Broken Bone China - A Review & Giveaway

Review

BROKEN BONE CHINA by Laura Childs

The Twentieth Tea Shop Mystery

A delightful tea for the Top Flight Balloon Club turns deadly when a drone targets one of the hot-air balloons and sends its flaming husk down to the earth. Not only is the Blue Indigo picnic table destroyed, all three occupants of the balloon are killed. As a witness, Theodosia Browning feels compelled to look into the incident, especially when people ask for her help. The attack was surely planned, but was it due to business malfeasance, or an attempt to gain a priceless piece of Americana? 

Now in her twentieth outing Theodosia Browning is no stranger to murders...and solving them. In fact, she's recently came to the conclusion that she gets a thrill from investigating. Needless to say, when a murder happens right in front of her, she's going to get involved. 

The mystery here was interesting. While it started out as murder...and quite a unique method at that!...it was really about theft. What lengths a person would go to to gain a priceless piece of Americana - a Union Jack flag. A variety of characters made for an interesting suspect pool, from the murdered CEO's right hand man who's been acting hinky, to his flamboyant widow who was poised to be his ex. We can't forget the bidders interested in the flag. Could the staid woman representing a museum or the shady antiques dealer be involved? Or Theo's friend's new fiance?

There was a very modern method of murder here, which I found fascinating...and a bit worrisome. Is anyone safe from these drones? I'm all for the birds of prey snatching them from the sky! I'm sure Theodosia is too! I enjoy creative murders and this certainly was a unique one.

As a tea enthusiast I love reading all the details about the tea and the descriptions of the tea events. What mystery fan wouldn't enjoy a Nancy Drew tea, and history fans, myself included, can gawk over the details of a Beaux Arts tea. It's these details that capture readers and draws them in...and inspires them to return.

I love how Drayton has become more involved and engaged in solving the mystery, while being the staid voice of reason that Theo oftentimes ignores. I love how their partnership and friendship have developed. While Drayton could easily have become a caricature, he's evolved into a real person, albeit persnickety at times, but that's part of his charm.

BROKEN BONE CHINA melds high quality tea and refinement with a desperate bid for a piece of history resulting in murder. A commitment to characterization and attention to detail make the twentieth Tea Shop Mystery a winner.

************************************************************************

Broken Bone China (A Tea Shop Mystery) by Laura Childs

About the Book

 

Broken Bone China (A Tea Shop Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 20th in Series  

Berkley (March 5, 2019)  

Hardcover: 336 pages

Theodosia Browning serves tea and solves crimes in Charleston, a city steeped in tradition and treachery in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

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.

As Theodosia and Drayton watch, the drone, hovering like some angry, mechanized insect, deliberately crashes into the balloon next to them. An enormous, fiery explosion erupts, and everyone watches in horror as the balloon plummets to the earth, killing all three of its passengers.

Sirens scream, first responders arrive, and Theodosia is interviewed by the police. During the interview she learns that one of the downed occupants was Don Kingsley, the CEO of a local software company, SyncSoft. Not only do the police suspect Kingsley as the primary target, they learn that he possessed a rare Revolutionary War Union Jack flag that several people were rabidly bidding on.

Intrigued, Theodosia begins her own investigation. Was it the CEO's soon-to-be ex-wife, who is restoring an enormous mansion at no expense? The CEO's personal assistant, who also functioned as curator of his prized collection of Americana? Two rival antiques' dealers known for dirty dealing? Or was the killer the fiancée of one of Theodosia's dear friends, who turns out to be an employee—and whistle-blower—at SyncSoft?

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

About the Author

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

 

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:

Website – http://www.laurachilds.com/  
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31  

Purchase Links: Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play

a Rafflecopter giveaway