Nightshade

China Bayles #16

by Susan Wittig Albert, Julia Gibson (Narrator), Tom Stechschulte (Narrator)

China's still reeling from her father's death and has no interest in her halfbrother Miles's investigation. But when fate forces her to get involved, China realizes it's time to bring the past to light—or else it will haunt her forever. Then she discovers that Miles may be keeping secrets himself. How deep do the layers of secrecy go? And who has a stake in concealing a long-buried truth? Now, one fresh murder and several cold cases will force China Bayles to face her dark past.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Herbs, Southern

Audiobook

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

Susan is the author/co-author of biographical/historical fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Now in her 80s and continuing to write, she says that retirement is not (yet) an option. She publishes under her own imprint. Here are her latest books.

A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.

Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.

THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL

THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.

LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters

A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon

THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert

TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE

AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS

WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd and final book in a 3-part mystery delving into the death of China Bayles father and then 1/2 brother.

China Bayles is an ex-lawyer that runs an herbal gift shop in Pecan Springs. She is our main character and married to an ex-homicide detective who has started his own private investigation business. The case he is currently working on is the death of China’s father, along with her 1/2 brother. When the brother is found dead in his work’s parking garage, it appears there is much more to the equation than adds up.

Being her brother’s designated executor has given her a cache of clues to follow and a few old friends to lose. Of course, the list of suspects are extensive, given his work as a lawyer in a firm of nepotistic good ol boys.

I found some educational tips here, especially dealing with the father’s Cadillac (of which in he died) and of course, herbal-related remedies and lore.

This book was not as intense as the previous “Spanish Dagger” but still a good read.

The regular and expanding cast of characters are there, side-lining, with a few newbies. I try not to get attached to the latest introductions, as they may not make it through the story, sigh!

Each book has herbal tips and lore related to the titled plant, as well as recipes of mentioned meals and resources for further herbal ingestion.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Susan Wittig Albert's Nightshade, the 16th installment in the China Bayles mystery series, this tale dealt with hard core topics and bitter rivals that came from the past. After China's friend Ruby grieved the loss of her lover Colin, China dealt with her half-brother's mysterious visit to see her. She didn't know him about him, until it was too late. When her husband Mike McQuaid was supposed to met him to talk about reopening the investigation on their father's murder, Miles ended up a victim himself. Devastated, both Mike and China dealt with the blow, when they tried to figure out the connections between cold cases from the past and how it was connected to his death, while they assorted out his estate and affairs. For Mike McQuaid, he met Ellie Hanson, Miles's aunt, who grew her own tomatillo farm and had her own bone to pick against her own cousin. And somehow the family tree connection branched off to them and there, when she stored China's father old burnt-old Cadillac. Together they tied off the loose ends to make some sense of things, before things had gotten heated and darn right ugly with the shocking truth in the dark.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m tired of trying to catch up on reviews, more later. I’m weary of China, off to something with a bit more intelligence!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. I should have figured that China's half-brother was going to get knocked off - in so many of the mysteries I read lately they bring in relations just so they can get themselves murdered and the hero can get righteously pissed off and find out who killed Granny. But they don't get TOO upset, after all, they weren't THAT close.

I may just be done with this particular series, after this many books I'm not sure I care about China and Ruby any more. This happens to me sometimes, like with the Martha Grimes books about Richard Jury. I LOVED those books up to about book eight and suddenly thought that if I never read another word by Grimes I wouldn't care.

[Lizzytish · Rating 3 out of 5]

We finally find out the mystery surrounding China’s dad’s death. The parts with McQuaid was weird especially the switch in tenses. I could see what things were going to be , a mile away. But that’s ok.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stelle e mezza
Sto leggendo questa serie in modo random, cosa che non faccio mai. Per fortuna riesco a seguire le storie anche se mi mancano i libri precedenti; fra l'altro, non riuscirò mai a leggere i primi tre perché non ci sono in formato kindle.
Passando a questa storia, nonostante ci siano accenni a fatti avvenuti in libri precedenti, sono riuscita a godermela, anche se in alcuni punti era alquanto triste. Devo dire che avevo messo un personaggio fra i possibili colpevoli ed ero certa che in qualche cosa avesse avuto un ruolo, invece è risultato innocente (magari un po' str..., ma non complice degli omicidi come pensavo).

