Thursday, March 18, 2010

Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs

Published: 2001
Pages: 242
Genre: Mystery
Series: Tea Shop Mystery book 1
Theodosia is the proud owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, a quaint and comfortable town gathering spot. When the shop becomes the caterer to a large tea party with 200 guests, Theo doesn't suspect anything wrong. But an infamous local man soon drops dead after drinking his tea, and all the signs are pointing to Theodosia and her employees. To protect her innocence and to satisfy her curiosity, Theo starts to investigate and unravel the mystery!
This book was a natural choice for me - I love drinking tea and I love cozy mysteries! It's also a relatively short book so I wasn't sure what to expect from it. But after reading, I can officially say that I've found another great book series!

There's something instantly comforting about reading a book like this one. The writing was surprisingly eloquent and well-structured, the characters are lovable, and it revolves around tea! For me, it was instant love. Death by Darjeeling is one of those books that begs to be read while you're bundled up in a blanket with, of course, a cup of tea by your side.

The actual mystery wasn't original at all, and I have to say that it wasn't suspenseful like I'm used to. There weren't many clues along the way so I found it hard to play along and figure out the "solution" on my own. I merely waited until the end to be enlightened - and even then I wasn't that surprised to find out who committed the crime! But don't let this turn you off; the book makes up for it with its sheer coziness and warmth.

Recommendation: A fan of cozy mysteries would surely enjoy this. Also, if you're in the mood for a light and cheery short novel, give Death by Darjeeling a shot!

16 comments:

Tales of Whimsy said...

Great review! Thanks for the honesty. I love and value honest reviews :)

Marce said...

As you know I love tea also, I will try this one and see if I will continue with the series.

Lynda Coker said...

Sounds like it will go well with my Earl Grey. Thanks for the review.

Bookalicious Ramblings said...

Ooh, this sounds like a cute read and I love the cover! I don't think I've ever read a cozy before, but I'm sort of tempted to give this genre a try!
ps: Good news - my interview with Tara Hyland just turned into a giveaway so feel free to enter if you'd like to win a copy. :)

Gina said...

Oh, goodness...well although you had a few serious concerns there, it still sounds like overall you enjoyed it. Will be curious to see if you review any of the other books in the series and what you think of those...
Happy reading!

Jeanne C. said...

I love this series. And, I too, love a good cup of tea! Thanks for the review!

Unknown said...

Owls love tea. So we will have a look at the book too.
I am a follower, follow us too?

wiseowlbookreviews.com

thanks

Deb said...

I will have to check this one out and read while sipping my favorite tea. Thanks. I love a good cozy mystery.

Emidy @ Une Parole said...

Oh, thanks for all the comments! Anyone who loves tea and/or mysteries should enjoy this series. They seem like really cute books.

Unknown said...

The title sounds very interesting, like its been made into an Oscar nominated movie or something. I would love to read this book sometime or recommend it to my book club. Thanks for the review.

Emidy @ Une Parole said...

Bookventures - I love the title also! I'm glad you want to read this.

Kaye said...

Hi Emildy, thanks for visiting today and becoming a new follower; Welcome to Pudgy Penguin Perusals! I'm a big fan of Laura Childs. Like you, I have to have my cuppa tea. Cozy mysteries are usually just fun with sometimes quirky but loveable characters in a great setting. The mystery is not usually some great brain teaser. Have a great day and happy reading.

Kristin said...

I love this series...I find that I have learned a lot about tea from these books. Have you read any of Laura Child's other series - The Scrapbooking Mysteries or the Cackleberry Mysteries? I like the scrapbooking ones and just got the other series out from the library.

I like your site and just became a follower. Thanks for following my site!

Kristin at Always with a Book.

WonderBunny said...

Great review! I must be the only one that didn't really enjoy this series. I couldn't connect with the main character at all so I only read the first one. I did love all the facts about tea though.

Emidy @ Une Parole said...

Kaye - No problem, thanks to you too! I totally agree; it seems that cozies usually don't have a complex and confusing storyline, but that's part of their charm.

Kristin - Yes, there's tons to learn about tea! I haven't read any of her other series, but maybe I'll check them out once I'm done with the Tea Shop mysteries!

WonderBunny - Aw, that's too bad. I enjoy reading about tea, also!

Athira said...

Sounds good! I guess for a light mystery, this one is a good choice!