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The Darling Dahlias #3
The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose
National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the 1930s—and the Darling Dahlias, the ladies of a garden club who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty solving mysteries…
Just in time for the Confederate Day celebration, the Darling Dahlias are ready to plant Confederate roses along the fence of the town cemetery. Of course, Miss Dorothy Rogers, club member and town librarian, would be quick to point out the plant is in fact a hibiscus. The Confederate rose is not the only thing that is not what it first appears to be in this small Southern town. Earle Scroggins, the county treasurer, has got the sheriff thinking that Scroggins' employee Verna Tidwell (also the Darling Dahlias’ trusted treasurer) is behind a missing $15,000. But Darling Dahlias president Liz Lacy is determined to prove Verna is not a thief. Meanwhile Miss Rogers has discovered her own mystery—what appears to be a secret code embroidered under the cover of a pillow, the only possession she has from her grandmother. She enlists the help of a local newspaperman, who begins to suspect the family heirloom may have larger significance. With missing money, secret codes, and the very strange behavior of one resident, Darling, Alabama, on the eve of Confederate Day, is anything but a sleepy little town... Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes
Just in time for the Confederate Day celebration, the Darling Dahlias are ready to plant Confederate roses along the fence of the town cemetery. Of course, Miss Dorothy Rogers, club member and town librarian, would be quick to point out the plant is in fact a hibiscus. The Confederate rose is not the only thing that is not what it first appears to be in this small Southern town. Earle Scroggins, the county treasurer, has got the sheriff thinking that Scroggins' employee Verna Tidwell (also the Darling Dahlias’ trusted treasurer) is behind a missing $15,000. But Darling Dahlias president Liz Lacy is determined to prove Verna is not a thief. Meanwhile Miss Rogers has discovered her own mystery—what appears to be a secret code embroidered under the cover of a pillow, the only possession she has from her grandmother. She enlists the help of a local newspaperman, who begins to suspect the family heirloom may have larger significance. With missing money, secret codes, and the very strange behavior of one resident, Darling, Alabama, on the eve of Confederate Day, is anything but a sleepy little town... Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes
455 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2012
91 people are currently reading
674 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wittig Albert
121 books2,381 followersSusan 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
August 29, 2012
Have you ever yearned to go back to a kinder, gentler time? Susan Wittig Albert’s “Darling Dahlia” series does just that. Not that all is perfect in their small southern town. The depression is starting to take its toll on the residents of Darling, Alabama and on the rest of the nation as well. Her latest offering, ” The Darling Dahlias and The Confederate Rose” takes its place very nicely in this heart-warming series.
The members of the “Darling Dahlias Garden Club” are a lovely microcosm of the women we might meet if we could find out way to Darling in the 1930’s. They not only care for each other but for their little town too. (Their little vegetable garden not only supports their tables and the club’s coffers but they regularly give away their produce to those who are in need.) Just as the “Darling Dahlias” make ready to celebrate Confederate Day by planting Confederate Roses along the cemetery fence, circumstances conspire to spoil the celebration. (If you’ve never heard of Confederate Roses you are probably more familiar with their common name, Hibiscus). As the President of the Dahlias, Lacy, tries to prove that another member has not stolen a large sum of money, another Dahlia finds what may be a secret code in a family heirloom. Of course, we know that by the end of the book all will be wrapped up or will it? With all the various characters that inhabit Darling, Alabama who knows where the next twist will take us!
I love these ladies. I want them to be my family, my aunties and cousins. Although they may present a sweet face to their world at large, they have the moxie and grit that defines the true southern woman.
This is the kind of book you want to become engrossed in as you sit on the back porch with a glass of sweet tea or as you sit by the fire in your most comfortable chair on a rainy day.
The members of the “Darling Dahlias Garden Club” are a lovely microcosm of the women we might meet if we could find out way to Darling in the 1930’s. They not only care for each other but for their little town too. (Their little vegetable garden not only supports their tables and the club’s coffers but they regularly give away their produce to those who are in need.) Just as the “Darling Dahlias” make ready to celebrate Confederate Day by planting Confederate Roses along the cemetery fence, circumstances conspire to spoil the celebration. (If you’ve never heard of Confederate Roses you are probably more familiar with their common name, Hibiscus). As the President of the Dahlias, Lacy, tries to prove that another member has not stolen a large sum of money, another Dahlia finds what may be a secret code in a family heirloom. Of course, we know that by the end of the book all will be wrapped up or will it? With all the various characters that inhabit Darling, Alabama who knows where the next twist will take us!
I love these ladies. I want them to be my family, my aunties and cousins. Although they may present a sweet face to their world at large, they have the moxie and grit that defines the true southern woman.
