Download or read book A Plain Vanilla Murder written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Greenleaf Book Group. This book was released on 2019-06-04 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Susan Wittig Albert, the New York Times best-selling author of Queen Anne’s Lace, comes an intriguing new addition to her widely-acclaimed China Bayles Mysteries. China and Ruby Wilcox are presenting their annual “Not Just Plain Vanilla Workshop,” always a huge hit with customers at Thyme & Seasons Herb Shop. But someone involved with the workshop is driven by a deadly motive, and China soon finds herself teaming up with the very pregnant Pecan Springs police chief Sheila Dawson to solve a vanilla-flavored murder. Sheila, happy to get out from behind the chief’s desk, is investigating the death of a botany professor, a prominent researcher specializing in vanilla orchids. China is trying to help a longtime friend: the dead professor’s ex-wife and a prime suspect in his murder. However, there’s no shortage of other suspects: a betrayed lover, a disgruntled graduate student, jealous colleagues, and a gang of orchid smugglers. But the lethal roots of this mystery reach back into the dark tropical jungles of Mexico, where the vanilla vine was first cultivated. At stake: a lucrative plant patent, an orchid that is extinct in the wild, and the life of an innocent little girl. A Plain Vanilla Murder is a flavorful blend of mystery and herb lore, present sins and past secrets, and characters who are as real as your next-door neighbors—stirred together in an absorbing novel that only Susan Wittig Albert could create.
Download or read book Death Come Quickly written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this thrilling mystery in the New York Times bestselling series, herbalist and ex-lawyer China Bayles finds herself on the trail of a nearly fifteen-year-old cold case… When China and Ruby’s friend Karen Prior is mugged in a mall parking lot and dies a few days later, China begins to suspect that her friend’s death was not a random assault. Karen was a filmmaker supervising a student documentary about the almost fifteen-year-old murder of a woman named Christine Morris and the acquittal of the man accused of the crime. Is it possible that the same person who killed Christine Morris targeted Karen? Delving into the cold case, China learns the motive for the first murder may be related to a valuable collection of Mexican art. Enlisting the help of her San Antonio lawyer friend Justine Wyzinski—aka the Whiz—China is determined to track down the murderer. But is she painting herself into a corner from which there’s no escape?
Download or read book A Plain Vanilla Murder written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by . This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Susan Wittig Albert, the New York Times best-selling author of Queen Anne's Lace, comes an intriguing new addition to her widely-acclaimed China Bayles Mysteries.? ?China and Ruby Wilcox are presenting their annual "Not Just Plain Vanilla Workshop," always a huge hit with customers at Thyme & Seasons Herb Shop. But someone involved with the workshop is driven by a deadly motive, and China soon finds herself teaming up with the very pregnant Pecan Springs police chief Sheila Dawson to solve a vanilla-flavored murder. Sheila, happy to get out from behind the chief's desk, is investigating the death of a botany professor, a prominent researcher specializing in vanilla orchids. China is trying to help a longtime friend: the dead professor's ex-wife and a prime suspect in his murder.? However, there's no shortage of other suspects: a betrayed lover, a disgruntled graduate student, jealous colleagues, and a gang of orchid smugglers. But the lethal roots of this mystery reach back into the dark tropical jungles of Mexico, where the vanilla vine was first cultivated. At stake: a lucrative plant patent, an orchid that is extinct in the wild, and the life of an innocent little girl. A Plain Vanilla Murder is a flavorful blend of mystery and herb lore, present sins and past secrets, and characters who are as real as your next-door neighbors--stirred together in an absorbing novel that only Susan Wittig Albert could create.
