Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston was asked to be a bridesmaid by her close friend Delaine Dish. Unfortunately, not all went well. A nasty turn in the weather brought by a squall blowing over the city unleashed lightening and rain and threatened a power outage. Then, the bride’s sister arrived late for the ceremony adding to the bride’s angst.

Worst of all, the groom went missing. Theo volunteered to locate Dugan Granville before his bride could unleash her own squall. By the time Theo reached his suite, the groom was dead, and it looked like cocaine was involved. The shocking news reverberated through the Ravencrest Inn.

The large number of possible suspects, both on the bride’s side and on the grooms, had to be interviewed before anyone could leave the Inn where the wedding party was staying. Detective Burt Tidwell of the Charleston Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division was in charge of the case. But, that didn’t deter Theodosia and her co-workers from looking into the circumstances of the groom’s death.

The annual summer garden tour went on has planned even though one of the houses on the tour was the deceased’s, Dugan Granville, who also happened to be Theo’s next door neighbor. Theo was able to check out his house thoroughly, listen in on conversations that she hoped would lead to his murderer, and provided her co-worker and friend, Drayton decided to go ghost hunting, with interesting results.

Sweet Tea Revenge, written by bestselling New York Times author Laura Childs, is the latest in the popular series. Childs is also the author of the Cackleberry Club Mysteries, and the Scrapbooking Mysteries.

Childs is known for her fast-paced, detailed stories that keep readers turning pages to see what happens next. She provided plenty of clues along with her tea and scones. Much of the action starts at the Inn, but soon moves to the Indigo Tea Shop and other locations, increasingly scary as the story moves forward.

The author handles the large cast of characters well, and readers should not have any difficulty keeping up with who’s who. An interesting interaction throughout the novel are the two characters, Detective Tidwell and Theo.

He comes across as hard core as he tries to keep Theo from his investigation, but he is also learning to enjoy Theo’s tea and scrumptious desserts. In the process he ends up collaborating with her, seemingly against his better judgment.

The climatic ending and reveal of the murderer should come as a surprise to even the most avid reader. All in all, Sweet Tea Revenge hits the spot.

A special thank you goes to Lee Childs for providing us with a complimentary copy of this novel for our review. If you are interested in checking out her books, they are available on Amazon.com.