Book review: Scones and Bones

I'm sitting here, sipping a cup of jasmine green (Boston Tea Company), listening to "Shakespeare for Kids" with my four-year-old. A little "Midsummer Night's Dream" - I have to pause it about every 8 seconds to explain what's going on but she won't let me turn it off. In the meantime I wanted to try to get another post up before the baby wakes! (Nothing like having two teeth come in in a week to mess up a baby's sleep patterns!)

I wanted to mention before I get into the bulk of the post that I have an article in the current edition (May/June) of "Tea Time." It's a great magazine that is always full of great recipes. The cover of this one makes it worth the purchase anyway with a spectacular peaches and cream layer cake. My article talks about one of my favorite places - Clipper Merchant Tea House in Limerick, ME. (You'll recognize the first two images accompanying the article from my blog post.)

Now, as I mentioned in a past post I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Laura Childs' 12th book in the "Tea Shop Mystery" series, "Scones and Bones." (You might remember my previous reviews of "Death by Darjeeling" and the "Silver Needle Murder," "Oolong Dead," and "The Teaberry Strangler" and I had the chance to interview her in 2009.) I love Laura's books. They're uncomplicated reads with good characters. Some may discount these books as too "light," but I think there's absolutely a place for these types of books on my shelf. They're the kinds of books I turn to on a lazy day when I want to curl up with a blanket and a cup of tea. They're books that I read when other things are crowding my mind and I want to escape a bit. They're just plain fun. Plus, I commend Ms. Childs for bringing such attention to tea - to dedicating a big portion of her writing time to developing books that honor tea.

In "Scones and Bones" a skull cup, thought to be made from the skull of Blackbeard, was stolen at a Heritage Society event and an intern was killed in the process. And, of course, Theodosia, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop was on the scene when the crime took place. (It's a little like Jane Marple in that way. We always say that if we're ever at a B&B or hotel and Jane Marple arrives, it's time to leave. (Yes, I know she's a fictional character. It's a joke.)) Theodosia and her friends discover that this skull cup is connected to other artifacts that could lead the way to Blackbeard's treasure. It's clear that the thief knows this as well and when Hailey (the tea shop's pastry chef) is kidnapped we wonder if Theodosia and her tea sommelier Drayton will solve the crime in time.

It's great to see Childs' characters take their places in the story. The neighborhood gossip Delaine and police detective Burt Tidwell add their usual color. And Theodosia is forced to make some big decisions about her on-and-off boyfriend Parker.

As usual, Childs ends the book with some yummy looking recipes. She already had me with the lemon scones but then to add a chai tiramisu, and lemon chess pie, and a cous cous salad? I'm in love.

****
Next up -
Book reviews: A review of Cynthia Gold's "Culinary Tea" and Mary Lou Heiss's "The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook."
Tea: Another from Boston Tea Company and some new ones from Tiesta Teas and Karma Teas