Mistletoe Man - (China Bayles Mystery) by Susan Wittig Albert (Paperback)

About the Book

Former lawyer China Bayles works hard to make her Texas herb shop a success. Business is booming, but China is too distracted to revel in her triumph. She's trying to spend more time with her new husband and stepson, and she's worrying about her best friend. To further complicate matters, when she has to round up a supply of mistletoe, her chief supplier turns up dead.

Book Synopsis

In this "intelligently plotted and deliciously descriptive tale" (Publishers Weekly), national bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert tells the story of a woman's search for justice--and of her struggle to reconcile the demands of her business with the desires of her heart...

Former big-city lawyer China Bayles worked hard to make her Texas herb shop, Thyme and Seasons, a success. Now business is booming at her charming new tea room, Thyme for Tea--but China is too distracted to revel in her latest entrepreneurial triumph. When she's not trying to spend more time with her new husband and stepson, she's worrying about her best friend, 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...

Review Quotes

"China proves herself intelligent, independent, persistent, and compassionate...This is a funny, human story that will give Albert's admirers a ringing jingle bell romp."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Colorful... With her use of herbal lore in every chapter, the author is a brilliant teacher as well as an entertaining detective writer."--The Dallas Morning News

"Ms. Albert artfully uses Texas language patterns to bring the down-home town of Pecan Springs alive with eccentrics in abundance in this colorful Christmas story."--The Dallas Morning News

"Breezy...The characters are an appealing bunch...Albert also provides lots of interesting lore about mistletoe...This is a nice book to curl up with on a blustery day, perhaps with a cup of Christmas tea."--Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Susan Wittig Albert grew up on a farm in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. A former professor of English and a university administrator and vice president, she is the author of the China Bayles Mysteries, the Darling Dahlias Mysteries, and the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. Some of her recent titles include Widow's Tears, Cat's Claw, The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose, and The Tale of Castle Cottage. She and her husband, Bill, coauthor a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the name Robin Paige, which includes such titles as Death at Glamis Castle and Death at Whitechapel.