Customer Reviews

Mistletoe Man (China Bayles Mystery)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Four months have passed since the wedding that almost was not, but China Bayles and Mike McQuaid are settled into marital bliss. China is slowly overcoming her fears of marriage and commitment while still running her herb shop, Thyme and Seasons. She is also working on a new business venture with her partner Ruby Wilcox. They think that Thyme for Tea, an authentic tea shop in the heart of Texas is a sure winner. Meanwhile, Mike continues to heal from injuries suffered a year ago and is writing the definitive history of the Texas Rangers (law enforcement not baseball).

For no apparent reason, Ruby turns ice cold towards China while two lizards belonging to Mike's son disappears down the drainpipe. Finally, someone runs over China's mistletoe supplier with the evidence pointing towards the family in a land dispute with the victim. China likes the alleged perpetrators, flower growers who provide her with Christmas wreaths. She drags Ruby with her and begins sleuthing, not yet aware that their initial findings make things worse for the flower growing family.

One of the most endearing and personable amateur sleuths is China Bayles, a person that readers feel they know and like. In every novel in the series, best-selling author Susan Wittig Albert makes China and her support cast feels like neighbors. MISTLETOE MAN is a complete package that deals with new marriages, estranged friendships, and the maturity that one person cannot save the world but can make it a bit better for everyone. The personnel side enhances a fantastic mystery filled with curves that leave the reader guessing until the end, a trademark of Ms. Albert.

Harriet Klausner

As with any of the China Bayles mysteries, "Mistletoe Man" provides just enough background on the main character, China, to create a comfort level for someone new to the series.

I enjoyed this book as much as I have enjoyed the eight prior mysteries. While I'll agree with another reviewer that it was light on action and heavy on relationship development, this is not a bad thing! Susan Wittig Albert writes of friendships, family ties and other relationships with depth and intricacy. Readers should never fear "fluff" when reading her mysteries.

The tremendous amount of herbal information in each book would be enough to draw gardening enthusiasts; that the stories centered around the herbs are entertaining, thought-provoking and complex makes this appealing to anyone!

The further journey into the world of China Bayles in this continuation of her series involves the murder of the Mistletoe Man, Carl Swenson. He is found dead in the ditch from a hit and run, in an effort to solve the mystery, China helps the Fletcher Sisters and their beloved Aunt (who believes she was taken aboard a Klingon ship years ago and expects their return shortly) from being sent to prison for something they didn't do, or did they? While China is putting together the clues leading to the murderer, she also is trying to understand why her best friend Ruby has become distant and remote. One of the things I liked best about this book was not the actual murder story (which was very good) but the subplot of Ruby's story. The life of China is rich with multiple layers and the characters continue to grow and have added depth with each story. I think that is what I like best about the China Bayles series, the characters continue to change and grow like all of us.

It's Christmas time in Pecan Springs, and at China Bayles' Herb Shop and the new joint venture tea room, business could not be better. A heaven sent cook, The Duchess, brings success and culture to the tearoom, but Ruby's acting a little odd. Could it be the ex-husband or her latest beau? China's house will be on the homes tour, and she needs more wreaths, more mistletoe, more murder. Well, perhaps not the latter? Klingons, body painting, historic Bank booty, and alien abductions aside, this is a fun filled frolic of a Texas cozy, with enough red herrings to decorate a Christmas tree. The drug bust run amok left me crying I was laughing so hard! Lot of characters - and I do mean characters, lots of action, and some TLC thrown in too. China and Ruby will quickly become old friends.

Mistletoe Man, the latest in the China Bayles series of mysteries, was an enjoyable, quick read. The series is quickly becoming one of my favorites; China is in a class with V.I. Warshawski, Kinsey Millhone, Sharon McCone and Deborah Knott. Mistletoe Man featured not only an intriguing mystery, but was a warm and human story. China's and Ruby's friendship is an integral part of the series, and Mistletoe Man features an important chapter in the story of that friendship. Ms. Wittig Albert, please write faster! I can hardly wait for the next installment! China and Ruby feel like friends of mine, and I'm eager to see how their lives progress.

