China
Bayles is preparing for a weekend away at the Last Chance
Olive Ranch where she and her best friend Ruby will teach
a workshop about herbs. Yet when it comes time to go, China
does not go willingly. You see, her husband McQuaid, a former
cop, is being hunted by an escaped convict who blames McQuaid
for his imprisonment.
As the
killer, Max Mantel ruthlessly kills everyone involved in his
stint on death row at Huntsville Prison. McQuaid decides to
go rogue in his role as a PI and use himself as bait. Mantel
has other plans though, and things take a most unexpected
twist, leaving McQuaid second guessing himself not only as
to what is going down now but as to why he didn’t take
out Mantel with one shot when he had the chance years ago.
China,
meanwhile, is finding all sorts of intrigue at the ranch.
The will of the late matriarch, Eliza Butler, is being contested
by her nephew who has gone so far as to suggest marriage to
Maddie Haskell to whom Eliza has left the ranch and the olive
oil business. Will China be the one to get to the heart of
the matter and help Maddie, or will she end up in almost as
much danger as McQuaid?
The China
Bayles mysteries are like a good chocolate to me. I can devour
one in a day and find myself wanting more immediately. The
stories are so well-plotted and I love reading about the main
characters as they develop from book to book, and yet there
are always newcomers, especially when China heads out of town,
to add new blood to the series.
The details
and dimensions of any Susan Wittig Albert book are a joy to
avid readers who can count on a book that they will fall right
into while riding the twists and turns of the written winding
roads.
While
I could see how the various storylines might dovetail, there
were precise angles, which kept China’s story and McQuaid’s
story on their separate paths. All in all, this was a most
satisfying read, which I highly recommend to mystery lovers
everywhere.
China
Bayles' Book of Days (NonFiction)
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Mistletoe
Man #9
Dilly
of a Death #12
Dead
Mans Bones #13
Bleeding
Hearts #14
Spanish
Dagger #15
Nightshade
#16
Wormwood #17 [review
1] [review
2]
Mourning
Gloria #19
Cat's
Claw #20
Widow's
Tears #21
Death
Come Quickly #22
Bittersweet
#23
Blood
Orange #24
The Last Chance Olive Ranch #25 [review
1] [review
2]
Queen
Anne's Lace #26
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