Scones & Bones [Mass Market Paperback]

I am starting to realize that I really enjoy Cozy Mysteries. They are a lot of fun with out all the sometimes gruesome details of other mystery and suspense novels and it's also fun to watch an amateur solve the case. And Ms. Childs makes some very interesting characters in her books that I found endearing and I enjoyed watching through the book.

This is the first book I have read in The Tea Shop Mystery series, and it's the 12th book in the series. But don't let that stop you if you haven't read any in the series. I know I would know and understand the characters more if I had read the earlier books, but I never felt lost and I got to know the characters well and found that this book is a good stand-alone cozy mystery. Will I go back and read the series now? Sure I will and I will continue to read from this point. The characters and the setting have really drawn me in and I look forward to having another series to read.

Let's talk a little about characters. Theodosia, Drayton and Hayley seem to be the main characters. They are the owners and workers at their tea shop in Charleston, South Carolina. I loved getting to know them a little in this book and found I really liked all three of them and liked how the work together even though they are all three very different people. Theodosia (Theo) takes the lead role in the book and she and Drayton work together to solve the mystery with help from some other friends, while running the tea shop and participating in the Food and Wine week that is going on in the city. To go along with the mystery there may also be some romance brewing.

I also found the setting to be fascinating. Charleston is a town I would like to visit and since I live just a few hours north on the North Carolina coast I loved the setting. I also loved the pirate lore in this book. Using Blackbeard is a great plot device. Everyone knows about Blackbeard and I loved seeing our own beloved Beaufort Inlet mentioned in the book (I live and work just a few miles from there and that is where the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's ship has been found). Ms. Childs does a wonderful job with pirate lore and incorporating it into the story and into the Charleston area.

The mystery was fun. I liked following Theo and Drayton around as they met other people and began to put the pieces together. Though I did somewhat suspect who did it, it still came as a surprise once they figured it out. It makes a great cozy mystery and I enjoyed reading every minute of it.

My only problem with the whole book was I felt the ending was a little rushed. I understand that this happens sometimes. Even though I was a bit disappointed with this, it did not take away from my overall love for the book. And I will definitely be picking up the next one in this series to see where a storyline from this book goes and to see what kind of mystery Theo and Drayton get to solve next.

I'm a fan of Laura Childs and especially the series featuring Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning who always manages to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation. In this latest book in the series Theodosia and her right-hand man, master tea blender Drayton Conneley, attend the heritage society's "Pirates and Plunder" party featuring all kinds of historical pirate memorabilia but at center stage is a diamond-embedded cup made from a human skull, believed to be that of Blackbeard himself. When the cup is stolen and a guest is murdered in the process, Theodosia finds herself once again on the trail of a killer, putting herself and her friends at risk of becoming his or her next victim.

The story includes interesting pirate folklore and introduces Max Scofield, a new love interest for Theodosia that may force her to choose between him and current boyfriend Parker Scully.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited nor required. If I didn't like the book I would say so.

A fun read and lots of information about teas. Goes fast and keeps your interest. Also includes recipes in the back of the book.

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