“Firefly viewing is a major occasion in Japan,” says author Laura Childs. “So when I saw tiny fireflies illuminating Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, I had the idea to transport the little lightning bugs to Charleston, South Carolina where my Tea Shop Mysteries take place. And because I’m writing mysteries, there has to be a mysterious death.

In Death at a Firefly Tea, Laura Childs’ fast-moving cozy-thriller, tea shop maven Theodosia Browning hosts an elegant evening tea on the patio of the Tangled Rose B and B. But as fireflies dazzle like miniature lanterns, an intruder slips deadly drugs into the baked Alaska of Mrs. Van Courtland, one of Charleston’s grande dames. Shocked by this brazen act, Theodosia begins her own shadow investigation and soon finds herself at odds with a greedy developer, questionable residents of Honey Badger House, and a housekeeper who knows all the secrets. It’s only at the black tie Starry Night ball that Theodosia stumbles upon the killer and is pulled into a dramatic life and death chase.   

A former advertising CEO, Ms. Childs writes the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries, most of which have been on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. One of her mysteries, Death by Darjeeling, was a recent question on Jeopardy.

For additional information regarding this press release, contact the author directly.  E-mail: gerryschmittauthor@icloud.com   Phone: 763-595-0192