"When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to a “Rat Tea,” she is understandably intrigued. As servers dressed in rodent costumes and wearing white gloves offer elegant finger sandwiches and fine teas, Theo learns these parties date back to early twentieth-century Charleston, where the cream of society would sponsor so-called rat teas to promote city rodent control and better public health. But this party goes from odd to chaotic when a fire starts at one of the tables and Doreen’s entrepreneur husband suddenly goes into convulsions and drops dead. Has his favorite orange pekoe tea been poisoned? Theo smells a rat."--From the Publisher.

The 18th entry in this popular series doesn't vary from its tried and true formula. Theodosia and Drayton are dragged into a murder investigation when the widow coerces them with the promise of a grant to the Historical Society as incentive for the duo to investigate her husband's death. There is no dearth of suspects, and the reveal at the end is a surprise (almost of out left field).

To truly enjoy the book, one must accept the usual cozy tropes--busybody knows more than the police, police often share information with busybody, busybody runs her own investigation and is constantly confronting suspects.

Despite this, Theodosia is an intelligent busybody and her gang of supporting characters are fun to read about as are the tidbits about historic Charleston, South Carolina. Fans of the series will be glad to see Theodosia with a potential new love interest.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Theo and company are going to a tea a Rat Tea. These books not only serve up tea and delicious food recipes they also serve up murder in the most unusual places.