Keepsake Crimes (29 page)

Cook potatoes in salted, boiling water until tender. Drain well and mash with fork, adding in milk, olive oil, and parsley. Open oysters and separate the bodies from the shell. Reserve the juice and set aside. Discard top shell, wash bottom shell carefully. Beat egg yolks together with wine in double boiler and cook until mixture doubles in volume. Continue to beat while cooking. In another pan, mix together cream and blue cheese. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Add oyster juice and fold this mixture gently into the egg yolks. To serve: Fill oyster shells with mashed potatoes. Put oysters on top, and cover with sauce. Place under grill for 5 minutes until mixture becomes golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Wash okra and drain well. Remove tip and stem end, then cut okra into ½“ slices. Coat okra with flour. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold in okra. Stir in bread crumbs, coating okra well. Deep-fry okra slices in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Yields 4 servings.

Shake well with ice and strain into a hurricane-shaped glass filled with ice. Beware!

Mash softened cream cheese in a bowl; add in the rest of the ingredients plus a dash of salt. Spread on toasted English muffins or bagels. (Note: In a pinch you could use sour cherry jam.)

DON’T MISS THE NEXT SCRAPBOOK MYSTERY

What could be more fun than an all-night crop at Carmela’s scrapbooking shop? As ideas on rubber stamping, hand-tinting photos, and decorating album covers are shared, scrapbookers also help themselves to hurricane rum drinks, jambalaya and homemade praline pie. Spirits run high and the soft New Orleans night buzzes with excitement. But when Bartholomew Hayward, the shady antique dealer from next door, is found sprawled in the back alley with scissors jammed in his neck, it looks like the work of a very crafty killer!

Meet Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston’s beloved Indigo Tea Shop. Patrons love her blend of delicious tea tastings and Southern hospitality. And Theo enjoys the full-bodied flavor of a town steeped in history—and mystery!

 

Theodosia finds herself in hot water again when an antique pistol misfires during a sailboat race in Charleston Harbor.

 

Earl Grey, Theodosia’s lovable mixed-breed Dalbrador, helps bring a cat burglar to justice.

And coming in August 2003

 

Dawn is about to break at South Carolina’s Halliehurst Beach and the members of Charleston’s Sea Turtle Protection League are taking part in the annual “turtle crawl.” As they help hundreds of tiny green loggerheads tumble safely into the surf, the dedicated volunteers congratulate themselves with a well-earned shore breakfast. But as the tea steeps and the gumbo simmers, a strange mass is spotted floating offshore. Donning mask and swim fins, Theodosia paddles out to investigate, only to discover a dead body bobbing in the waves. The hapless victim turns out to be Harper Fisk, a prominent Charleston art dealer and passionate collector of Civil War antiquities. Rumors of sunken treasure and gold bullion have abounded, yet nothing has ever been found near Halliehurst Beach. But now Theodosia begins to wonder—did Harper Fisk finally stumble upon something? And was he killed because of it?

Each has been an “Editor’s Select Choice”
by the Literary Guild’s Mystery Book Club
®

 

 

“Brilliantly weaving suspense and tea knowledge.”

 

“Engages the audience from the start . . . Laura Childs provides the right combination between tidbits on tea and an amateur sleuth cozy that will send readers seeking a cup of
Death by Darjeeling
.”

 

“This mystery series could single-handedly propel the tea shop business in this country to the status of wine bars and bustling coffeehouses.”

—Buon Gusto,
Minneapolis, MN

 

“Joins the growing trend of cozies that give food depictions and recipes a close second billing to the mysteries.”

—
iloveamystery.com

 

“Just the right blend of cozy fun and clever plotting.”

—Susan Wittig Albert, bestselling author of
Mistletoe Man

 

“As brisk and refreshing as any brew!”

 

“Will warm readers the way a good cup of tea does.”