Susan Wittig Albert

I read this for a library book club.

The amount of research that Albert put into this book is certainly exhaustive. In many ways, it read more like a nonfiction biography than a novel, which is likely why the author begins with an explanatory forward. I, however, found the book frustrating. There is no plot, and the subject, Georgia O'Keeffe, is incredibly temperamental and unlikeable. I was quickly tired of her antics; I don't know how anyone tolerated her in real life, especially Maria show more Chabot, who largely tells the tale. Often, the book feels like a list of chores that Maria completes on the estates that she manages.

I have visited New Mexico several times in my life, and Albert certainly did a wonderful job of describing the unique setting with all the senses. show less

After reading a couple of other books by Susan Wittig Albert (A Wilder Rose, Loving Eleanor and The General's Women) was I curious about her works. So, I was thrilled when I the chance to read The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover, book seven in The Darling Dahlias series.

As a new reader to this series can I conclude that I besotted in this series. Yes, utterly charmed and in need of the previous books. From the very first page was I intrigued by the story and engrossed in the mystery show more of one the missing man, a member of the Lucky Four Clover quartet. To be honest, I would have read this book without the mystery, I was so charmed by all the characters, their lives in the little town during the depression with bootleggers and a struggling telephone system. And then we have The Darling Dahlias, the garden club, the heart of this book and their digging into the mystery of the missing man and what happened to him.

I found that Susan Wittig Albert has really captured the 30s. The book is atmospheric and the characters are, despite being new to me, easy to remember and I found myself quite enjoying their everyday plight with money and relationship problems. The 30s is such a fascinating period and it's interesting to read about ordinary people's lives in a little town during the depression. Of course, with the addition of some mysterious events. show less

Queen Anne's Lace is Susan Wittig Albert's 26th China Bayles Mystery and it is a good one. Time has not lessened her ability to create great mysteries for this series year after year. Queen Anne's Lace is obviously the herb featured in the novel as it is the title of the book. It was used by many women for family planning in times long past, specifically as an herbal contraceptive and abortifacient. This usage is detailed in a secondary plot that takes place in the 1800s.

The story opens in show more Pecan Springs, Texas in 1885 with the death of Annie Duncan's husband Douglas in a train accident. Annie was so distraught that she miscarried their first child, conceived with the help of an herbal tea, later that same day. They lived at 340 Crockett Street next to another couple Adam and Delia Hunt. The two men had been best friends since childhood and Adam began helping Annie with some chores after her husband's death.

In the present day, China Bayles and business associate Ruby find a chest filled with old photos and handmade lace while cleaning out a storeroom in the Crockett Street shop Thyme and Seasons. After Ruby leaves, China is left alone and hears a woman humming. When Ruby returns she offers an explanation that the air conditioning turned off and sounded like humming. They consult a friend who is an expert on old laces to determine if there is a story behind what they found in the chest. While running the shop, China mysteriously finds that her signs are being changed by someone, but no one admits to changing them.

The chapters alternate between the 1800s plot and the present day plot where China's adopted daughter has entered two chickens in the county fair. While the story is basically about the 1800s the only real crime in the book occurs at the end of the story at the fair. This is most unusual for a cozy mystery series based on solving crimes. However, the 1800s story is so compelling who cares whether there is a crime, unless you want to consider the moral crimes committed here?

I loved this book. The new characters comprising the 1800s plot were interesting, complex and romantic. If you love digging into genealogical history, you will enjoy China and her friends trying to figure out who the people are in the photographs as well as what the background is on the laces that they found. As a bobbin lace maker myself, I appreciated the information that China's lace expert gave on the different types of laces. How they fit into the story is for you to find out when you read Queen Anne's Lace.

Highly recommended! One of the best books in the series. show less

I have a particular fondness for Stephanie Baron's series starring Jane Austen as sleuth, so I decided to investigate this series, starring Beatrix Potter. It took me a bit to get into it, and I had to accept talking animals. But since it's a book starring Beatrix Potter, and the animals did not actually talk to her, I was ok with it. I liked it as a cozy portrait of Lakes District village life. It was deftly written and the mysteries did not stretch my credulity too far. Very pleasant.

huh, show more I had no idea that I'd read this before. It's a great audio book. I really liked it, and have added a star. I mean, it's also the right kind of listening for 2020 isolation for me, so your mileage may vary. show less