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of her best. Complex and a real nail-biter, climax and denouement of the trilogy.

[suzanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was so boring lol but I did enjoy that out of the thousand unimportant named characters abt 90% of the men get killed off by the end of the book

also why is literally everyone related I needed a family tree in the back

[Kimberly Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice wrap up of China's father's story. I'm glad he did something worthwhile even if it doesn't make up for the mistreatment of China and her mom.
I lowered my rating by a star for McQuaid's chapters. I don't mind a change in POV but those chapters were awkward as everything. Cringy to read. I hope future books don't have those.

[Alannah Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 16th China Bayles mystery is the 3rd and final installment of a running storyline about China's long-dead, not-much-lamented father and the truth behind his death. I've enjoyed the storyline since China's half-brother Miles popped into her life two books earlier, insisting that their father's fatal car accident had been no accident.

"Nightshade" is packed with delicious twists and turns. I've always connected with the character of China, and especially so here. I totally get China's unwillingness to let go of her resentment towards the father who had been so emotionally unavailable to her as a child. After Miles is killed, China's feelings of regret and sorrow are very human. I love seeing this side of her.

While I enjoy the fact that - for the first time - McQuaid's viewpoint is added, I question the wisdom of doing it in prsent tense. Adding his POV in third person (while China's is in first person) is fine, but changing tenses is too jolting. I dislike the style of writing in present tense to begin with, although a good writer such as Albert can make me forget my annoyance with the tense once I'm a few paragraphs in.

Also, I'm wondering exactly when this story is taking place. China has been a long-running character - I get that. But I'm finding it a little difficult to buy into the idea that Miles' shiny, expensive BMW is equipped with...a cassette deck? This book was copyrighed in 2008. Wouldn't the technology have been upped a decade or so earlier?

I thoroughly enjoyed this journey with China and am eagerly continuing on to "Wormwood."

[Andi O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, it took me a long time to get into this book. The main problems I had arose not with the story itself but in the way it was told. Not only did the author switch between 1st person and 3rd person, but she also switched between past and present tense. This was exceptionally awkward and distracting to me, and I found that I repeatedly had to re-read sections to understand what was happening. While I understand Wittig's reasoning to have China's POV be different from McQuaid's, I don't think it was necessary, and I certainly don't think she should have switched between the past and present.

The other issue I had was the introduction of little mysteries that were never resolved. I wanted to know what was wrong with the sister-in-law and wondered why China was repeatedly contacted about attending an herb workshop. Then when neither question was answered, I wondered why they were introduced in the first place. The main mystery was solved, but the other seeds that were planted were never allowed to grow.

Andi O'Connor is the author of the fantasy novel, The Lost Heir, coming in March 2013. Visit her at http://andioconnor.com or check out the prologue to The Lost Heir at http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3...

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nightshade had a bit of a twist in it. McQuaid takes a role as the narrator in several chapters. What bothered me about it was that the tense changed; "McQuaid has a long list of things to do this morning, but first things first." "McQuaid wishes, just a little . . . "
The switch in tenses bugged me. Perhaps the reason for the switch was to emphasize that the chapter was being told from a different point of view, but since the chapters were also titled "McQuaid:________", I think it was an unnecessary annoyance.

With all that being said, I did enjoy this installment. China and McQuaid delve deep into her past, and we learn, finally, how China's father died. China comes to terms with her new knowledge about her family, and Ruby and Sheila mend their relationship.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not a fan of this book. First one in the series that I didn't particularly care for. It was boring. The best part of the book was the herb-lore concerning the the nightshde family and the recipes at the back of the book.

Killing off Miles was absolutely asinine. Introduce him, throw him away. Caitlin left without Mother or Father? Extraneous bodies showing up all over the place. The muderers weren't even organized. What the heck!

