Broken Bone China by Laura Childs

This is the twentieth Laura Child Tea mystery and it starts off with a bang- literally...Theodore Browning and Drayton, her tea connoisseur, are up in a hot air balloon and witness the attack and explosion of another hot air balloon near them.When one of the victims has a Navy Jack flag, from the Revolutionary War Days disappear- then millions are at stake and a determined killer is on the loose. Theodosia and Drayton, witnessed the attack together- but she is the one hot in pursuit building up clues. Drayton, is a reluctant partner in all this, but it makes for a warm friendship between the two of them.

Laura Childs, provides a charming, cozy, atmosphere with this one and between clues we are fed with Hayley's wonderful food and Drayton's choices of Tea. I love the thought of all those colorful, rich, teas served in Spode teacups. The names Chinese Gunpowder Green, Chai Masala or Tippi Yunnan China black Tea, sound exotic and elegant. Customers are left to gaze out the window of  the Tea Shop, located in the historic district, with all its atmosphere. Charleston is very charming and the location makes the series even better.

Broken Bone China, provides us with a wonderful array of characters-any of whom could be wearing a false face. If you read cozy mysteries for the clues, food and the details- then you will love this one. Five stars for a bang-up story.

Blurb:

It is Sunday afternoon, and Theodosia and Drayton are catering a formal tea at a hot-air balloon rally. The view aloft is not only stunning, they are also surrounded by a dozen other colorful hot-air balloons. But as the sky turns gray and the clouds start to boil up, a strange object zooms out of nowhere. It is a drone, and it appears to be buzzing around the balloons, checking them out.

As Theodosia and Drayton watch, the drone, hovering like some angry, mechanized insect, deliberately crashes into the balloon next to them. An enormous, fiery explosion erupts, and everyone watches in horror as the balloon plummets to the earth, killing all three of its passengers.

Sirens scream, first responders arrive, and Theodosia is interviewed by the police. During the interview she learns that one of the downed occupants was Don Kingsley, the CEO of a local software company, SyncSoft. Not only do the police suspect Kingsley as the primary target, they learn that he possessed a rare Revolutionary War Union Jack flag that several people were rabidly bidding on.

Intrigued, Theodosia begins her own investigation. Was it the CEO's soon-to-be ex-wife, who is restoring an enormous mansion at no expense? The CEO's personal assistant, who also functioned as curator of his prized collection of Americana? Two rival antiques' dealers known for dirty dealing? Or was the killer the fiancée of one of Theodosia's dear friends, who turns out to be an employee—and whistle-blower—at SyncSoft?