This is the kind of book you want to become engrossed in as you sit on the back porch with a glass of sweet tea or as you sit by the fire in your most comfortable chair on a rainy day.
September 22, 2012
I really want to like this series but it isn't living up to it's promise. Yet again, the authors state the story rather than showing the reader through storytelling. I don't need to be told the dog sensed Verna was upset and cuddled her; show me the dog cuddling her. Also, the third book in this series could hardly be called a mystery since it was obvious what was going on since the beginning. Finally, the sugary-gooey perfection of small-town southern life became overwhelmingly cloying as I forced myself through the hypocrisy of a culture celebrating the fight for it's right to live freely while owning slaves. The authors beg readers to understand they are merely trying to replicate an accurate historical picture of the time and I respect their intentions even though they are unsuccessful. The few black characters are conveniently absent and unable to present their views of Confederate Day. One last complaint, I swear. I absolutely hate it when authors skip over details and head directly to an ending. When Verna figured out who was guilty she was faced with a decision on how to go about being a whistleblower. The authors conveniently skipped over that drama and proceeded to a happy ending. It's lazy, sloppy writing. I don't normally rant about a book, but dammit, I really wanted to like this series.
September 12, 2016
I wanted to like this one, but I just can't get past my absolute and complete exasperation for the romanticizing of the Confederacy. Can we just not anymore? The only character in the book I wasn't totally embarrassed by by the end was Charlie Dickens whose inner monologue at least recognized the irony he was witnessing. Of course he's got his own massive flaws - mainly that he's a misogynistic ass. These books could be so cute and fun, but they are so willfully ignorant of the era's darker side that I just don't know if I can stomach another one.
Susan Wittig Albert - you are better than this.
Susan Wittig Albert - you are better than this.
September 19, 2016
Meh. Books where the South waxes nostalgic about the civil war and the Confederate flag, etc are not my thing. 'nuff said.
September 15, 2013
I am a big fan of Susan Wittig Albert books, be they the contemporary cozy mystery China Bayles series, which features herbs, or the Victorian/Edwardian cozy mysteries written under Robin Paige with her husband, or these 1930’s Darling Dahlia books. She is an excellent writer, even though it comes across as slow perhaps at times. Susan manages to capture the time spirit flawlessly, and I could just imagine myself walking around Darling and visiting the shops and the courthouse.
As usual in the small town of Darling, Alabama, there are a few story threads in one book, so you have to follow a few of the Darling Dahlia’s around. The main story evolves about Verna, a very capable woman who handles the Cypress County Probate Clerk Office, and now the Treasurer’s Office as well. Of course her boss, mr. Scroggings is supposed to be doing the job, but he is not at the office very much, and it is Verna who is doing the real work, with mr. Scrogging’s getting the credit. Something is just not right at the Treasurer’s Office, and Verna just can’t figure out what is happening. There was a second audit last week, and the auditor did not tell her anything, but she is sure he has found something. And why has the county 4 different bank accounts, with three of them outside the county? The ladies who have been working there have no idea why, they just did what their late boss ordered them to do, without any questions asked.
So when Verna gets a call from Scroggings, putting her on furlough, with the order to hand in her keys to the office, she gets very suspicious. Is he going to put the blame of embezzlement on her instead of conducting a proper investigation? Of course Verna will not let things stand, she will fight for her reputation and her job. And with the help of her best friend Lizzie, who works for the local solicitor, who is unfortunately out of town for a few weeks, she will find out the truth. Bits and bits of information come in, with the help of the other Dahlia’s and Verna will find out the sordid truth.
And who is telling the local newspaper man, Charley Dickens, gossip from the office, so he can write his scathing editorials about the missing funds for the roads and bridges?
Miss Rogers finally learns the truth about her family, when a horrible cat demolishes the only family heirloom she has, a pillow made by her maternal grandmother. When they discover some strange embroidery on the pillow beneath the cover, it might be code used in the Civil War.
And Abigail Biggs is behaving very strangely lately. But when her hair falls out while in the expert care of beautician Beulah, Beulah discovers the horrible side effects of the dieting pills Abigail has been using lately…
I enjoyed getting back together with all the Darling Dahlia’s and catching up on their lives. The Depression is getting worse, more and more people are loosing their jobs, and the Darling Dahlia’s have started a big vegetable garden to be able to feed their people. But of course they don’t neglect their flowers, their latest project is the Confederate Rose, which they are growing to plant in the cemetery for Confederate Day.
I really dislike mr. Scroggings, whose name makes me associate it with Scrooge. He is a really sleazy man, and I do love that he gets what he deserves in the end, and so does Verna. I really do recommend this 1930’s mystery series. To my totally ignorant opinion, this is researched very well, and told really compellingly. Decent people, trying to survive in times going bad.
