China Bayles, a lawyer who's dropped out of practice but hasn't yet handed in her bar card, is back in business at Thyme and Season, her herb shop in Pecan Springs, Texas. The shop is so successful that China and Ruby, a friend with another remarkably successful New Age boutique named Crystal Cave, have added a tea room--named, of course, Thyme for Tea. Pecan Springs is getting to sound a lot like Sausalito, but apparently a lot of tourists pass through the west Texas town on their way to or from the Pecan Pageant, the Herb Fair, and, presumably, other unnamed attractions.

This ninth China Bayles mystery is a cozy case of confused property lines that lead a couple of likable people into a confrontation that ends in murder. Unfortunately, the dead man was China's main supplier of the herb of the title, and Christmas is just around the corner. So it behooves China (along with her new husband, a retired police detective, and her close friends, who all seem to be in law enforcement) to straighten things out, nail the culprit, and reestablish the mistletoe supply as soon as possible. Which they do, in a whimsical story that's as much about China's strained relationship with Ruby and her new life as a wife and stepmother as it is about who killed the Mistletoe Man. This all-but-bloodless tale is long on charm and local color and short on action. Susan Wittig Albert's quirky characters and their customs are on display (like the maiden lady who believes she's been abducted by aliens) rather than suspense or plot. But Albert's many fans won't mind a leisurely afternoon with China or the herbal lore that's served up as an appetizer before each chapter. --Jane Adams


From Publishers Weekly
"I'll be home for Christmas," croons the old, sweet song. Fans of Albert's herbalist-attorney-sleuth, China Bayles, who have been lauding her spicy mysteries since Thyme of Death nine books ago, will feel they've come home (to delightful Pecan Springs, Tex.) with this ebullient yarn set during the Christmas season. The pace is peppy as a Texas two-step, Albert's dialogue and characterizations put her in a class with lady sleuths V.I. Warshawski and Stephanie Plum and her writing sparkles like Rudolph's nose. China has left the chaos of a Houston law firm to buy a century-old stone mansion, which now houses a tearoom (Thyme for Tea), an herb shop (Thyme and Seasons) and a New Age "Cave" run by her best friend, Ruby Wilcox. Business is booming, an inspired new chef has appeared and China's personal life is nearing perfection. But suddenly, Ruby suffers a personal disaster and disappears, while China's mistletoe supplier, cantankerous Carl Swenson, dies in a hit and run. Since the suspects in Carl's death are her flower growers - and friends - she puts on her 10-gallon detective's hat and begins to track the killer. Throughout this intricately plotted and deliciously descriptive tale, China proves herself intelligent, independent, persistent and compassionate. In the tradition begun with Thyme of Death, Albert shows great empathy for the ill - and little patience for layabouts and lawbreakers. This is a funny, human story that will give Albert's admirers a ringing jingle bell romp. 10-city author tour. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
In Pecan Springs, in the Texas hill country, China Bayles' herb shop, Thyme and Seasons, has been expanded to include Thyme for Tea, run by China and her closest friend, Ruby, who also manages the New Age shop next door. Just as life seems truly settled for China--the businesses are doing well, and she is ecstatic with her new husband and stepson--Ruby begins acting strangely. Then the crotchety Swenson, who harvests mistletoe for China, is found dead, victim of a hit and run. All kinds of smoothed-over surfaces begin to show deep kinks, from the Fletcher sisters' old aunt, who sees Klingons behind every bush, to the gossip in the diner where Lucy, whom Swenson had been courting, chafes under the firm thumbs of her mother and grandmother. Fascinating bits of herbal lore about mistletoe grace each chapter head, and the local Texas color again proves charming. The mystery is taut and well plotted, the characters vivid and genuine. When Ruby's secret is revealed, readers will be reaching for a second and third hanky. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

Our Review
Murder and Mayhem for China Bayles
It's Christmastime in Pecan Springs, Texas, but in Susan Wittig Albert's newest herbal mystery, Mistletoe Man, the holiday isn't bringing much cheer for former lawyer China Bayles or any of her neighbors. Quite a bit is amiss: For starters, Ruby Wilcox, China's best friend and business partner, is suddenly and unusually irritable and secretive. Also, the wreaths that the Fletcher sisters make on their farm are in low supply, and the sisters' truck is suddenly out of commission. And to top it off, China's store, Thyme for Tea, desperately needs more mistletoe for the holidays, and Carl Swenson, the loner who supplies it, is impossible to reach. All this is happening as China is getting used to running her store, as well as being a newlywed and stepmother.

When China stops by the Fletcher residence to pick up more wreaths, the sisters ask her for legal advice regarding their land. The deal they signed for this land is this: If the Fletchers are able to pay off the land within a certain amount of time, they get to keep it. But if they can't pay it off, the land's original owner, Carl Swenson, not only gets to keep the land but also all of the payments the Fletchers have made thus far.

All was going so well, the Fletchers explain: They were able to take Swenson's dry Texas land and successfully harvest their herb and flower crops. But suddenly, it appears that someone is trying to sabotage their success with acts of vandalism, such as putting sugar in the gas tank of their ailing truck. Although there's no proof, it seems clear to the Fletchers that there's only one person -- Carl Swenson -- who could possibly profit from their problems, and Terry Fletcher makes it clear she'll do anything in her power to protect her land.

But then, Carl Swenson is found dead.

Now China doesn't know who or what to believe. When she begins sleuthing, she discovers that Terry has a haunting secret; China also learns that Terry isn't the only one in Pecan Springs who can make that claim. Mistletoe Man is another winning cozy from the talented Albert, full of all the excitement, surprise, and interesting facts that the author has traditionally laced throughout her popular ongoing series.

--Jennifer Jarett

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Susan Wittig Albert's "unique" series (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) featuring herbalist China Bayles is infused with the down-home charm of small-town Texas. Compelling, suspenseful, and wholly original, Mistletoe Man tells the story of China's search for a killer, her struggle to support a troubled friend-and of her desperate attempt to reconcile the demands of her new business with the desires of her heart...

"Warm, witty...an appealing series that just keeps getting better."-Booklist

"Albert's characters are as real and as quirky as your next-door neighbor."-Raleigh News & Observer

"A treat for gardeners who like to relax with an absorbing mystery."-North American Gardener

* Ninth in the series

FROM THE CRITICS

Toby Bromberg - Romantic Times

There￯﾿ﾽs a down-home, neighborly feel to Mistletoe Mam that makes this an extremely pleasant read. Readers are going to find themselves as intrigued by the subplot about Ruby as they are with the mystery, and as a bonus, Ms. Albert gives us some fascinating facts about the history and use of mistletoe.

Library Journal

The latest China Bayles (Chile Death) series addition finds the newly married herb- and teashop owner pressed for time. As if her businesses and family demands weren't enough, she becomes involved in solving the murder of her mistletoe supplier. A fine series. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

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