Friday, August 30, 2024

Forget Me Never by Susan Wittig Albert

 


Reviewed by Kristin

If you like your murder mysteries with an abundance of plants and folk wisdom, Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles series might be for you. With 29 titles published from 1992-2024 (not to mention some spin-off series!) this will keep you reading for quite some time.

China is a former lawyer and current proprietor of Thyme and Seasons, a little shop in Pecan Springs, Texas, halfway between Austin and San Antonio. Her best friend Ruby Wilcox operates the Crystal Cave in the same building, and they have collaborated with other local business owners to staff a tearoom, catering, and other artistic endeavors.

Local blogger and podcaster Olivia Andrews was investigating a decades old crime when she was struck and killed while jogging on a winding foothills road one morning. Her death is declared an accident, but was it? Olivia’s sister Zelda has some questions, and she wants China to find answers.

As China reluctantly accepts Zelda’s request, she finds that Olivia may have been uncovering secrets that some people would much rather stay buried. A prominent citizen might find exposure of their past crimes embarrassing, but would they go as far as murder to protect themselves?

Albert plays fair with the clues, letting the readers attempt to figure out the mystery along with China. Of course China knows everyone in town and has plenty of legal and law enforcement connections. I had some suspicions as to “whodunit”, but I enjoyed the characters and the plot as it unrolled.

Albert also writes a charming mystery series called The Darling Dahlias, with a group of women sleuthing their way through Depression era Alabama. The China Bayles spin-offs are novellas in the Crystal Cave and Pecan Springs Enterprise series. Also noteworthy is her Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series.

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