Mcquaid's thoughts are written in third person present tense which really bugged me. I was tempted to skip the McQuaid chapters. McQuaid agreeing that China should be a part in Ted Stone's confession doesn't ring true. The ending was blah. At least Ellie wasn't killed off. I was irritated while reading the book and grateful when I read the last page.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent addition to this series. I didn't love it, but it wasn't bad. I was kind of thrown with the change in narration in the beginning. I first noticed it when China and her hubs were talking, but the narration was in 3rd person and I thought this series had all been 1st person with China. Then, I realized that the deviation was because we get a lot of the hubs action apart from China, which we usually don't get. But it was odd to be switching back and forth from 1st person China to 3rd person with the hubs.

Oh, and this isn't a spoiler, but a speculation: I'm thinking the girl's aunt is sick and the girl will end up with China. We'll see....

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nightshade concludes a trilogy within the series that digs into the death of China's father and uncovers more mysteries lurking in the Bayles' background. I note this only to stress the importance of reading these books in order.

[Ma'lis Wendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good mystery with China Bayles--but with less herbal involvement this time.

[Nancy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read most of this series but somehow missed this book. It was definitely worth going back for, though. I liked finding out what happened to China's family and how she got to know Caitlin.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former lawyer and now businesswoman China Bayles has loads of things going for her: happy family life, good friends and a successful herb and tea shop and catering business. But the fly in the ointment is the death of her father 16 years ago. She had a rocky road with her often absentee-father and it wasn't helped when she learned that there was a half-brother in the picture that seemed to get all the attention from their father when he was alive.

And it's a bit challenging now that her husband is helping the half-brother in investigating Bob Bayles last days and weeks leading up to the so-called 'accidental' death. While she is not enthusiastic about the case, her husband McQuaid is, but he is also suspicious about how much half-brother Miles knows about the 'case.' For one thing, he has known for quite a while just where Bob Bayles car has been sitting and McQuaid is suspicious there are other things Miles may be hiding.

Susan Wittig Albert has again created an interesting and engrossing mystery for her readers. And her characters continue to shine as three-dimensional and realistic in the situations they find themselves in. For a cozy mystery, this and her other China Bayles stories are surprisingly complex and good reading.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This finished up a trilogy inside the series involving the 16-year-old death of China's father & the mysterious circumstances surrounding it. I really liked the story, the finality of this particular story arc that lasted over three novels, and the character development that happened through the good mystery. Also, McQuaid! I've complained in my reviews before when the author sends him out of town for most of the book & we only get a couple of phone conversations. He's a great character who is interesting & serves as a good companion and counterpoint to China. I like it when she makes him an integral part of the story. In this one, he gets to be the narrator of some of the chapters. Yes! Fun to get inside his head & feelings. This needs to continue. I fear it won't because the teaser is that China will be leaving town to teach a class in the next novel & that means more phone McQuaid. Boo! Because this involved China and Mike solving the final part of the mystery, there wasn't much involvement with other characters, which was fine for a book or two. Everyone's story got moved along a bit, but not much. I liked this one.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series is one of my favorites! The 16th book in the series, Nightshade, is one of her best. In this book China Bayles' husband, Mike McQuaid, tells parts of the story as he becomes involved. Sixteen years ago China's father was killed in an automobile accident. More recently, three months ago after the death of his mother, Miles Danforth discovers that China is his half-sister. He hires McQuaid because he thinks that the car wreck that killed their father was murder and not an accident. China is intrigued by the mystery but because of her father's decades long affair with his secretary, Laura Danforth, she doesn't want to be personally involved. Albert does an amazing job piecing together the puzzle pieces of this mystery and the story has great flow. As always, it is fun visiting China, McQuaid, Ruby, and the others in Pecan Springs, Texas.

