How do you solve the murder of a woman who kept so much to herself that all you have to rely on are the skewed memories of the people who knew her? People, of course, who had every motive to kill her and every opportunity...people whose memories are shaded by the pain her actions, intentionally or otherwise, caused. China Bayles confronts that problem in this installation of Albert's wonderful cozy mystery series set in the heart of Hill Country Texas. Though her own life is full of excitement at the moment, including the lurking danger of a released convict out to take his revenge on her lover and new "roommate" McQuaid, as well as a busy herb shop and her own continued struggles as she learns to cohabitate with McQuaid and his son, China is determined to uncover the true identity of her murdered accountant and determine, once and for all, who hated her enough to kill her. Was it her jealous ex-husband or an embittered client whose shady money dealings she uncovered? Will China get to the root of the mystery before she - or the adopted son she's growing fond of - finds herself in danger, too?Once again, Albert writes a very satisfying mystery, full of red herrings and wonderful characters that nicely round out the intricate plot. Though it's a bit easy to solve the mystery from the beginning, the storyline remains very interesting and is nicely fleshed out by the subplot revolving around China's personal relationships with McQuaid and Brian and her own personal growth and metamorphosis, which come to a very satisfying conclusion at the end. All in all, a great addition to the series!
China Bayles was a criminal defense attorney in a big Houston law firm. As she approached 40, she began to have moral twinges about her work, the fact that most of the people that she was working to free were guilty. She resigned and moved to Pecan Springs, TX, where she bought a small herb shop, Thyme and Seasons. The shop is adjoined by the Crystal Cave, a New Age venture run by her best friend, Ruby Wilcox. China recently began to live with her cop lover, Mike McQuaid and his 11-year-old son. China is on the planning committee for the annual herb conference. Mike has lent his pick-up truck to a friend, Rosemary Robbins, to move some furniture. China needs to use the truck to pick up some conference supplies. When she does so, she discovers Rosemary in the truck, dead. Suspicion first turns to Rosemary's ex-husband, Curtis, who physically abused her in the past and then to Rosemary's current lover, Jeff, who has disappeared. I don't know if I suddenly became very astute, but I figured out the killer about 1/3 of the way through the book. Although the plot was a bit thin, Albert has several great strengths. Her characterization is excellent. China is an imperfect person who is torn between her own need for independence and her feelings for McQuaid and his son. Albert perfectly captures the Texas setting--its climate, rhythm, dialect and attitudes.
Do You like book Rosemary Remembered (1995)?
This was a good book, although the language got a little extreme for me a couple times. There were two intertwined stories of a murder and an ex-con threatening McQuaid. They played well off each other and it was difficult to tell if they were related or not which kept things interesting. China has some emotional growth in this story as she and McQuaid begin to make a life together and she has to begin tearing down her emotional safety walls. Lots of herbal lore as usual, plus some sobering reflections on how well we really know people while they're alive as she delves into Rosemary's life and discovers many surprising elements.
—Sue
This is the 4th book in the China Bayles series. This story revolves around the shooting death of Rosemary, China's tax accountant, who was shot while driving her partner McQuaid's truck. McQuaid believes it was a case of mistaken identity and that China was the real target of a recently released convict that McQuaid put away. The other prime suspects are Rosemary's ex-husband and her fiancee. The book also deals with some of China's relationship issues in adjusting to living with McQuaid and his son. Unfortunately, I figured out who the killer was very early in the book. I got a little frustrated with China and her issues, but it was fairly realistic. I enjoyed seeing Sheila (Smart Cookie) again, and it was interesting that she was even more skeptical than China about the mystical elements in the plot . On the whole, it was a pretty good book, but not my favorite of the series so far.
—Michelle
All of the China Bayles series books are written with a conversational style, and endearing sincerity. The characters are both loveable and believable as are the places. Albert describes things well enough to give you a picture for your mind's eye without allowing the descriptions to overtake the storyline. If you've never lived in Central Texas trust me when I tell you that this is as close as you can get without moving here! These books are a comfortable, easy read - equally good for rainy days, and excuse to stay in the air conditioning, or by the fireplace.
—Susan
