Wormwood

China goes to Kentucky with a friend to help with a workshop about herbs being held at Mount Zion, a former Shaker village. An old journal shows plenty of unhappiness in the Shaker village, including stealing and murder. In the current time, one of the trustees confides in China and her friend, Martha who is also a trustee of the Shaker village now a historic site, that money is missing out of the accounts. This woman is then found dead - drowned in Mount Zion pool. China finds answers to what happened in the past and what is happening in the current time.

Susan Albert is one of those authors who cause me to give a sigh of pleasure when I open one of her books. I know I can count on a book that is deftly written, a good story, with characters I've followed over a large span of their lives.

This particular book melds the past and the present. China goes on a trip to a restored Shaker village with a friend who is a trustee of the village and who suspects the things going wrong there are no accident. The story parallels events in 1912 in the village, a few years before it shut down as a community.

Excellent story, as usual. The Shaker history is an added bonus, as are the herbal lore and recipes, though the latter is a typical feature of books in this series.

I think the China Bayles series is the best one I've started in a long time. These mysteries can be considered cozies, and each revolves around an herbal theme. After having read the first few in the series, I skipped to this one because it came available on my library hold list (the list is long and I don't want to wait through it again).

I thought Wormwood was particularly good for this series. China visits an old Shaker village, and the story is told partly from their point of view, a century before. The details about their lives and history was fascinating, and I love the herb lore. As usual for this series, there are places that are a little repetitive, and the mystery itself is not that challenging, but that didn't detract from my show more enjoyment of the book. Recommended. show less

One of the books for the 2016 Reading Challenge had to be a book set in your home state; in this case, it's Texas.
Synopsis: China Bayles was once a high-powered lawyer with more work than fulfillment in her life. She loves gardening and herbs, so retired to a small town in the Texas hill country to open an herb store. However, this idyllic life came with a new husband, his son, crazy friends, and not a small number of murders. In this book China accompanies her friend Martha to a Shaker village in Kentucky. They are supposed to be teaching workshops in the use of herbs, but a series of 'accidents' makes Martha think that there is something sinister happening.
Review: For the most part I like Wittig's writing. This book is a departure show more from her usual 'cozy mystery' because excerpts from actual Shaker journals are used to tell the story. Fairly early on it was apparent what was happening and why, as well as the identity of the perpetrator. show less

Ms. Albert has combined the past and the present in this her latest China Bayles book. China is my absolute favourite heroine in the long list of savy and smart contemporary heroines who get involved in solving crimes. This book was quite different than the usual China Bayles book in that we didn't get to see much of the wonderful people of Pecan Springs like Ruby, Smart Cookie and McQuaid. China has gone off with a woman who is her mother's friend to investigate a series of happenings at a recreated old Shaker village. And of course, while she's there a murder is committed. China finds herself looking at the past as well as the present when she trie to solve the crime. I enjoyed the book because it is China, but really missed the other show more characters in this one. show less

This is one of the amateur sleuth series that I never tire and have never been disappointed. China is resourceful and smart. Each time I read one of this series, I want to go live in the part of Texas where Pecan Springs is located. I want to grow more herbs and raise goats and spin yarn and..and..and....well, you get the idea.

This story doesn't take place in Pecan Springs, rather China goes to Kentucky to a Shaker village of Mount Zion to help a friend conduct some herbal workshops and maybe help solve some issues that seem to be occurring. The problems of the present seem to be intertwined with those of the past of the Shaker village.

There is plenty of herbal lore to keep the fans of the series happy and the mysteries (past and show more present) are presented in a superb manner as we've come to expect from Susan Wittig Albert.

This is the first I've listened to or read of the series that is told by multiple voices and takes place in the past as well as the present. Julia Gibson is perfect for China and the present and Linda Stephens and Ed Sala are the epitome of the Shaker past.

Multiple past and present Shaker sparkly diamonds..... show less

Great addition to the China Bayles series. This one takes place not in Texas, but rather, in Kentucky at a fictional Shaker village. It's a great way to learn a lot about the now defunct Shakers. The China Bayles books just get better and better.