprietors in the historic district, along with the surrounding low country, create a very believable backdrop. It is the characters that have kept me coming back book after book with their diversity and appeal. It is like having a splendid luncheon with very dear friends. As always, at the end of the book, Laura has included some scrumptions recipes Haley cooked up for the tea shop and some clever ideas for tea parties with a theme. I have read every one in the series and they always manage to charm and delight me. Highly recommended. For it's genre, I rate the book 5*****.

If you are not aware of the different elements in a cozy as compared to other mysteries, here is a wonderful web site that explains it all.

The author's website with info on all her series can be found here.

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Now for the contest rules:

So, since we're having a little cyber tea party, and Ms. Nottso dressed up for the contest, your official entry is to tell me what kind of tea you would want served at a teaparty AND if you would wear a hat, gloves, pearls or all three. Now, isn't that a lot more fun than just "enter me in the drawing" ?

For a second chance: become a follower or remind me if you already are. That counts too!

For a third chance : post a link on your contest sidebar

Leave me a way to contact you also. Winners will notified by e mail.

That's it, you're done. See how easy that is. Deadline to enter is 5 PM on April 4th. Residents of US & Canada only. No P.O. Boxes, please. Good luck !