title: Scones & Bones (A Tea Shop Mystery)
author:  Laura Childs 
description: Charleston tourist notes enhance Childs's charming 12th tea-themed cozy featuring Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the city's Indigo Tea Shop (after 2010's The Teaberry Strangler). During the Heritage Society's Pirates and Plunder show, someone steals a diamond-embedded skull cup possibly fashioned from the skull of pirate Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard) right beneath the noses of Theo and Drayton Conneley, Theo's master tea blender. Even worse, the robber fatally stabs college kid Rob Commers, the society's history intern, and assaults Camilla Hodges, the society's office manager. While plucky Theo, her faithful shop employees, and CPD's Det. Burt Tidwell chase a nasty killer, Theo feels romantically torn between her boyfriend, chef Parker Scully, and an attractive newcomer, Max Scofield, a local museum's PR director. As usual, everyone finds time for abundant tea breaks. Tempting recipes include creamy dreamy parfait and lemon chess pie. (Mar.) <BR>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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  Tea Shop Mysteries 12
  
  Scones & Bones
  
  Laura Childs
  
  Copyright © 2011
  
  by Gerry Schmitt & Associates, Inc.
  
  For Elmo, dear departed family dog who served as the model for Earl Grey.
  
  Many thanks to Sam, Tom, Niti, Bob, Jennie, Dan, and the fine people at
  Berkley who handle design, publicity, copywriting, bookstore sales, and gift
  sales. A special thank-you to all tea lovers, tea shop owners, bookstore
  owners, librarians, reviewers, magazine writers, websites, and radio stations
  who have enjoyed the ongoing adventures of the Indigo Tea Shop gang.
  
  This may be book twelve, but there are many, many stories yet to tell and so
  many marvelous teas to be brewed!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### **Chapter 1**
  
  A smirking human skull, all hollow eye sockets and pronounced parietal bones,
  grinned diabolically at Theodosia. A second skull, this one with crooked teeth
  clenched in an agonized grimace, wasn't quite as mirthful.
  
  "Some of these images are a little bizarre," Theodosia murmured to Dray