Marital bliss is only a few short days away for China Bayles and Mike McQuaid, who have finally agreed to tie the knot after months of rehabilitation following Mike's gunshot wound and China's near-death experience. The garden is ready, the guests have been invited and China's new tea-room is in the final stages of preparation for the big day...until their plans get derailed by the brutal murder of one of Pecan Springs' most disliked citizens. Edgar Coleman, a real estate developer known for philandering and bribery, is found shot at point-blank range at his home in one of the town's upscale communities. As the interim police chief, Mike is responsible for solving the murder and bringing the perpetrator to trial. Though she loves him and respects his abilities, China doesn't trust Mike to solve the case (or bring in back-up) in time for the upcoming nuptials. With the help of her mystery-loving, Tarot-touting sidekick Ruby Wilcox, China sets out to determine which of Coleman's blackmail victims or lovers had something big enough to hide that they would resort to murder to preserve their secret. As she probes further into Coleman's shady dealings, more and more of the town's respectable citizens, including many of the women's friends, become suspects. With a list of suspects with great motives and poor alibis growing by the minute and no good clues, China feels like throwing up her hands in defeat. Plus, as Murphy's law would have it, murder isn't the only thing that goes wrong as the week quickly marches on to the big day. A hurricane is looming on the horizon and China becomes involved in a sad case of kidnapping as well. Will China and McQuaid make it to the altar and to their honeymoon in Hawaii? The best part of this series to date is watching the transformation in China's life and perspective. Seeing the changes in her relationships with McQuaid and her mother is wonderful. Add to that a well-crafted mystery, a plethora of herbal folklore and a great cast of characters and you have everything you could want in a cozy and more. I really appreciate the little tidbits that Ms. Albert includes at the beginning of each chapter. I don't know much about herbs and learning these little facts has been wonderful. My only complaint with this book was the number of typographical errors that I found. I just couldn't believe how many obvious ones were missed by the editors. That's sad to see in a book by such a popular author. Otherwise, however, it's a great read and I highly recommend it. (But read the others in the series first or you won't be able to appreciate the relationship dynamics that you'll see in this one!)
My mom has been after me to read this series for a while - the author was a friend of my late grandmother's, and since I am interested in all things herbal she thought I would enjoy it! Each book in the series is apparently centered around a particular herb, this one lavender, as the name implies, which is an interesting idea, I think. Although I jumped into the middle of the series, I found the characters real and likable. Being from Texas, I appreciate the *accurate* depiction of a Texan small town rather than the usual hooey turned out by non-Texas residents. I also took no small delight in recognizing the places and phenomena mentioned throughout the story, including the tendencies of the weather! The murder itself was average, nothing great, BUT, as with most things, it's the trappings we enjoy more than the substance anyway, so I can whole-heartedly recommend the series! I look forward to starting from the beginning this time. :)
What do You think about Lavender Lies (2000)?
Herbalist and detective China Bayles is planning her wedding when a town development magnate is murdered. Not trusting her fiance, who is acting police chief, to solve the crime in time for their nuptials, China and her friends get on the trail. No one is town is particularly bothered by the death of a man who seems to have been blackmailing just about the entire town. A subplot involving the daughter of China's dentist becomes part of the mystery. This one's as cozy as they come, with well meaning kids finding the murder weapon and a hurricane threatening to ruin the wedding. Lavender plays no part in the goings on, other than in its guise a a flower that signifies distrust and suspicion. Very light, quick reading.
—Linda
I really enjoy this series with China Bayles. I live in Texas and lived in the Hill country area and Pecan Springs is like many of the towns there. I like how she combines romance and mystery.In this taie the deceased once an especially evil philandering real estate mogul who blackmailed the City Council members with all their dirty secrets and bribes to get their votes. There are red herrings everywhere and China needs to have the case solved so she can marry her beloved who is the temporary chief law enforcement officer in town. The story needs up being a race to solve the case before the wedding/honeymoon. It has mystery, humor and romance. A very satisfying combination.
—Linda Stephens
Easy read, plots not complicated, the series moves along. Susan Albert always manages to pull off a few surprises. China Bayles, our heroine, is finally tying the knot with her long time beau, McQuaid. Of course, it is never so simple. Two murders in a small Texas town in the week before the wedding threatens to sideline the honeymoon. China wants them solved before that happens. Even as she works behind the scenes, Hurricane Josephine threatens the wedding as well. Filled with herbal lore and recipes, this series is always a fun and relaxing read.
—Joanne
