Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Albert's engrossing 15th mystery to star China Bayles, herbalist, erstwhile lawyer and occasional gumshoe (after 2005's Dead Man's Bones), everyone in China's charming hometown of Pecan Springs, Tex., is stunned when the high school football coach, Tim Duffy, is murdered. The good coach, it turns out, had a nasty habit of getting sexually involved with teenage girls, and that criminal predilection led to his death. One of Duffy's victims had died recently, too, supposedly a suicide. Her case is reopened after the coach's predatory ways are discovered. Meanwhile, China stumbles onto a packet of letters written by her father years before, letters that reveal more about his past than she really wants to know. Albert's characterization is strong-China delights as ever, as does her wacky friend, Ruby Wilcox. Descriptions of delectable dishes (recipes included, of course) and tips about herbs add to the fun, but beware the prefatory author's note, which gives too much away. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In Pecan Springs, Tex., football is king and Coach Tim Duffy is prince--but he may also be a sexual predator. Fully occupied with her herb shop, tea room and catering business, China Bayles, Esq. (Dead Man's Bones, 2005, etc.), is far from eager to investigate when the high-school principal calls her. An anonymous caller has accused Coach Duffy of sexual relationships with underage girls dating back to his days at Friendship High. So China goes to Friendship to talk to Margarita Lopez, whose daughter Angela was involved with the coach. The stakes escalate when Margarita reveals that after Angela departed for college in Pecan Springs, she was found dead, a supposed suicide. When the coach is murdered, China's stepson and his girlfriend, marked as Duffy's next victim, snap a picture of Margarita doing the deed. Should it all be hushed up when Margarita kills herself? Duffy's wife is the scion of an old Pecan Springs family whose roots in local affairs run deep. But when China's investigation reveals that Angela was murdered, the truth must be disclosed. Meantime, China's learned that she has a half-brother, son of their father's secretary, himself a lawyer in possession of letters indicating that their father may have been murdered. In addition, there's a hint that her best friend Ruby's boyfriend is not who he seems to be. China's followers will delight in the complicated relationships, recipes and historical flower information. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
