China Bayles Series by Susan Wittig Albert, Julia Gibson, Tom Stechschulte

3.93 · 344 ratings
  • Thyme of Death (China Bayles #1)
    #1

    Thyme of Death (China Bayles #1)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings · published 1992

    Nominated for both an Agatha and an Anthony Award, Susan Wittig Albert's novels featuring ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles have won acclaim for their rich characterization and witty, suspenseful stories of crime and passion in small-town Texas. In her first mystery, China's friend Jo dies of an apparent suicide. China searches behind the quaint faAade of Pecan Springs and takes a suspicious look at everyone... more

  • Witches' Bane (China Bayles #2)
    #2

    Witches' Bane (China Bayles #2)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 1993

    The second China Bayles mystery. Herb shop owner China is shocked when Halloween hijinks take a gruesome turn in Pecan Springs, ending in a brutal murder. And China is even more shocked when her friend Ruby, a New Age expert in tarot and astrology, becomes the prime suspect after a minister accuses her of witchcraft.

  • Hangman's Root (China Bayles #3)
    #3

    Hangman's Root (China Bayles #3)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 1994

    Ex-lawyer turned herbalist China Bayles must solve a hair-raising murder in this mystery from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert.When a prominent animal researcher is found hanged in the midst of angry protests against his experiments, suspicion falls on biology professor Dottie Riddle. Known as the Cat Lady of Pecan Springs, Dottie's sympathy for strays--and the victim's distaste for them--gives the police reason to think she may be capable of murder... more

  • Rosemary Remembered (China Bayles #4)
    #4

    Rosemary Remembered (China Bayles #4)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 1996

    When her accountant, Rosemary, is killed, ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles finds a host of suspects that includes an abusive ex-husband and several former clients. Reprint.

  • Rueful Death (China Bayles #5)
    #5

    Rueful Death (China Bayles #5)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 1996

    In search of respite, China takes off to St. Theresa's Monastery with her friend Maggie, a former nun. The goal is a brief, tranquil retreat - but there's a conflict at the convent. The mother superior has recently died, and a battle over the future of St. Theresa's suggests that her sudden demise might not have been accidental. Now, China's quest for a replenished spirit takes second place to a more earthbound pursuit: catching a killer...

  • Love Lies Bleeding (China Bayles #6)
    #6

    Love Lies Bleeding (China Bayles #6)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 1998

    The newest in the nationally bestselling series--a "fast-paced and absorbing" tale (Midwest Book Review). Ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles is investigating the mystery of retired Texas Ranger shot dead with his wife's gun...and at the same time trying to sort out some mysteries about her own relationship after she overhears a suspicious phone conversation...

  • Chile Death (China Bayles #7)
    #7

    Chile Death (China Bayles #7)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 1999

    Ex-lawyer turned herbalist and amateur sleuth China Bayles attends a chili cookoff where a womanizing judge dies of an allergic reaction to peanuts. And since everyone knows peanuts don't belong in a bowl of Texas chili, China knows something suspicious is afoot...

  • Lavender Lies (China Bayles #8)
    #8

    Lavender Lies (China Bayles #8)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 2000

    Texas herbalist China Bayles must put her upcoming nuptials on the back burner when a murder investigation entangles her friends and neighbors.

  • Mistletoe Man (China Bayles #9)
    #9

    Mistletoe Man (China Bayles #9)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 2000

    Business is booming at China Bayles' newest venture, Thyme for Tea -- but she's too distracted to revel in her latest entrepreneurial triumph. When the former big-city lawyer isn't trying to spend more time with her new husband and stepson, she's worrying about Ruby, who just hasn't been herself lately. To further complicate matters, China has to round up a supply of mistletoe, the season's most popular herb. It seems an easy enough task -- until her chief supplier turns up dead. . . .

  • Bloodroot (China Bayles #10)
    #10

    Bloodroot (China Bayles #10)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 2001

    Lawyer-turned-herbalist China Bayles returns to the Deep South, where her family’s legacy of silence is at last broken—and the past finally, unforgettably, speaks the truth… A frantic phone call from her mother brings China back to her family’s Mississippi plantation—a place she’d forsaken long ago. But the late-spring air is thick with fear—and from the moment of her arrival, China knows that something has gone desperately wrong at Jordan’s Crossing... more

  • Indigo Dying (China Bayles #11)
    #11

    Indigo Dying (China Bayles #11)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2003

    The tiny town of Indigo, Texas, is the perfect setting for China Bayles to teach a “Colors to Dye For” workshop. With artists flocking to the countryside in growing numbers, Indigo is coming back to life. Only one person stands in the way of the town’s revival: longtime resident Casey Ford, who has decided to sell his profitable mining rights. Once the deal is done, Indigo will be dead and buried... more

  • A Dilly of a Death (China Bayles #12)
    #12

    A Dilly of a Death (China Bayles #12)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars
    · 16 ratings · published 2004

    China Bayles is in a pickle. The daughter of her best friend, Ruby, has turned up on her doorstep, pregnant and in need of a place to live. And her otherwise sensible husband has announced that he's bored with teaching and ready for a career change." "Say "hello" to P.I. Mike McQuaid and Associates. There aren't actually any "associates" - unless you count Ruby and China, of course. But the title does have a nice, official ring to it... more

