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Spanish Dagger (China Bayles Mystery)
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Manufacturer: Berkley
Author: Susan Wittig Albert
Publisher: Berkley
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $7.99
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Berkley
Author: Susan Wittig Albert
Publisher: Berkley
Average Customer Rating:
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Spanish Dagger (China Bayles Mystery) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780425220887
ISBN: 0425220885
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2008-04-01
Publisher: Berkley
Studio: Berkley
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780425220887
ISBN: 0425220885
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2008-04-01
Publisher: Berkley
Studio: Berkley
Editorial Review of Spanish Dagger (China Bayles Mystery)
While harvesting yucca plants to make paper, China Bayles finds a body-cause of death: unknown. It seems that the simple lives of many residents of Pecan Springs hide complex and dangerous pasts. And now, while also unraveling secrets that hit close to home, China must set the record straight-and find a killer.
Customer Reviews of Spanish Dagger (China Bayles Mystery)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Where oh Where Has Our China Gone?
Review: Oh China, what has happened to you?
You've gone from an interesting, three-dimensional character to a busybody who somehow ramrods her agenda down everyone's throats.
The plot of this book wasn't half-bad (though the various drug agencies had me confounded), but China's attempts at mystery solving (telling the chief of police what she'll do and what she won't, inserting herself in investigations, giving a possible killer her home address???) were baffling. I am all for suspension of disbelief, but this was ridiculous.
Bring back the old China. Please!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good series
Review: China Bayles used to be a lawyer, but now she is an herbalist in a small town in Texas. Her husband, a former policeman, is now a private investigator. China finds the body of a missing man while her half brother is reopening old wounds in looking into the death of their father many years before. China Bayles is a series protagonist, and I would suggest reading these books in order, starting with, I believe, "Thyme for Murder." Some author's books in a series don't stand alone as well as others, and "Spanish Dagger" could use some preliminary information. Despite this, however, China Bayles is a likeable heroine, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. As a matter of fact Susan Wittig Albert is also one half of Robin Paige whose books I also enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Layered plot, memorable characters
Review: This was the first China Bayles I read, and it fulfilled every expectation I have for a great mystery novel: good characters; memorable setting and atmosphere; and a serious plot that engages the reader all the way through. You will also learn a lot about yucca as you try to figure out the connections between Ruby, her (ex) boyfriend, Lucita, Sheila and drugs, police corruption and murder. There is also an intriguing subplot taking us through China's complicated relationship with her mother/father/half-brother. You will love the people of Pecan Springs and Texas hill country.
Ms. Albert is one of those rare writers who crafts her series books to work as stand-alone novels, and this book worked just fine as a stand-alone. I loved it enough to want to return to Pecan Springs again and again. I'm a big fan of Ms. Albert's "Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter," and am now equally enthusiastic about the China Bayles series.
Let's hope there are many, many more books to come from this talented writer. This is a very good way to spend $7.99, and way more satisfying than what's playing at the box office!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Whether she wants to or not, China needs to solve a mystery
Review: China Bayles' herb shop, Thyme & Seasons is doing well but not well enough to pay all the bills if her husband Mike's PI business doesn't get some customers. But in the vein of being careful what you wish for, Mike's next case is for China's newly found half-brother, Mike Danforth. Danforth believes that China's father was murdered and wants McQuaid to open this cold case. This, as you might guess, upsets China's mother.
And speaking of mothers, Ruby's mother is causing quite a stir in her seniors community and Ruby needs to have her moved to a new apartment where she can get the intensive care she needs now that she's showing signs of dementia. With all this going on, China has little time to spend with Carole Gayle who has arrived to give a papermaking workshop and needs help gathering samples. It's while they're out gathering Spanish dagger that they find a body and now time may be running out ... the killer needs to be found before the town gets torn apart by a jurisdictional dispute between local police and Texas DEA agents.
When you pick up a China Bayles mystery, you know several things: the book will be filled with interesting herbal information; the characters you've come to care about will be involved in some sort of mischief or mayhem; there will be a mystery to solve; there will be some delicious recipes to try out; and Pecan Springs will still be a smallish town filled with characters that can support even more books to come.
The mystery hinges on some very interesting bits of Texas legal history. I think I enjoy these books as much for their information about Texas history and culture as I do for the herbal lore and the characters.
If you like cozy mysteries where the violence is off stage but you still have characters you can care about and learn from -- give these books a try. You don't need to start with the first one. Albert manages to give you enough back-story to pick up on what's happening to the characters and how they inter-relate. But, I'm sure once you read one you'll want to start at the beginning.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Entertaining, gripping, intelligent
Review: China Bayles is back. This time she is sponsoring a paper-making workshop behind her herb shop. However, while she is gathering wild yucca or Spanish dagger with the workshop teacher, she comes across a body--once again. Susan, a friend of mine, has written her sixteenth China Bayles mystery, all with herb titles and a plethora of information about the featured herb slipped in between page-turning mysteries. I have learned to schedule time to read my once-a-year treat because once I begin, sleep, meals, grandchildren, and other pleasures are neglected.
Spanish Dagger is no exception. Subplots abound, in some instances wrapped up from previous books; in others begun, such as China's complex relationship with her father. Not so much as to annoy the reader, however, because you could pick up any one of the books in the series and be fully satisfied with a complete story. This time, the mother of China's friend and business partner, Ruby, shows signs of Alzheimer's, and Ruby must work with that very serious issue through the book. Ruby's current love plays a major part as well.
China's involvement in the most recent murder begins when she volunteers to feed and water the murder victim's Rottweiler. She just happens to look around the place and discovers a note hidden in one of the potted yuccas. Naturally, she hands the note to her friend Smart Cookie, the police chief, but not before she has read it. The plot thickens!