[Madison Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nightshade by Susan Wittig Albert shakes up the usual rhythm of the series by handing the mic to not one but two narrators, giving us a dual point of view that feels surprisingly fresh. When former police chief Mike McQuaid is drawn into investigating a suspicious death tied to an old cold case, secrets from Pecan Springs refuse to stay buried, and the fallout stretches far beyond a single tidy mystery. For the first time, the story arc lingers across multiple books, giving everything a slightly darker, more layered edge.

I don’t usually gravitate toward dual POVs—and Mike has never been my favorite—but I have to admit this one won me over. The shift in structure adds depth without losing the cozy charm and thoughtful pacing longtime readers expect. It’s familiar, but braver. And honestly, I kind of loved that.

[Becky Tatar · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd book in the mini mystery of China's half brother, Miles Danforth, and the continuing investigation into their father's death. Miles has discovered the location of their father's car, but before he and McQuaid can investigate it, Miles is killed in a hit and run. And the stakes keep going higher, as people connected to the old case are threatened, or relocated away from China and McQuaid's questions. And now, there is a child involved, Mile's daughter, Caitlyn, who is now staying with her late mother's sister, Marcia. The killing goes farther back than the death of China's father, and involves the highest wheelers and dealers in Texas.
Excellent as always, and a twist, alternate chapters are told from McQuaid's perspective, since he is so involved with this case.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this...Fast paced, well written. My only tiny quibble is that here there is a huge cast of characters and sometimes I got lost on who was who. I realize it's too much to ask of normal writers to name their pairs in some kind of twinning, like say, Jasper Fforde's Chalk and Cheese. After all, in real life that wouldn't happen....There are some very sad moments in this tale and the body count is very high. But if you don't mind that and you are a fan of Susan Albert's, which I am, you'll be sucked right in!

[Helenk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nightshade is a murder mystery set in the Hill Country of Texas. China Bayles is an ex-lawyer and now an herbalist. She currently is having to deal with family deaths--past and current. Many family secrets are uncovered, and clues to cold cases are explored. A sidebar is the exploration of nightshades. Some are very useful--potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant. Others are deadly, some are used in anesthesia and then there is tobacco--the deadliest nightshade of all. "Beware, beware the deadly nightshade.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting facts about the nightshade family mixed in with the murders of various family and "almost- family" members of China Bayles. China has previously discovered that she has a half-brother, Miles, by her father and his long-time secretary, and he has a daughter that China has come to love. Only Miles has been on the trail of what really happened to their father--a death previously considered an accident, but now both Miles and China are convinced was murder. And those who were responsible for all the deaths are now in their collective sights. Who will win?

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, it's nice to be back in China's world, but this particular outing had such a complicated plot I could not put it down. Appealing characters, a tangled family backstory, and some real lessons for China. It's great when series characters continue to grow in their understanding of the world nd themselves. Susan Wittig Albert's experience as a lawyer comes into play here in an impressive way. A must read if like me you're a fan and you missed this one.

[Muffin Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

SWA is back on her game with this one. By novel #16 I can now consider China Bayles among my close friend group and therefore I am totally invested in her life. While she casually looks into her father's murder (which is being actively investigated by her husband and newly discovered brother), China watches an entire mess of dead bodies float to the surface.

This one was a page-turner that I finished in less than 24 hours. Trouble follows China - or does China follow trouble??

[Kellene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always read this series randomly and out of order, and it's been okay. I shouldn't have done that this time. The three books that deal with China's father and brother and their "story" definitely need to come in order. I had read the first, but not the second, prior to the third, this book. And while the story made sense, there were definitely some things missing in my understanding. Still a great book, very exciting, with a good story. Will be reading the intervening entry soon.

[Katey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, but finishing it fell to the wayside for a bit. I finally had time to finish it tonight, and the ending was great, as always. I can't remember where the perpetrator came into play, but that's what happens when I stop reading for a few days, and then go back to the story. On to the next book.

[Ruth Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

McQuade is helping China's half brother to solve their father's murder. In the meantime, her brother is killed leaving her niece an orphan and China the executor of his will. China goes through the motions of taking care of things and discovers many facts . See how she and Mcquade figure it all out and catch the killer.