Customer Reviews

Witches' Bane

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the pleasure of hearing the author speak recently and discuss her mysteries and her vast knowledge of herbs. I'm not the usual mystery fan but I liked this book because it creates interesting characters that are multidimensional and it presents lots of interesting herb lore. You learn from this novel and you also have an interesting ride on the search for a killer. Her details on the modern religion of Wicca are well informed and grounded in reality. I've shared this book with several friends who enjoyed it thoroughly. We are now moving on to her other books with great anticipation.

Strange things have been going on in the Texas town of Pecan Springs. A town resident has discovered dead chickens with piles of coins nearby. Another resident has discovered one of his goats killed, also with a pile of money nearby. To make matters even worse, China Bayles' friend Ruby Wilcox has started teaching a class on reading tarot cards. Then a Bible-thumping preacher arrives in Pecan Springs and starts accusing Ruby of devil worship. Are all these strange happening due to Ruby's witchcraft, or are they the work of Mexican santerias?

On Halloween night, one of the women in Ruby's tarot class holds an all-woman Halloween party. Then the hostess is discovered brutally murdered the next morning. The travelling minister suggests that Ruby is the prime suspect of the murder, so China goes to work to find the real killer.

"Witches' Bane" is the second book in the China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert. This is a fast-moving, interesting mystery, with great twists at the end. There are lots of facts included about growing herbs and other plants. China is such a smart, down-to-earth heroine and very likable. I highly recommend this book, both to fans of the China Bayles series as well as readers looking for a fun Halloween-themed mystery.

This is my first book in the series, and although I enjoyed reading this mystery, I thought the author didn't do a good enough job on the plotting. My secret method of guessing the killer worked like a charm on this book, as I think it will with other experienced mystery readers. Still, the characters and writing were enjoyable enough that I intend to continue reading more in the series.

THe plot involves a killing that appears to be the work of santeria enthusiasts -- a kind of voodoo like religion popular among certain elements of the Mexican population of this Texas town. The townspeople think that these people are responsible for the ritual death, but the police and our herb-shop owner/lawyer think otherwise -- that it was instead someone with a particular motive for wanting this woman dead.

Perhaps the small-town Texas setting is the part of the book I liked best. The author creates a place you can imagine as though you were there -- a place you'd like to visit. The characters are quirky and likeable, except for the ones that the author doesn't want you to like. As I said, I will be reading more in the series -- probably go back and try reading them in order!

Like a lot of modern mysteries, this one falls prey to what I call "Angela Landsbury syndrome." It's chock full of great characters, interesting information, fun little character bits, and some great scenes, but the mystery that enfolds all thse fantastic elements is strictly by the numbers, right down to the killer who is revealed because she blurts out some details that no one but the cops and the protagonist know.

The identity of the killer becomes so blatantly obvious at one point that I actually had to dream up an alternative in order to keep my interest. Surely something so clearly spelled out had to be the mother of all red herrings. I kept waiting to have the tables turned on me and the real, hitherto unsuspected, killer revealed, but, alas, it was not to be.

Still, the author's deft handling of her characters, her setting, and the herbalism schtick that ties the series together did make for a fun read, even if the ending was telegraphed far too early.

his was a very light read, and I'll read more in the series, but the
mystery lacked oomph for me. I had it figured out long before the final
reveal and there were several times when I wanted to reach into the book and
slap some sense into China and tell her, "Look at this! What is the matter
with you?!?" LOL The book held my interest to the end because I was
waiting to see when China would have an epiphany and realize whodunit. I'll
admit that I don't often figure out the mystery before the protagonist does,
so maybe this was a fluke. I'll rate it a 3 and see what the other books in
the series are like.

One doesn't need to transplanted from a big city to appreciate the joys and frustrations of small town life, as it is portrayed in Susan Wittig Albert's fictional town of Pecan Springs. Everyone knows where you get your hair cut and what you do on Sunday mornings. Things can get especially dicey when religion, fear, and superstition enter the picture.

As in the first China Bayles outing, the mystery in Witches' Bane doesn't take long to puzzle out - the enjoyment comes in watching China struggle with her natural instinct to pursue truth, verses her desire to keep life simple. She is challenged on many fronts. Her best friend, Ruby, in love with a man of questionable character, wants China to defend him against charges of committing a murder with Satanic overtones. China's lover, McQuaid, ex-cop turned professor, wants her to make a greater commitment to their relationship. China's estranged mother, a recovering alcoholic, wants forgiveness. China wants to find a stone frog for her new fountain and a way to keep her herb shop in the black.

In this second installment in the series we are offered some insight into China's troubled relationship with her parents, how it has affected her career decisions and how it still affects her relationship with McQuaid.

Since I grow a lot of herbs, I've wanted to read one of the China Bayles mystery stories since they first came to my attention. I began with this one because I thought it was the first in the series, but after I started reading, I discovered that it's actually the second book. The first is called THYME OF DEATH. I like the fact that a plant name is used in the title of each of these stories.

China Bayles is a retired attorney and had previously practiced law in Houston, but had given up that profession to pursue a kinder and gentler life. She now lives in a small town in Texas, where she grows and sells plants. She specializes in herbs. There are several references to different plants and herbs which I enjoyed reading about.

I found this book to be entertaining and I liked China Bayles, the main character. The first part begins with a gathering of China and several of her girl friends at a Halloween party. Some of the women are a little weird in their choice of interests. One woman even has a garden of poisonous plants. When a gruesome murder takes place, China becomes involved and uses her skills as a prosecuting attorney to help solve the mystery. To me, the most interesting parts of the book concerned the tidbits of how an attorney views the evidence of a crime. I think that made the story jell together and become more engaging.

I plan to read more books in this series and hope to see the China Bayles character become more developed.

"Witches Bane" is the second China Bayles book, and better than the first. This one takes place about a year after the first book. A firebrand teleevangelist targets Rudy Wilcox as being a witch. China, of course, comes to her friend's defense. But the preacher is the least of their worries. Someone is killing animals for ritual, and soon, a woman is murdered after being sent the "Death" card. Ruby comes under suspiction as her tarot knife was the murder weapon. There are a few suspects, including the woman's husband, a real-estate developer with a cash-flow problem. China and Rudy strive to find the killer, and nearly get killed in the process. The identity of the killer is shocking, and as is the motive. Highly recommended as a good mystery(although it bashes Christianity a little too much)

Once again, China Bayles, herb shop owner/ex-lawyer, finds herself tangled up in a messy murder. Her best friend, Ruby, is accused of being a witch, and an acquaintance of theirs is found murdered. Although China has good intentions and plans to stay out of it, she is drawn in and ends up right in the middle of everything. The characters are fun, some are wacky, but they all serve a purpose in the overall story. I also enjoy the author's in-depth information regarding herbs and their uses, and the insight into the Wiccan religion. The continuing storyline between China and her boyfriend, McQuaid (an ex-cop) also keeps us wondering what is going to happen next.

...The author deftly solves most of the problems with alot of interesting herb lore. The mystery wasn't difficult to figure out, but was well worth reading.