The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree

Susan Wittig Albert almost immediately transported me to Depression-Era Alabama in this first book in the series. She's done her research, and her mentions of songs playing on the radio and the movies that were showing at the theater in town created a lot of the needed ambiance. Her research shows up everywhere-- in the prices people were paying for things, in their recipes, in the fear that swept through the community when rumors of a bank closure and a prison break began to circulate-- and all these details fit into the story seamlessly.

Add an intriguing mystery to a perfect setting, and you've got a good book to read. In fact there are several little mysteries running throughout this book. Some are easily solved, but others require show more much more thought and deduction. What raises the bar even higher is Albert's cast of characters. The main garden club members come from all walks of life-- there's the mayor's wife whose husband is always telling her not to worry her pretty little head, there's a legal secretary, a probate clerk, and women who run the local diner and moonlight as telephone operators. If these women don't have their fingers on the pulse of Darling, Alabama, then no one does!

We get to know Lizzy Lacy the most in this book, and I like her a lot. She's what would have been called a spinster back then, since her domineering mother got it into her maternal head that Lizzy was going to be her live-in doormat forever more. But lest you get the idea that Lizzy has no spine, think again. I guarantee you're going to like her. I look forward to learning even more about the rest of the characters because just enough of their backgrounds were given to let readers know that there's much more to their stories, too.

Albert also includes "making do" tips and recipes at the back of the book, and reading them brought back many memories for me, having grown up with a grandmother and mother who lived through the Depression. And although I did notice the slow pace of the book throughout the first half, I just chalked it up to setting the stage for this new series. History, mystery, characters, food, music, and flowers. I'm already looking forward to the next book! show less

I was trawling around the mystery section of the library, as one is wont to do, and I came across these books. The author, Susan Wittig Albert, has written a lot of books in a lot of different series, but what attracted me to these were the covers (and the clever titles).

I have to admit, I was a little hesitant. Set in Depression-era southern Alabama, with a huge warning in the front of the book for possibly offensive language when referring to the black characters, I nearly put it back. But after checking out the plot summaries of all the books, I decided to try the first one and see what I thought. After all, the interesting outweighed the potentially disastrous: lady detectives solving mysteries between meetings of the garden club in show more a small town, I was kinda getting Jessica Fletcher vibes, haha.

I'm glad I decided to give this one a chance, because it was a surprisingly gripping read. It was hard to get into - the cast of characters is large and somewhat confusing, before the main characters' personalities begin to emerge - but once the story got going, it was very good. There are 3 main characters, the officers of the Darling Dahlias: Lizzy Lacy, the president; Ophelia Snow, the vice president; and Verna Tidwell, the treasurer. They are quite vivacious in their own way, but are also down to earth. Lizzy is the secretary of the local lawyer, and Verna is the clerk in the probate office, while Ophelia is the wife of the mayor - so they all have connections, and count among their friends and fellow Dahlias the local banker's wife, the owner of the beauty salon, and the switchboard operator. It's a large and diverse group, but they pool their smarts and resources to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Bunny Scott is the local blonde bombshell, and when she turns up dead, all kinds of town secrets are brought to the fore. There are also secondary storylines involving an escaped convict from the prison farm, whispers that Ophelia's husband is having an affair with the beautiful young wife of his cousin, a romantic complication in Lizzy's life (for which she asks frank advice from the widowed Verna), trouble at the local bank, and a "ghost" haunting the Dahlias' clubhouse. All of the plots move along in parallel, and come to some rather surprising conclusions.

It was quite an enjoyable read, and there was no racist language. The black characters are "the help," but they are treated nicely, are paid fairly, and they live in their own quarters on the 'other' side of town - and they are the best source of goings-on around town, just beyond the 'party line' phone lines. They are referred to as 'colored' people, in keeping with the times - this is 1930, after all. show less

The Dahlia garden club has decided to do their own sleuthing when their local femme fatale is found dead, of a presumed car crash. Each lady has their own niche to assist in their investigation and oh, the clues they do find. Seems the lady of (bad) luck is the Kevin Bacon of yore. But they get the results they sought and save a few perils in their doing so. So many goings on in this little town, set shortly after the end of slavery. The period vocabulary was fun to read, the customs and general way of life seem so simple then. The writing is a bit wordy, but the details were often fun to read.

Gives a Roster of characters to start you off and finishes with a list of household tips and recipes for some of the food items mentioned in the show more story. show less

Well, I have to say I found this book perfectly charming. At first it is a bit hard to get used to all the characters but there is a helpful list at the front of the book. And there are several things going on at the same time, an escaped prisoner, a murder, money missing from the bank, rumors of infidelity. It is all quite fun though. Some might find the style of the book a bit too precious, but i truly enjoyed it. Granted I am from the South, so, even though it is set before my time, I know these people. If you like a really cozy read, this might be just up your street. I am interested to see where these spunky ladies are going next.

It's 1930 in the small town of Darling, Alabama, and times are tough. But the local garden club, the Darling Dahlias, is determined that tough times doesn't mean that things can't be beautiful. They've just inherited a small house to use for their meetings, and they're deep in discussions for just what to do first. But before they can get started, something terrible happens: a young woman they knew is found dead and accused of stealing a car. The Dahlias know that this can't be right, so they set out to find the real story of what happened to her. Along the way they run into escaped convicts, possible affairs, shady dealings at the local bank, and a ghost who's digging on their new property. Great characters, a good mystery, and a story show more told with a lot of charm. show less

The Darling Dahlias & the Cucumber Tree gently exposes a small town in Alabama in the 1930’s where life revolved around family and friends, and many people faced financial ruin. The story centers on women involved in a gardening club back in the day when flower gardens and vegetable gardens presented women with a pleasure. The women competed and canned and shared the fruits of their labors with one another. A pretty face and beguiling manner quickly charms the men of the town, but that creates a problem. I thoroughly enjoyed the analysis done by the women in solving two crimes. The writing starts slowly, but lures the reader into the story. A very pleasing portrait of Southern life in the 1930’s.

I love the Dahlias! I mistakenly read the second book in the series before this one which was the first. I'm glad I came back to read book number 1. These characters are truly wonderful and the time and setting are authentic. The books are set in Alabama in the 1930's, and the Dahlias are a group of women in a garden club in the town of Darling Alabama. That is all you need to know to get going on this series and if you like cozies, I think you'll like this series. Come meet Lizzie, Verna and Myra May as well as the rest of the club. They are an absolute southern delight.