Download or read book Mourning Gloria written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-04-05 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Susan Wittig Albert, “who consistently turns out some of the best-plotted mysteries on the market,”* delivers the charm and suspense in her latest herbal treat, Mourning Gloria. Now ex-lawyer and current herbalist China Bayles must stop a killer whose evil is burning through Texas… China is relishing the scents, produce, and even the showers of spring. She’s also busy hosting Pecan Springs’ Farmers’ Market. It brings additional customers to her herb shop Thyme and Seasons. And residents find rare ingredients they wouldn’t otherwise find in the supermarket. Everybody wins… But as the town bustles back to life in the warmth of the season, one woman’s life is tragically brought to an end. China happens upon a burning house trailer and hears a woman screaming for help. The evidence leaves no doubt that it’s arson homicide—but who would commit such a ghastly crime? An intern-reporter at the local paper, Jessica Nelson, is assigned to cover the story. Drawn into the case by its similarity to her own tragic loss—Jessica’s family died in a fire—she soon finds herself deeply involved and in danger. And when Jessica disappears, China becomes determined to help find her, before she becomes headlines herself… *Houston Chronicle
Download or read book Holly Blues written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2010-04-06 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: China Bayles isn't happy when a Texas wind blows her husband's ex-wife, and the mother of China's stepson, into her herb shop. Sally is known to have a split personality and fall into constant trouble with the law, but she claims she has nowhere else to turn. Now its up to China to weed out whatever it is Sally's running from before the truth catches up to them all.
Download or read book Hemlock written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Greenleaf Book Group. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Susan Wittig Albert, the New York Times bestselling author of A Plain Vanilla Murder, comes a tightly crafted novel that juxtaposes the disappearance of a rare, remarkably illustrated 18th-century herbal with the true and all-too-human story of its gifted creator, Elizabeth Blackwell. Herbalist China Bayles’ latest adventure takes her to the mountains of North Carolina, where her friend Dorothea Harper serves as the director and curator of the Hemlock House Library, a priceless collection of rare gardening books housed in a haunted mountainside mansion that once belonged to Sunny Carswell, a reclusive heiress. But the most valuable book—A Curious Herbal, created by Elizabeth Blackwell in the 1730s—is missing and Dorothea is under suspicion. China’s search for the thief takes on a new urgency when she discovers Miss Carswell’s bookseller, the victim of an attempted murder. Is his shooting connected with the theft? And there are other urgent questions: What is the Hemlock Guild? Who owns Socrates.com? Did Sunny Carswell really kill herself, or does her ghost have a different story to tell? And what is the real truth behind the many tantalizing mysteries of A Curious Herbal? Hemlock is a compelling mix of mystery and herb lore, past secrets and present sins, and characters who are as real as your friends and neighbors—in an absorbing novel that only Susan Wittig Albert could create.
Download or read book Mistletoe Man written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2001-10-01 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this “intelligently plotted and deliciously descriptive tale” (Publishers Weekly), national bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert tells the story of a woman’s search for justice—and of her struggle to reconcile the demands of her business with the desires of her heart… Former big-city lawyer China Bayles worked hard to make her Texas herb shop, Thyme and Seasons, a success. Now business is booming at her charming new tea room, Thyme for Tea—but China is too distracted to revel in her latest entrepreneurial triumph. When she’s not trying to spend more time with her new husband and stepson, she’s worrying about her best friend, Ruby, who just hasn’t been herself lately. To further complicate matters, China has to round up a supply of mistletoe, the season’s most popular herb. It seems an easy enough task—until her chief supplier turns up dead…
Download or read book Rosemary Remembered written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1996-08-01 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Something about the murder of an accountant just doesn't add up in this China Bayles mystery from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert. China's herb shop in Pecan Springs wasn't a big business, but it kept her busy. So she brought her taxes to Rosemary Robbins, an accountant who reminded China a bit of her former self—preoccupied, distracted, maybe a bit overstressed. Still, Rosemary always seemed pleasant, and China wished she could get to know her better. Now, though, the chance is gone. Driving out to Rosemary's house on an errand, China discovers her accountant has been murdered. With one abusive ex-husband and plenty of former clients in the picture, there's no shortage of suspects. And with a vengeful ex-convict on the loose, there's plenty for China to worry about. And as the evidence unfolds, she's more determined than ever to make the killer pay...
