Wordy Wednesday

It's my first Wordy Wednesday! This is the place where I will review a book that I have recently read. Let's get started . . .

I've just finished the book, Jasmine Moon Murder by Laura Childs. The protagonist's name is Theodosia Browning and she is the owner of a tea shop in Charleston. She's a former marketing executive turned small business owner. Her shop is a cozy oasis of calm in an historical area of the city. In this novel, #5 of the Tea Shop series, Theodosia is catering a ghost crawl at the Jasmine Cemetery as part of a fundraiser. Unfortunately, Theo's boyfriend's uncle drops dead right in the middle of the festivities. A needle containing fentanyl lies next to him. Dr. Jasper (the deceased) was a cardiologist who was working on a surgical invention. At the request of Jory (the boyfriend), Theo decides to do a little bit of investigating into Dr. Jasper's death. There's lots of suspects, including Dr. Jasper's colleagues at the medical research lab, his soon-to-be ex-wife, marketing executives who were helping to launch the new invention, and former arts patrons who Dr. Jasper had recently cut off. Theo faces danger on a fox hunt, at a television station, and in the grand historical home she is house sitting. The story is full of likeable characters who support Theo in her quest to find out what really happened to Dr. Jasper. The book includes recipes and tips on enjoying tea.

This was my first time reading a story written by Laura Childs. I was all set to dislike it based on the main character's name (it's a little bit strange) and the trite inclusion of recipes. But, I really did enjoy it. The characters are all believable and likable. Ms. Childs' descriptions of tea made me want to learn more about the subject. She did all the right things by staging the murder in the first several pages of the book and keeping the reader guessing. I usually figure out the identity of the murderer early on, but in this case, I didn't figure it out until the nearly the end of the story. I am looking forward to reading other books in the tea shop series, her scrapbook series and her Cackleberry Club books.
You can visit Laura Childs' website here.
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I wanted to quickly follow-up on my Tackle-It Tuesday post from yesterday. I was able to complete my tackle and snapped a couple of photos. Unfortunately, later in the day, Kidlet came home with a stack of school papers, I cleaned out a bag (another stack of papers) and the mail included a couple of bills to be paid. So, more filing for me! I made some travel files for Kidlet's school papers and cub scout materials. I was also able to shred a bunch of stuff, too.
Here's the proof:




The Man brought home a bouquet of beautiful fall folders for me. He made sure that mums were included in the mix, as they are the flower that signifies thirteen years of marriage. Am I lucky or what?