by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Pekoe Most Poison. We also have a link to order it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Have you ever heard of a Rat Tea? Theodosia and Drayton are invited to one by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s well-known hostesses. The servers are dressed as rats in livery. Although it seems more than a little gross, it is part of Charleston’s long history—sponsored fundraisers by the elite for rat control. No longer needed as that kind of fundraiser, hostesses think of them as trendy.

During the tea, Doreen’s husband, a prominent businessman, is in the middle of a welcoming speech when a candle is knocked over, and the centerpiece on his table catches fire. Theodosia is the only one with a calm enough head to just grab a tea pot and douse the flames. Beau tries to go on with his speech but is violently ill. It’s soon apparent, he’s also dead.

Doreen knows Theo’s reputation for getting involved and coerces Drayton to convince her to poke around again. It seems the Heritage Society is in dire need of money. Charitable donations are down, and if money isn’t received and soon, the Society may have to close its doors. Theo reluctantly agrees to help when and how she can. Doreen always pushes for more, dangling the threat of withholding her donation.

Beau was a businessman but not a very good one. He’s just opened a splashy new spa and leaves a lot of details to his partner. Rumor has it the partner is embezzling. There are other good suspects as well, although the more Doreen acts crazy, the more Theo wonders about putting her at the top of the list.

Somebody Theo wouldn’t mind seeing guilty is Starla, Doreen’s PR person. She’s rude, pushy, and has no idea how to make connections with people who can help. Her style is to barge in and scream when unhappy, which is most of the time. She thinks Theo is going to oust her from her cushy job with Doreen and does her best to discredit Theo at every turn.

Drayton is much more involved in the investigation this time. There’s a new police detective to work with as Detective Tidwell is out of town on police business. He looks like he could be a romantic interest for Theo, but only time will tell. At the back of the book are recipes as usual—lemon tea blend, raisin scones, banana muffins, strawberry cream cheese tea sandwiches, apple nut squares, peanut butter blossom cookies, avocado and chicken tea sandwiches, and chicken tetrazzini. There are also tea time tips and listings for tea resources.

To enter to win a copy of Pekoe Most Poison, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “pekoe,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 25, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

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Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Pekoe Most Poison

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch, in the land of blues, booze and shoes—St Louis, Missouri. While writing magazine articles to support her mystery book habit, she secretly polishes mystery books of her own, hoping, someday, they will see the light of Barnes and Noble and a Kindle. You can find several of Sandra’s short stories at Untreed Reads including her newest, “Arthur,” included in the anthology titled, Flash and Bang, available now. Look for Denali, in the anthology Dogs and Dragons.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.