Bleeding Hearts (China Bayles Mystery)

I liked this mystery for it kept my interest all the way to the end. Will not give any clues. Also liked that there was really more than one mystery in the book, so more than one plot. This author reminded me of Diane Mott Davidson. Davidson's main character is a caterer while Albert's is into herbs and a tearoom. There are recipes at the end of the book. Not that interested in the herb information, but there might be some who are. Highly recommend this book.

Another in the China Bayles series, and this time Mac isn't very prominent in the story. China is trying to solve the mystery of the death (suicide?) of a young girl of a friend but without raising a lot of eyebrows. Her investigation leads her to a local minor celebrity - and a history of trouble. While China searches for clues, she and her partners are struggling to handle all their business, having branched out into the tea room and catering, as well as cooking and delivering meals for people to keep in their freezers. The three women manage to "close" their cases amidst a hectic work life, mysteries of the past pushing forward, volunteer work, and their social lives. Albert's bonus of recipes and herbal uses is a pleasant addition to the story. Still like this series. It always makes me want to open an herb shop - and I don't even garden!

Bleeding Hearts saved my sanity on a recent uncomfortable plane ride. I was able to get fully absorbed and keep the pages turning, despite cramped conditions and witchy flight attendants. The plot of Bleeding hearts has been described by editorial and individual reviewers. The book gets us reacquainted with China and lets spend more time with her teenaged stepson and larger-than-life best friend Ruby. The plot hinges on a timely topic: a popular athletic coach has been implicated in serious crimes. The high school principal asks China to investigate discreetly. Albert writes smoothly and professionally, deftly describing characters in a sentence or two and lovingly creating a sense of place. I caught only a few misses. For example, in one scene, China realizes her "backside" will be covered with orange cat hair...but we're not told what she's wearing! With jeans, who cares? Fans should be warned, though: If you're looking for surprises and plot twists, you won't find them here. While several recent mysteries have turned up a villain who appears out of nowhere just in time to be properly vilified, Albert does the opposite. If you haven't figured out the coach's heinous crime before you've finished reading the jacket copy, you've been on a news fast for the last five years. And if you can't guess where China discovers a stash of evidence -- the only solid clues -- you're a newbie mystery reader (or easily distracted). So Bleeding Hearts should be read like a trip along familiar territory -- engrossing, enjoyable but not especially startling. Even the subplots -- a missing quilt, letters from China's dead father -- lead us to a whimper, not a burst of gunfire. I did get a bit puzzled when the high school principal, briefing China about the case, has to whisper "two words" to describe her concerns. These days it's hard to imagine a principal who'd be surprised, let alone one who couldn't say the words loud and clear. Regardless, Albert's writing skills allowed me to overlook these flaws. I wasn't a bit tempted to put the book down or peek at the ending (maybe because I sort of knew it all along). And any author who can help me survive 21st century air travel has my undying gratitude forever. So Bleeding Hearts makes me think of perfectly made apple pie: you've eaten dozens in your lifetime, this one's way better than average...and you want to prolong the experience and go back for seconds.

The newest book in the China Bayles series will not fail to please. I managed to figure it out quite early, but that didn't dim the pleasure of the book any. While the topic is a difficult one - teachers sexually abusing students - I think the message is good. Definitely worth the time to read. It also ends with a question looming over China to be dealt with in the future - another book! There is also the issue of the mysterious Colin/Dan to be delved deeper into as well, leaving us with plenty to think about before the next installment.

When Pecan Spring's resident and entrepreneur China Bayles is asked by her stepson's principal to investigate high school football Coach Tim Duffy, she is unable to say no because she hates sexual predators who abuse their power with a passion. An anonymous caller claims Tim left his job in Friendship because Margarita Lopez was talking to the school and the police about his seduction of her daughter Angela using his position, power and authority to seduce her. Angela tore up all evidence of the affair and blamed herself because the coach said she was sending out signals that he couldn't resist. Ironically, Angela goes to college in Pecan Springs and China learns that the coed met a high school student who was being hit on by Coach Duffy. She doesn't want to go to the authorities for fear nobody would believe that the popular worldly coach would seduce a minor. Angela's roommate tells China that Angela was going to force him to stop his sexual deprivations but instead she commits suicide in a high priced hotel room. There are too many questions that are left unanswered but China is determined to find them so Angela can obtain justice even in death. This is another entertaining, exciting and enjoyable China Bayles mystery in which the heroine discovers that she has a half brother who wants something from her and learns that her buddy Ruby's boyfriend is not what he seems. There remain open cases that will probably be dealt with in the next book in this series and fans will be eagerly waiting the next installment in this incredibly refreshing series. The heroine, a former lawyer, is a very likeable character and when she investigates something, readers find her actions very plausible. Susan Wittig Albert has written a creative who done it in which things and people are not as they seem. Harriet Klausner