9 stars.
© 2013 Reviews by Aurian
March 24, 2019
This series is better than it at first seems--more going on than just the ladies garden club: social history and justice, racial issues, etc.
Good detail on the time and place and the foliage of the south.
With all of the current discussions of Confederate statues, flags, and blackface, it will be interesting to read this 2014 novel centering on Confederate Day celebration thru today's lens!
Good detail on the time and place and the foliage of the south.
With all of the current discussions of Confederate statues, flags, and blackface, it will be interesting to read this 2014 novel centering on Confederate Day celebration thru today's lens!
August 27, 2021
Old fashioned and purely southern, this is a good series.
Alabama, 1930's
Alabama, 1930's
December 11, 2022
Favorite one in the series so far! So far there have been no more murders other then in the first book and I think it makes it more realistic that way. There's still plenty of mystery with the missing money from the Treasurey and the mystery of the coded pillow, and in each book you get more aquanted with the women of Darling!
April 18, 2023
Another 10-star read!! I adore Albert's writing! Exquisite characterization and imaginative inclusion of historical events/happenings! This series is one of the absolutely most enjoyable ones I've read!
October 14, 2019
The ladies of the garden club have several issues to deal with in small-town, Depression-era Alabama, including no safety nets for those in need, corrupt county officials, unsafe OTC diet pills that poison a woman, and a historically important discovery of Confederate memorabilia.
September 8, 2012
It's not even summer yet in Darling, Alabama but temperatures are rising...both outside and in! Already beset by troubles common to the entire Depression-burdened nation, the members of the Darling Dahlias garden club, as well as the rest of the community, are faced with several unsettling problems. Chief among these is the disappearance of a large amount of money from the county treasury. When suspicion about embezzlement focuses on Verna Tidwell, one of their own, the Dahlias unite to protect her and to trace the money themselves (since they obviously can't trust the inept county clerk and sheriff to do the job properly.)
The excitement doesn't end at the county clerk's office, though. A tour around the town and a glimpse into the homes of the residents reveals a variety of pending disasters, including philandering husbands, mysterious embroidered codes and desperate financial straits. As always, however, the girls band together to face down all of these obstacles and restore their small town to its peaceful norm, just in time to celebrate the planting of their beautiful Confederate roses (or, as Miss Rogers would correct us, the hibiscus mutabilis) on Confederate Day.
Go back in time to an era that, though simpler in many ways, was just as interesting and exciting to the people that lived in it. I'm always pleasantly surprised by Ms. Albert's ability to perfectly capture the period atmosphere of which she's writing, especially when I compare these books to her modern - and excellent - China Bayles series. Reading these books, with their wonderfully alive characters and plots, is always a treat. I love coming across their little historical tidbits like the cigarette ads promoting smoking as a great way to diet, the popular movies and their stars of the time and the various costs of things that were "expensive" then but seem so cheap now! Five plus stars!
The excitement doesn't end at the county clerk's office, though. A tour around the town and a glimpse into the homes of the residents reveals a variety of pending disasters, including philandering husbands, mysterious embroidered codes and desperate financial straits. As always, however, the girls band together to face down all of these obstacles and restore their small town to its peaceful norm, just in time to celebrate the planting of their beautiful Confederate roses (or, as Miss Rogers would correct us, the hibiscus mutabilis) on Confederate Day.
Go back in time to an era that, though simpler in many ways, was just as interesting and exciting to the people that lived in it. I'm always pleasantly surprised by Ms. Albert's ability to perfectly capture the period atmosphere of which she's writing, especially when I compare these books to her modern - and excellent - China Bayles series. Reading these books, with their wonderfully alive characters and plots, is always a treat. I love coming across their little historical tidbits like the cigarette ads promoting smoking as a great way to diet, the popular movies and their stars of the time and the various costs of things that were "expensive" then but seem so cheap now! Five plus stars!
September 19, 2012
The Darling Dahlias, a garden club in the small 1930's town of Darling, Alabama is busy trying to grow enough vegetables, including okra, to feed the entire town. It is mid-depression years and times are hard, but the ladies are determined to keep the town pretty and clean.
In fact the latest project is growing and planting 'The Confederate Rose,' a hibiscus plant to decorate the cemetery for the upcoming celebration of 'Confederate Day.'
For me, being born and raised in the west, this story gave me a good look at the sentiments and lifestyle of the deep south during a post-civil war period. Ms. Albert's attention to detail is almost becoming legendary in her books. Never more seen than in this novel.
We learn there is a second, perhaps even more famous or infamous, if you were President Lincoln, Confederate Rose...there is a woman spy!