Download or read book Ghachar Ghochar written by Vivek Shanbhag and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' TOP BOOKS OF 2017 ONE OF VULTURE'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY FINALIST FOR THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE IN FICTION “A modern classic.” —The New York Times Book Review A young man's close-knit family is nearly destitute when his uncle founds a successful spice company, changing their fortunes overnight. As they move from a cramped, ant-infested shack to a larger house on the other side of Bangalore, and try to adjust to a new way of life, the family dynamic begins to shift. Allegiances realign; marriages are arranged and begin to falter; and conflict brews ominously in the background. Things become “ghachar ghochar”—a nonsense phrase uttered by one meaning something tangled beyond repair, a knot that can't be untied. Elegantly written and punctuated by moments of unexpected warmth and humor, Ghachar Ghochar is a quietly enthralling, deeply unsettling novel about the shifting meanings—and consequences—of financial gain in contemporary India. “A classic tale of wealth and moral ruin.” —The New Yorker “Ghachar Ghochar introduces us to a master.” —The Paris Review Named a Best Book of the Year by the Guardian, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly Shortlisted for the ALTA National Translation Award in Prose Longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award
Download or read book For Better Or Worsted written by Betty Hechtman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-11-04 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Molly Pink and her crochet group, the Tarzana Hookers, love an adventure. But when their newest member is accused of turning her wedding into happily-never-after for the groom, Molly's chance to find the truth hangs by a thread... When Molly is invited to a major society wedding, she expects some drama but not this much. The bride, the daughter of Molly's friend Mason, has been planning the nuptials for ages, but at the reception, things go amiss when the groom ends up dancing with the Grim Reaper. To make matters worse, the bride's mother is found holding the murder weapon--and, as a reality show star, she's happy to fuel the media frenzy. Molly agrees to open her home so Thursday, the distraught bride, can have some peace from the paparazzi. But when it's revealed that she and her groom were on shaky ground, Thursday takes the spotlight as the prime suspect. Now Molly and the Hookers must quickly stitch together unrelated clues and high-profile suspects--before a killer strikes again... Delicious recipes & crochet patterns included!
Download or read book Lavender Lies written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2000-10-01 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Texas herbalist China Bayles must put her upcoming nuptials on the back burner when a murder investigation entangles her friends and neighbors.
Download or read book Arctic Chill written by Arnaldur Indridason and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2010-08-31 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this new extraordinary thriller from Gold Dagger Award winner Arnaldur Indridason, the Reykjavik police are called on an icy January day to a garden where a body has been found: a young, dark-skinned boy is frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood. Erlendur and his team embark on their investigation and soon unearth tensions simmering beneath the surface of Iceland's outwardly liberal, multicultural society. Meanwhile, the boy's murder forces Erlendur to confront the tragedy in his own past. Soon, facts are emerging from the snow-filled darkness that are more chilling even than the Arctic night.
Download or read book Love Lies Bleeding written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1998-11-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The newest in the nationally bestselling series--a "fast-paced and absorbing" tale (Midwest Book Review). Ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles is investigating the mystery of retired Texas Ranger shot dead with his wife's gun...and at the same time trying to sort out some mysteries about her own relationship after she overhears a suspicious phone conversation...
Download or read book Thyme of Death written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by Berkley. This book was released on 2004-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Memorable debut of one of the most original and appealing new female sleuths to come along in years. Readers will identify with China Bayles as she makes the kind of tough decisions that confront us all.
Download or read book The Mind of a Murderer written by Katherine Ramsland and published by Praeger. This book was released on 2011-02-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To further his study of mass murderer Richard Speck and raise awareness of brain disorders, psychiatrist Marvin Ziporyn dared to meet with this killer in his prison cell twice a week. Although there have been many such "close encounters," the findings of trained behavioral professionals who developed relationships with extreme offenders have not been meaningfully catalogued and comparedùuntil now. --
Download or read book Witches Bane written by Susan Wittig Albert and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 1994-09-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Herb shop owner China Bayles is shocked when Halloween hijinks take a gruesome turn... In a small Texas town, what starts as a little festive Halloween fun ends in a brutal murder. And lawyer-turned-herbalist China Bayles is even more shocked when her friend Ruby, a New Age expert in tarot and astrology, becomes the prime suspect after a minister accuses her of witchcraft. Now it’s up to China to unmask the real killer...
