The Tea Shoppe mysteries never fail to entertain.

The world of fashion is front stage and when Delaine's sister Nadine is murdered, Theodosia is asked by her daughter to find the killer.

As usual Theodosia has some unorthodox methods and interactions in solving this mystery.

Entertaining but maybe not realistic. ( )

Another fun installment in the A Tea Shop Mystery series. I love the home that Theo has built for Drayton and the tea shop team. I am not a huge fan of teas other than black tea but the detail that Laura Childs uses when describing the afternoon teas, event teas, and all the accoutrements make me want to try a fancy tea service one day. This mystery managed to keep me guessing right to the end and I am looking forward to reading Murder in the Tea Leaves when it is released in the new year. ( )

I enjoyed this cozy mystery story. Amateur sleuth (and tea shop owner) Theodosia Browning investigates a murder in Charleston, South Carolina. The Charleston setting plays a role in the story: reading the book is like a short visit to the city to enjoy the sights and the unique low country food. There's an interesting cast of potential killers, and plenty of red herrings add to the mystery. Theodosia is supported by a stalwart team of helpers, which continue their roles from previous books in the series. This is a long-running series of mystery stories and this entry can easily be read as a standalone. Some may say the plotting is formulaic. Despite that, this is an above-average cozy mystery and is therefore recommended. ( )

Lemon Curd Killer is long-running series featuring Theodosia and her fascinating tea shop. I have long been a fan of the interesting recipes and decadent desserts that have been mentioned throughout the books. The mysteries have often been interesting, and while this one is interesting as well, I am having a lot of difficulty with this series as I am no longer a fan of the main character.

Theodosia, the owner of the tea shop, has slowly been changing throughout the books, and not in a positive way. I have commented about this over several books now and still don't like the way her character is being developed. From a person who was kind and caring, we now have this arrogant woman who is also reckless and somewhat overconfident, and thinks she knows better than everyone around her, including law enforcement, constantly putting everyone around her in danger. She withholds relevant information as if it's her right and then gets upset when she is called out on her immature behaviour, which rarely happens, the author always trying to justify her actions. Honestly, the amount of times I rolled my eyes at the things she said and did...crazy. Now, if Drayton became the main character, that would make my day completely. I don't care how this is done, but please!!

The mystery itself was actually interesting and I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the cavalier actions of said MC did not constantly interrupt the flow of the story. There were quite a few twists and turns and I did find them amusing. However, that being said, I do wish the author paid more attention to her characters and the relationships they had in previous books. There was the issue with Bill Glass and Nadine in this one, acting as if they didn't really know each other, and I also wish the author would develop Riley's character a bit more as all it does it make me wish he would thump Theodosia once in a while (rhetorically, of course).

Verdict
Lemon Curd Killer seems to have lost its shine. While I didn't dislike the mystery, I was not a fan of the character developments happening for the past few books as I don't think it has been favourable. There used to be quite a few historical facts about the area and about the tea which were a huge bonus, but lately these have been lacking so this rather charming cozy mystery series has developed into a weak oblong tea that is ready to be thrown out. I gave it a few books when the changes started happening, but I think I am done with the series. ( )

Delaine's sister Nadine's murder becomes Theodosia's next sleuthing adventure when Nadine's daughter Bettina asks her to solve it. Although Nadine was not likeable, evidence shows she may have stumbled across a drug deal. This takes us into the world of fashion. We also see bits of the film industry and antique gun trade. Since the murder takes place in a nearby county to Charleston, Tidwell barely makes an appearance. I missed his involvement in the case. The drug angle makes it possible the case relates to one on which Riley, the detective Theodosia dates, is working. The author waited until page 55 to introduce us to the person who committed the crime when the murder was committed on page 7. Little interaction between this person and Theodosia or the detectives occurred. Official investigators seem less visible in this installment than in previous ones. Riley admonishes Theodosia not to get involved rather than Tidwell. While change and development must come to any series to keep readers interested, Theodosia never seems to learn from her previous sleuthing efforts. I miss the interactions between Theodosia and Tidwell, even though I like Riley. It was still an enjoyable escape from real life near one of my favorite cities--Charleston. ( )