Lavender Lies

China Bayles and her fiance Mike McQuaid have finally set the date for their wedding. McQuaid becomes embroiled in a murder case and China decides that she'd better help him solve it if he is to be at the wedding on time. The victim is Edgar Coleman, a local real estate developer who will stoop to any means to complete a deal. He needed approval from the city council for a new real estate deal to go through, so he methodically gathered incriminating information on each council member and threatened to reveal their secrets if they didn't give him a favorable vote. His other character flaw was a penchant for chasing women other than his wife. These two factors provide a slew of suspects for the murder. Author Albert skillfully weaves a lot of red herrings into the book, along with the frantic preparations for a wedding which is threatened by all sorts of catastrophes. Only China could go through a 2-week pre-wedding period such as the one in this book. This is Albert at her best!

LAVENDER LIES is about the eighth China Bayles novel. Albert is SUCH a good writer, her books are a true pleasure to read -- and hard to put down. This one may be the most fun so far, as the wacky women work together to solve the multi-layered mystery while China and McQuaid prepare for their possibly doomed wedding. I look forward to my visits to Pecan Springs, Texas. And I appreciate her little herb-related quotes, myths, and recipes. I've never actually made anything from a recipe in these books, but I must say Ruby's Lemonade with Lavender and Rosemary sounds like heaven on earth. And what my objection was in the last book was that McQuaid did all the work and called all the shots -- this time the very competent ladies -- with China back in charge -- do it all. And it's a lot of fun.

I've read all of the books in this series (except Mistletoe Man) and they have all been GREAT, but this one is the best yet! It was a fast, entertaining read. I looked forward each day to the time I could spend reading it. Her characters are unique and lively with a setting that makes you want to pack up and move there. I throughly enjoyed it!!!

I've read all the books in this series and I have to say this is a huge improvement over the last two (Chile Death and Love Lies Bleeding). This book was nicely weaved together and the plot didn't seem forced. You could truely understand why someone would want to kill the guy who got killed. Although this book takes place just a few days before the wedding, it focuses more on the murder and it's investigation than on the wedding and relationships amoung the townspeople. Great JOB!

Six days remain to the marriage of Pecan Springs herbalist China Bayles and the interim police chief Mike McQuaid. The tearoom being built by China and her friend will host the reception. Time is already tight for China when someone murders loathsome Edgar Coleman. Mike heads the investigation.Though both are fully occupied, China plans to go ahead with the wedding even though Mike has no time to pick up the license. Instead China and her friends decide to move the case forward with their own brand of sleuthing. They quickly learn that the victim was attempting to bribe members of the city council to vote for his position on a crucial issue. They also find out that Edgar was involved with three extra- marital affairs. When Edgar's wife is killed, China turns hyperactive to solve the case before she walks down the aisle.Amateur sleuth fans who enjoy the China Bayles mystery series, will take immense pleasure from the newest entry, LAVENDER LIES. The continuity of characters from previous tales make for an intimacy between China and Mike, and their fans while allowing new readers to gain a feel for the characters. The race between solving the murder mystery and the marriage ceremony makes this plot seem even more endearing. The numerous suspects have motives, means, and opportunities to commit the act, making it more difficult for expert problem solvers to determine the identity of the killer. Susan Wittig Albert proves her talent by providing an entertaining novel that adds to the aura of a wonderful series.Harriet Klausner