Tea, Tonic, and Toxin is a mystery and thriller podcast and book club for people obsessed with mysteries and thrillers. Each month, your hosts, Sarah Harrison and Carolyn Daughters, will discuss a game-changing mystery or thriller, starting in the mid-19th century onward. Together, we’ll see firsthand how the genre evolved.
Along the way, we’ll entertain ideas, prospects, theories, and doubts, along with the occasional guest. And we hope to entertain you, dear friend. We want you to experience the joys of reading the best mysteries and thrillers ever written.
We’ll read and explore ideas about the book and about ourselves. And we’ll start at the very beginning with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe.
Take a sip of Earl Grey tea or pour yourself a gin and tonic (but not a toxin!), and learn what on earth prompted Sarah and Carolyn to start the Tea, Tonic & Toxin book club and podcast.
I’m what you might call a book club pro. I led the PORN Reading Program for about nine years. (PORN stands for “people obsessed with reading novels” – get your mind out of the gutter!)
The interesting thing about PORN was that you could show up to one of the book club gatherings even if you hadn’t read the books. We all came up with questions inspired by the books, and everyone had the chance to weigh in.
Books are clever things. The good ones help you relate to the broader human experience and get you thinking. We talked about the books and the experiential questions those books brought to light.
Now, I’m a scientist by nature, education, and profession. I’m passionate about efficiency, and I love chronology, order, and a sense of progression. I have really enjoyed tracking the evolution of the novel form decade after decade.
During the pandemic, in-person gatherings became difficult. That’s when I decided a podcast might facilitate discussions about the ideas that great books inspire and give me the chance to engage in conversations with other introspective people.
I decided to try my hand at a book club AND podcast. Next, I invited Carolyn to be my cohost. To my delight, she said “yes”!
I joined PORN about halfway through its run. When Sarah approached me about cohosting a podcast, I was down. I thought a podcast sounded super scary and all kinds of awesome. I was thrilled we would sort through the chaos together.
I love mysteries and thrillers. As a kid, I swallowed entire series whole – Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Dana Girls, The Three Investigators, everything Ellen Raskin wrote. In my teen years, I added Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and others to the mix.
The best mysteries set readers’ brains alight. They keep readers guessing, thinking, and debating long after the last word.
Books are amazing. I own what weirdos call “way too many.” I feel simultaneously powerful and at peace knowing they’re on my shelves.
I love books so much that I studied Victorian novels for four years in grad school at the University of Virginia. That was some serious work. As rewarding as it was, it wasn’t always fun.
The thing about excellent mysteries is that the work is lovely. The reading, the analysis, the introspection – it’s all pure joy. So I asked Sarah what she thought about starting a mystery and thriller podcast.
To my delight, Sarah said “yes!”
Ready to read the books we’ll cover in our mystery and thriller podcast? We like your moxie!
We’re starting with tales from the Victorian era (1837-1901) and the Edwardian era (1901-1910), including Poe’s Dupin stories, The Moonstone, The Woman in White, and A Study in Scarlet.
We’ll also read books that are lesser known today, such as Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, The Notting Hill Mystery, and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab. Every one of these tales broke boundaries and played an instrumental role in launching the mystery and thriller genre.
Each month, we’ll continue to move chronologically from one book to the next, focusing on game changers – the mysteries and detective stories that have stood the test of time.
We’re excited to read these books. And we’re excited that you’ll be reading these books. Please share your ideas early and often. We want to hear from YOU.
Follow us month to month or jump in anywhere you like. You’re our people, and we’re glad we found you (and vice versa). We’re thrilled to have you join us anywhere on this marvelous journey through the best mysteries, thrillers, and detective stories ever written.
On a final note, with your encouragement and support, we’re getting better at this podcasting adventure each and every day. Our goal: Make Tea, Tonic & Toxin a mystery and thriller podcast and book club that provides a forum for introspection, good conversation, and inspiration.
Sarah loves getting to the bottom of any mystery having to do with life, love, work, play, personality, or process dysfunction. A scientist obsessed with reading fiction, she launched PORN (People Obsessed with Reading Novels -- get your mind out of the gutter) while in grad school. After nine years, it was time for her book club to transmogrify into the podcast before you, sending its tendrils out to find you, friend. When she isn't hanging with her husband and two kids or running her business, Grace Sigma, she's taking a deep dive into the history, art, and architecture of this dark genre.
Carolyn has loved mysteries ever since she and her sister Michele started the highly successful CarMich Detective Agency when they were kids. Though she has never solved a crime, she is an excellent detective. When she isn't trying to convince people she's an excellent detective, she's busy running her company, CarolynDaughters.com, teaching persuasive writing and marketing courses, exploring new neighborhoods on foot and photographing street art, and boarding a plane early and often (47 states, 41 countries, and counting). She's coming for you, North Dakota.
Great question! Listen to this short episode to learn all about us.
Check out the Reading Schedule and share what you think about our book selections. Do you find them enlightening? Entertaining? Puzzling? We want to hear from YOU!
Will you support our labor of love? All donations will go toward audio and video tech, website expenses, and other hard costs. Thank you. We couldn’t do it without you. To donate through Venmo, visit www.venmo.com and donate to @carolyn-daughters
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Brand therapy. Persuasive writing courses. Fractional chief marketing officer (CMO) strategy for startups. Let’s win hearts and minds by telling the best story possible.
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The investigator with an action-packed expense account!
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We want to hear from YOU.
As a bonus, you might just get an on-air shout out and the world’s most awesome sticker!
© 2024 by Sarah Harrison and Carolyn Daughters
