“Broken Bone China: A Tea Shop Mystery #20,” by Laura Childs.
Berkley Prime Crime, New York, 2019, 315 pages, Grades 7-10.
Mysteries are an exciting form of literature that keeps readers guessing. Authors cleverly plant clues in the story and then readers try to figure out the guilty parties. In a classical “who done it,” there is usually a robbery or crime that sets the stage for the plot.
In children’s literature, the Nancy Drew stories of the 1950s were excellent examples of mysteries. In adult literature, writers such as Agatha Christie entertained readers for decades with such famous works as “Murder on the Orient Express.” Laura Childs has written a very popular series known as The Tea Shop Mysteries.
Theodosia Browning, the proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop in historic Charleston, South Carolina, must use all of her detective skills to solve the latest case after a drone kills three people in a hot air balloon ride. Everything is riding on her sleuthing skills.
It all starts out simply enough. Theodosia (Theo) is riding in a hot air balloon with Drayton, the tea expert from her business. Suddenly a drone appears and causes a nearby balloon to crash. All three people in the balloon basket are killed. Landing quickly, Theo and Drayton try to find out as much as possible.
One of the deceased is Don Kingsley, a multimillionaire software businessman. It quickly becomes apparent that this attack was planned. Kingsley was in the process of getting divorced from his greedy wife. No papers have been signed and now Tawney Kingsley, the widow, stands to become immensely wealthy.
But the process is far more convoluted. It seems that a Revolutionary War flag is missing from Don Kingsley’s home. It is conservatively valued at $5,000,000. Theo, long practiced in amateur detective work, begins the process of uncovering the nefarious deeds. More people quickly become suspects. A seedy art dealer named Earl Bullitt and an art expert name Brooklyn Vance slide into the picture. Each has a particular interest in the missing Revolutionary War flag—too much interest!
Back at the Indigo Tea Shop, Theo and Drayton brew various teas as they eat blueberry scones and try to unravel the mystery. As they drink from their bone china teacups, they begin to narrow their list of suspects. Then on a rainy night, Theo goes to meet a suspect. There is a gunshot and then all goes silent. What happens next, and who is guilty?
Who can pilot a drone in a criminal act? Is money the root of all evil? How do Theo and Drayton put together the myriad of clues to solve the case? Can cups of fragrant tea and delectable scones help the detectives solve the crimes? To find out the answers, go to the library and check out “Broken Bone China” by Laura Childs.
Formula fiction like the Tea Shop Mysteries can be great fun to read. This book and the series will be particularly appealing to junior high girls enjoying a combination of mystery and elegance. The characters drink tea in a refined atmosphere and sleuth out the clues in the historical elegance of Charleston’s historic district.
At the end of the book, Childs includes a number of elegant recipes for tea parties. They sound so delicious that you might want to prepare one before reading the book.
So, if your daughter or granddaughter has outgrown the Nancy Drew type mysteries and is not yet ready for the Agatha Christie type mysteries, Laura Childs is just the author for your youngster. Just make sure you have a china teapot nearby and some scrumptious desserts. It is a great way to spend a day—I just wish I had first bought some scones!