  • Dead Man's Bones (China Bayles #13)
    #13

    Dead Man's Bones (China Bayles #13)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2005

    Susan Wittig Albert’s exciting mysteries have been praised as “unique” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) and “fascinating” (Booklist). Now, a dead man’s bones are uncovered—and Texas ex-lawyer and herbalist China Bayles must dig into a pair of murders separated by time but connected by motive… When China’s teenage son finds some skeletal remains during a local cave dig—remains that show a not-so-accidental death—it’s a disturbing development... more

  • Bleeding Hearts (China Bayles #14)
    #14

    Bleeding Hearts (China Bayles #14)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2006

    High school football coach Tim Duffy is handsome, charming, and married into a wealthy local family. But now, an anonymous accuser has made shocking allegations of improper behavior-and China Bayles is asked to conduct a discreet investigation. What she uncovers is a perplexing story of forbidden desire, deception, and questionable circumstances surrounding a young woman's death. And the deeper China digs, the more she fears that the town's beloved coach may be more dangerous than anyone knows.

  • Spanish Dagger (China Bayles #15)
    #15

    Spanish Dagger (China Bayles #15)

    Susan Wittig Albert, Julia Gibson

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2007

    In this 15th entry in the best-selling China Bayles series, our teashop owning heroine discovers a dead body while gathering herbs by the railroad tracks. On top of that, her brother unearths new evidence suggesting their father's death was no accident, and China is soon dragged into both mysteries. Luckily for her, "when China starts snooping, she finds several closets full of the kind of secrets that produce corpses" (Booklist).

  • Nightshade (China Bayles #16)
    #16

    Nightshade (China Bayles #16)

    Susan Wittig Albert, Julia Gibson, Tom Stechschulte

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2008

    China's still reeling from her father's death and has no interest in her halfbrother Miles's investigation. But when fate forces her to get involved, China realizes it's time to bring the past to light—or else it will haunt her forever. Then she discovers that Miles may be keeping secrets himself. How deep do the layers of secrecy go? And who has a stake in concealing a long-buried truth? Now, one fresh murder and several cold cases will force China Bayles to face her dark past.

  • Wormwood (China Bayles #17)
    #17

    Wormwood (China Bayles #17)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2009

    Evil can worm its way into the purest of hearts... China Bayles needs rest, and a historic Shaker village in Kentucky seems the ideal place for it. There she can learn about the intriguing, dwindling Shaker culture and its medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, the village is plagued with misfortune and strife. China wonders if, with the help of some age-old journals full of scandal, she can get to the bottom of it... more

  • Holly Blues (China Bayles #18)
    #18

    Holly Blues (China Bayles #18)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2010

    Holly Blues (China Bayles Mystery)

  • Mourning Gloria (China Bayles #19)
    #19

    Mourning Gloria (China Bayles #19)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2011

    Susan Wittig Albert, "who consistently turns out some of the best-plotted mysteries on the market,"* delivers the charm and suspense in her latest herbal treat, "Mourning Gloria." Now ex-lawyer and current herbalist China Bayles must stop a killer whose evil is burning through Texas... China is relishing the scents, produce, and even the showers of spring. She's also busy hosting Pecan Springs' Farmers' Market. It brings additional customers to her herb shop Thyme and Seasons... more

  • Cat's Claw (China Bayles #20)
    #20

    Cat's Claw (China Bayles #20)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2012

    Police Chief Sheila Dawson believes the death of Pecan Spring's computer guru, Larry Kirk, to be a suicide, perhaps triggered by his painful divorce. Further investigation reveals that Kirk's death wasn't self-inflicted. And the truth is reinforced by her friend China Bayles' news-Larry recently asked her for legal advice in regards to a stalker... more

  • Widow's Tears (China Bayles #21)
    #21

    Widow's Tears (China Bayles #21)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2013

    After losing her husband, five children, housekeeper, and beautiful home in the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Rachel Blackwood rebuilt her home, and later died there, having been driven mad with grief.In present-day Texas, Claire, the grandniece of Rachel’s caretaker, has inherited the house and wants to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. But she is concerned that it’s haunted, so she calls in her friend Ruby—who has the gift of extrasensory perception—to check it out... more

  • Queen Anne's Lace (China Bayles #26)
    #26

    Queen Anne's Lace (China Bayles #26)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings · published 2018

    A present day ghost leads China Bayles to a secret from Pecan Springs's past in this haunting mystery from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert.While helping Ruby Wilcox clean up the loft above their shops, China comes upon a box of antique handcrafted lace and old photographs. Following the discovery, she hears a woman humming an old Scottish ballad and smells the delicate scent of lavender... more

  • A Plain Vanilla Murder (China Bayles #27)
    #27

    A Plain Vanilla Murder (China Bayles #27)

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars
    · 12 ratings · published 2019

    China and Ruby Wilcox are presenting their annual ''Not Just Plain Vanilla Workshop,'' always a huge hit with customers at Thyme & Seasons Herb Shop. But someone involved with the workshop is driven by a deadly motive, and China soon finds herself teaming up with the very pregnant Pecan Springs police chief Sheila Dawson to solve a vanilla-flavored murder... more

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