I believe MISTLETOE MAN is the 9th in the China Bayles series that began with THYME OF DEATH. This is one of my favorite mystery authors -- she always creates strong charcterization and a good sense of place. By now each visit to Pecan Springs is a real treat for me, like visiting old, loving friends. And loving is really the theme of this tightly woven story. Loving sisters, loving an old "crazy" woman, loving spouses, loving children, loving pets, loving friends, loving life. This is one of the best examples of how the mystery itself is not the most important part of the book. It's the development of the ongoing story of the characters that keeps the series fresh and alive. In this case, a life-threatening illness brings out new feelings and responses in our familiar charcters. A lovely ending. One of the best books in the series so far.

I have read all the books in this series, in order, and that's the way I would recommend the series to anyone. I really like China and her friends. They seem like good old friends to me now after nine books. This is a really good example of a "cozy". Most of Ms. Albert's books in the series have had a lot more murder and mayhem with people getting shot and killed everywhere. That makes this one quite enjoyable. China can concentrate on solving the mystery, and not trying to dodge killers. I liked this book, but just the same, it is predictable. An astute reader will be able to pick up on Ruby's problem right away and maybe on the murderer too. Still I recommend this series. The characters that people these books are so very real, and I love them all.

Small town Pecan Springs, Texas, plays host to three new businesses - a wildly successful tea room called Thyme for Tea and its adjoining herbal shop Thyme and Seasons opened by China Bayles, a former lawyer who chose to drop out of the legal rat race; and The Crystal Cave, a new age boutique owned by China's best friend and tenant, Ruby Wilcox. When Carl Swenson, the local supplier of mistletoe, one of China's hot Christmas sellers in her herbal shop, is found dead on the side of the road, clearly the victim of a hit and run accident, China's instincts as a lawyer smell homicide. Now if THAT isn't the set-up for a typical amateur sleuth cozy murder mystery and a thoroughly enjoyable few hours reading, then Miss Marple is a monkey's uncle!

Susan Wittig Albert obviously understands that violence, gore and high speed action have no place in a cozy mystery. Readers of this genre are looking for warmth, character development, interesting background and setting, wit, humour, conversation and sleuthing of the more cerebral variety. "The Mistletoe Man" delivers it all wrapped up in a bow as the perfect entry to be opened and read, perhaps in front of the fireplace after the Christmas celebrations are complete.

But make no mistake! While the mystery is light, Albert writes with the unerring instincts of the finest suspense thriller author. "The Mistletoe Man" provides lots of red herrings, blind alleys and twists and turns that will keep you flipping the pages just as quickly as you can absorb them. And talk about humour ... when Albert introduced the elderly aunt Velda Fletcher - the proud traveler of a cross galaxy trip ("eight years, two months and sixteen days") in the company of Klingons ("they treated me like I wuz a queen"), I was reminded of the out loud belly laughs that Grandma Mazur generated in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series!

I won't give you any spoilers or steal any of Albert's thunder but I believe women in particular will find the side story of China's and Ruby's friendship especially heartwarming. Even as a male reader who will probably never have a true understanding of the female issues that Albert writes about in "The Mistletoe Man", I found this sub-plot poignant and touching. Female readers be warned ... I expect having a box of tissues at hand would be prudent!

And as a final topping for the Christmas pudding, as it were, each chapter opens with a fascinating tidbit of herbal lore on the history of mistletoe. I had no idea that the use of yuletide herbs was so steeped in mysticism.

Highly recommended!

Paul Weiss

I have not been reading this series in order, probably a mistake, but have found the author makes it quite easy to follow the overall story line, nevertheless. This is an enjoyable read of the "cozy" sort and was simply fun. Ms Albert is a wonderful story teller. Her books, including this one, are filled with interesting facts, plants, cooking, etc. Overall, recommend this one highly and am looking forward to more. Thank you Ms. Albert!

The 9th entry in the China Bayles series finds China now married to McQuaid, and getting ready for the annual Christmas house tours in Pecan Creek. Her friend, Ruby, however, is acting very strange and China's worried about her. What's going on with Ruby? An astute reader can guess pretty quickly why the change in the otherwise ebullient gal. Murder enters the picture when China's gruff mistletoe supplier is found murdered, the apparent victim of a hit and run. The main suspects are China's friends, two sisters, and their dotty aunt who claims she was abducted by aliens. Another mystery is the girls' new cook, Mrs. Kendall, who apparently has stolen money from the tea shop. The connection between all this is revealed in Albert's entertaining dialogue, and all of her best characters show up again. A good entry in this popular series.