20 years ago I discovered Susan Wittig Albert and her herbal mystery series about China Bayles. I loved the series from the beginning. China Bayles is the main character and after reading the first book I was hooked.
I actually decided I wanted to be China Bayles!
China has decided to abandon her career as a criminal attorney. She then buys an herb shop in a small town near Austin TX. She meets ex-cop Mike McQuaid (who I wanted as MY boyfriend). And he is younger than her!
Her best friend Ruby owns a New Age store next door. Ruby’s character adds vibrancy and color to the stories. A lot of the humor in the books come from Ruby. She is her own woman.
Each book has an herb in the title.
The herb is the cause of death in most cases. Susan shares her wealth of herbal knowledge with the reader, When I found this series, I had just become a Master Gardener. I was adding herbs to my own garden. My knowledge was slim, so these books were right up my alley.
And bonus!
A couple of years later – I went to an herbal luncheon put on by the local herb society. The speaker?
Susan! So if you find herbs intriguing and like a good cozy mystery – check them out
here.
