From Publishers Weekly
This latest accomplished entry in Albert's detective series featuring defense attorney-cum-herbalist China Bayles is both a smalltown murder mystery and a portrait of a Texas community whose existence is threatened by a dispute over mining rights. Bayles, who was also featured in Albert's Bloodroot and Mistletoe Man, has recently become part-owner of a combination herb shop and tea house called Thyme for Tea in tiny Indigo, Tex. But her new life-and the lifestyle of the bohemian entrepreneurs and elderly Indigo natives in the community-is put in jeopardy when Casey Ford, a reviled but powerful Indigo resident, concocts a plan to sell the coal-mining rights to a national conglomerate, a scheme that would allow him to evict most of the store owners in town once the deal is done. Ford is murdered days before he signs the agreement. Bayles and her husband, another former attorney named Mike McQuaid, find themselves stymied in their investigation of the murder by a town full of suspects who close ranks as they celebrate Ford's sudden death. Albert does a nice job of placing believable red herrings in Bayles's way, and she adds colorful details about herbal medicine and the dye business (another of Bayles's specialties). The heart of the book is the detailed depiction of smalltown life in Indigo, which separates the novel from genre fodder by providing a rich context for the mystery. The satisfying ending is icing on the cake, and Albert's impressions of Indigo are likely to stay in readers' minds long after the murder has faded.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Dallas Morning News
A brilliant [and] entertaining detective writer.


Book Description
China Bayles heads to the tiny town of Indigo, Texas, to teach a Colors to Dye For workshop. But she quickly discovers that Indigo is a town with more than its share of dark secrets-secrets that someone thinks are worth killing to keep.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Almost everybody in town disliked Casey Ford. The people of Indigo, Texas, believed that the greedy landowner had decided to sell out the town, destroying it just as the small community was beginning to thrive. When Ford winds up dead at the wrong end of a shotgun, the suspect list is staggering. Fortunately, herbalist China Bayles has quietly decided to investigate and, with the help of her best friend Ruby, is probing where the town fathers dare not go.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Times have been tough on Indigo, Texas. But now, as artists flock to the countryside in growing numbers, Indigo is experiencing a revival. In town to teach a workshop, herbalist China Bayles, like so many others, is committed to bringing Indigo back to life. Only one person stands in their way: longtime resident Casey Ford, who has decided to sell his profitable mining rights. Once the deal is done, Indigo will be dead and buried. But when Ford winds up dead himself, China, along with her best friend Ruby, quietly begin their own investigation to discover who is behind the murder. Before long, it becomes chillingly clear that this is a town with its share of dark secrets-secrets that someone thinks are worth killing to keep.

About the Author:Susan Wittig Albert grew up on a farm in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. A former professor of English and a university administrator and vice president, she now lives with her husband, Bill. In addition to the China Bayles mysteries, she writes a Victorian mystery series along with her husband under the pseudonym of Robin Paige.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This latest accomplished entry in Albert's detective series featuring defense attorney-cum-herbalist China Bayles is both a smalltown murder mystery and a portrait of a Texas community whose existence is threatened by a dispute over mining rights. Bayles, who was also featured in Albert's Bloodroot and Mistletoe Man, has recently become part-owner of a combination herb shop and tea house called Thyme for Tea in tiny Indigo, Tex. But her new life-and the lifestyle of the bohemian entrepreneurs and elderly Indigo natives in the community-is put in jeopardy when Casey Ford, a reviled but powerful Indigo resident, concocts a plan to sell the coal-mining rights to a national conglomerate, a scheme that would allow him to evict most of the store owners in town once the deal is done. Ford is murdered days before he signs the agreement. Bayles and her husband, another former attorney named Mike McQuaid, find themselves stymied in their investigation of the murder by a town full of suspects who close ranks as they celebrate Ford's sudden death. Albert does a nice job of placing believable red herrings in Bayles's way, and she adds colorful details about herbal medicine and the dye business (another of Bayles's specialties). The heart of the book is the detailed depiction of smalltown life in Indigo, which separates the novel from genre fodder by providing a rich context for the mystery. The satisfying ending is icing on the cake, and Albert's impressions of Indigo are likely to stay in readers' minds long after the murder has faded. 9-city author tour. (Jan.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews