Introduction

When tea maven Theodosia Browning attends a Mad Hatter Masquerade on the grounds of an old Charleston grist mill, she never dreamed she'd be pulled into a murder. But under the glow of a neon Cheshire Cat, Harlan Sadler, husband of Cricket Sadler, the chairwoman, gets whacked with a croquet mallet and hung in the old mills paddles and chains. A hysterical Cricket begs Theodosia to run a shadow investigation which soon uncovers an ungrateful stepson, vengeful banker, and shady sports car dealer. Between hosting a Regency Tea, Chocolate Stroll, and Book Lover's Tea, Theodosia doggedly hunts down clues to this devious killer.

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Excerpt

Just five feet ahead of them, a greyhound was tied to a tree by a short leather leash. He was lean, leggy, and looked scared to death. His head was bowed low and he seemed to be shivering.

“Poor thing,” Drayton said. He was also a dog lover and owned a rescue dog, Honey Bee, a King Charles Spaniel.

Theodosia walked up to the dog, a sable brown greyhound, and let him sniff her hand. The dog stared up at her with sorrowful eyes, then slowly wagged its tail.

Friends?

The dog seemed to read Theodosia’s mind and consider the idea for a few moments. Then it licked her hand, his eyes practically pleading with her now.

Theodosia made an instant decision. “We have to take this dog with us.”

“You mean steal him?” Drayton was aghast.

“Not steal, rescue him. Dog racing is illegal.”

“Then what are we going to do with the poor thing?”

“We’ll take him to Loving Paws Animal Shelter, the one Delaine volunteers for. The one she’s always hitting us up for support money.”

“Are you sure we can do that? Just drop this poor creature off with just a hello-goodbye?”

“Positive. But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll call ahead to one of the volunteers and clear it.”

They scrambled into Theodosia’s Jeep then, all three of them. Theodosia was in the passenger side now, Drayton behind the wheel, and the dog sitting in back. Drayton made a careful turn without benefit of headlights, then drove back down the gravel road while Theodosia got on her phone. Her first call was to Detective Burt Tidwell.

“What?” Tidwell yelped when he came on the line. He was sputtering and angry, making no bones about the fact he was unhappy to have his evening disturbed.

“This is Theodosia,” she said. “We . . . that’s Drayton and me . . . just discovered an illegal dog racing track off the Maybank Highway. It’s . . .”

“Dogs!” Tidwell cried. “Dogs?”

“Illegal greyhound racing,” Theodosia said, enunciating carefully and talking a little louder this time. “Which means there’s probably illegal betting going on as well.”

The issue of illegal betting calmed Tidwell down a bit. Which gave Theodosia a chance to relay as much information as she could about the clandestine track, as well as give exact directions on how to get there.

Tidwell continued to listen, then said, “This racing is going on right now? Even as we speak? You’re sure the dog owners are still there?”

“Yes, yes, they’re still there,” Theodosia said. “We just left the place five minutes ago.”

“All the dogs are there too?”

The sable brown greyhound hung its head over the front seat, looking happy and content, as Theodosia lied through her teeth and said, “Yes, all the dogs are still there as well.” view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

What was most exciting about the opening of Peach Tea Smash?
Did the murder mystery get off to a quick start?

Did the description of the murder in the old grist mill prickle the hairs on the back of your neck?

Does the author create enough of a "sense of place" that you were able to picture the Mad Hatter Masquerade, the old grist mill, and the Indigo Tea Shop. How about Theodora's tea shop cohorts Drayton and Haley?

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