Albert's writing is gripping, intelligent, and often humorous--not cute and coy humorous as some mysteries are. Her main characters are true-to-life and believable. She has written another entertaining mystery with the occasional pause for deep thought.
by Judith Helburn
for Story Circle Book Reviews
www.storycirclebookreviews.org
reviewing books by, for, and about women
Review Summary: Where oh Where Has Our China Gone?
Review: Oh China, what has happened to you?
You've gone from an interesting, three-dimensional character to a busybody who somehow ramrods her agenda down everyone's throats.
The plot of this book wasn't half-bad (though the various drug agencies had me confounded), but China's attempts at mystery solving (telling the chief of police what she'll do and what she won't, inserting herself in investigations, giving a possible killer her home address???) were baffling. I am all for suspension of disbelief, but this was ridiculous.
Bring back the old China. Please!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good series
Review: China Bayles used to be a lawyer, but now she is an herbalist in a small town in Texas. Her husband, a former policeman, is now a private investigator. China finds the body of a missing man while her half brother is reopening old wounds in looking into the death of their father many years before. China Bayles is a series protagonist, and I would suggest reading these books in order, starting with, I believe, "Thyme for Murder." Some author's books in a series don't stand alone as well as others, and "Spanish Dagger" could use some preliminary information. Despite this, however, China Bayles is a likeable heroine, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. As a matter of fact Susan Wittig Albert is also one half of Robin Paige whose books I also enjoy.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Layered plot, memorable characters
Review: This was the first China Bayles I read, and it fulfilled every expectation I have for a great mystery novel: good characters; memorable setting and atmosphere; and a serious plot that engages the reader all the way through. You will also learn a lot about yucca as you try to figure out the connections between Ruby, her (ex) boyfriend, Lucita, Sheila and drugs, police corruption and murder. There is also an intriguing subplot taking us through China's complicated relationship with her mother/father/half-brother. You will love the people of Pecan Springs and Texas hill country.
Ms. Albert is one of those rare writers who crafts her series books to work as stand-alone novels, and this book worked just fine as a stand-alone. I loved it enough to want to return to Pecan Springs again and again. I'm a big fan of Ms. Albert's "Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter," and am now equally enthusiastic about the China Bayles series.
Let's hope there are many, many more books to come from this talented writer. This is a very good way to spend $7.99, and way more satisfying than what's playing at the box office!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Whether she wants to or not, China needs to solve a mystery
Review: China Bayles' herb shop, Thyme & Seasons is doing well but not well enough to pay all the bills if her husband Mike's PI business doesn't get some customers. But in the vein of being careful what you wish for, Mike's next case is for China's newly found half-brother, Mike Danforth. Danforth believes that China's father was murdered and wants McQuaid to open this cold case. This, as you might guess, upsets China's mother.
And speaking of mothers, Ruby's mother is causing quite a stir in her seniors community and Ruby needs to have her moved to a new apartment where she can get the intensive care she needs now that she's showing signs of dementia. With all this going on, China has little time to spend with Carole Gayle who has arrived to give a papermaking workshop and needs help gathering samples. It's while they're out gathering Spanish dagger that they find a body and now time may be running out ... the killer needs to be found before the town gets torn apart by a jurisdictional dispute between local police and Texas DEA agents.
When you pick up a China Bayles mystery, you know several things: the book will be filled with interesting herbal information; the characters you've come to care about will be involved in some sort of mischief or mayhem; there will be a mystery to solve; there will be some delicious recipes to try out; and Pecan Springs will still be a smallish town filled with characters that can support even more books to come.
The mystery hinges on some very interesting bits of Texas legal history. I think I enjoy these books as much for their information about Texas history and culture as I do for the herbal lore and the characters.
If you like cozy mysteries where the violence is off stage but you still have characters you can care about and learn from -- give these books a try. You don't need to start with the first one. Albert manages to give you enough back-story to pick up on what's happening to the characters and how they inter-relate. But, I'm sure once you read one you'll want to start at the beginning.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Entertaining, gripping, intelligent
Review: China Bayles is back. This time she is sponsoring a paper-making workshop behind her herb shop. However, while she is gathering wild yucca or Spanish dagger with the workshop teacher, she comes across a body--once again. Susan, a friend of mine, has written her sixteenth China Bayles mystery, all with herb titles and a plethora of information about the featured herb slipped in between page-turning mysteries. I have learned to schedule time to read my once-a-year treat because once I begin, sleep, meals, grandchildren, and other pleasures are neglected.
Spanish Dagger is no exception. Subplots abound, in some instances wrapped up from previous books; in others begun, such as China's complex relationship with her father. Not so much as to annoy the reader, however, because you could pick up any one of the books in the series and be fully satisfied with a complete story. This time, the mother of China's friend and business partner, Ruby, shows signs of Alzheimer's, and Ruby must work with that very serious issue through the book. Ruby's current love plays a major part as well.
China's involvement in the most recent murder begins when she volunteers to feed and water the murder victim's Rottweiler. She just happens to look around the place and discovers a note hidden in one of the potted yuccas. Naturally, she hands the note to her friend Smart Cookie, the police chief, but not before she has read it. The plot thickens!
Albert's writing is gripping, intelligent, and often humorous--not cute and coy humorous as some mysteries are. Her main characters are true-to-life and believable. She has written another entertaining mystery with the occasional pause for deep thought.
by Judith Helburn
for Story Circle Book Reviews
www.storycirclebookreviews.org
reviewing books by, for, and about women