This book was amazingly easy to read, which meant I finished it in almost one sitting. Ms. Albert can spin a tale and I was a happy spider in the web. I found myself with varying emotions while reading "...The Confederate Rose." I was happy for Ms. Rodgers, I was laughing out loud at Mrs. Biggs, I was vastly caught up in the history of the South, I was surprised by lyrics of a song changed into a war cry, I was frustrated and angry for Ms. Tidwell, and I was ready to write a grocery list for Mr. George Washington Carver's Peanut Butter Cookies (which I did.)
Yes, this series is one I keep my eyes open for each novel released. This is not a murder mystery, even though one is hinted at, this novel is about mysteries. There are many types and I'm happy to explore them with the Darling Dahlias for the foreseeable future!
In fact the latest project is growing and planting 'The Confederate Rose,' a hibiscus plant to decorate the cemetery for the upcoming celebration of 'Confederate Day.'
For me, being born and raised in the west, this story gave me a good look at the sentiments and lifestyle of the deep south during a post-civil war period. Ms. Albert's attention to detail is almost becoming legendary in her books. Never more seen than in this novel.
We learn there is a second, perhaps even more famous or infamous, if you were President Lincoln, Confederate Rose...there is a woman spy!
This book was amazingly easy to read, which meant I finished it in almost one sitting. Ms. Albert can spin a tale and I was a happy spider in the web. I found myself with varying emotions while reading "...The Confederate Rose." I was happy for Ms. Rodgers, I was laughing out loud at Mrs. Biggs, I was vastly caught up in the history of the South, I was surprised by lyrics of a song changed into a war cry, I was frustrated and angry for Ms. Tidwell, and I was ready to write a grocery list for Mr. George Washington Carver's Peanut Butter Cookies (which I did.)
Yes, this series is one I keep my eyes open for each novel released. This is not a murder mystery, even though one is hinted at, this novel is about mysteries. There are many types and I'm happy to explore them with the Darling Dahlias for the foreseeable future!
April 24, 2016
Writers have said that mysteries must have a murder or readers won't bother and once the death penalty was done away with (in many jurisdictions) there was a feeling that people wouldn't care as much. Well no, and no. This Alabama mystery does not have a murder and I cared just as much as ever how the whole thing would turn out. Darling, Alabama, is small enough that most people know each other so when it comes to voting you have a pretty good idea who you would want in office. The county treasurer dies suddenly and the Board of Commissioners puts the probate officer in to fill out the term. By the way, probate seems an odd name for the position since everything to do with property title is dealt with in that office. Verna, the one person who really knows what is going on in the probate office is suddenly responsible for both offices since the probate officer is Mr. Scroggins, who leaves things to Verna to work out.
It is 1931 and the Depression is really hitting the U.S. hard: Charlie Dickens is having problems at the paper; the lawyer, Mr. Moseley, is out of town talking to Democratic leaders about next year's candidate; Mrs. Briggs is trying to lose weight; coffee gets spilled on a new sofa; secrets emerge about a confederate spy known as Confederate Rose; and there is some secret scurrying in the courthouse at night.
I find this series fascinating because it sounds so much like what my mother told me about life in Saskatchewan in that period and I wish I could have given it to her to read.
It is 1931 and the Depression is really hitting the U.S. hard: Charlie Dickens is having problems at the paper; the lawyer, Mr. Moseley, is out of town talking to Democratic leaders about next year's candidate; Mrs. Briggs is trying to lose weight; coffee gets spilled on a new sofa; secrets emerge about a confederate spy known as Confederate Rose; and there is some secret scurrying in the courthouse at night.
I find this series fascinating because it sounds so much like what my mother told me about life in Saskatchewan in that period and I wish I could have given it to her to read.
February 10, 2019
This is the third book in the series, though I did not feel terribly lost for not having read 1 & 2. I will say, though, that there are so many characters it was tough to keep them straight; maybe that's because I don't have the foundation of 1 &2. Fortunately, Albert gives the reader a quick who's who guide at the beginning for reference.
Here we are in 1930's Darling, Alabama, and the Dahlias are getting ready for a Confederate Day celebration. Each chapter is from someone's viewpoint, so in the end, the reader winds up with a bird's eye view of the whole story but also quite a bit of detail that each character may or may not have had access to. Interesting way to tackle the mystery. Firstly, Verna Tidwell is accused of stealing when $15K is found to be missing when an auditor is called in after the death of the county treasurer, Verna's boss. Secondly, Miss Rogers (yes, she's that formal) has one momento from her pre-foster system life: a pillow with a cover crocheted by her grandmother. When a cat moves into the boarding house Miss Rogers inhabits and tears the cover to shreds, Miss Rogers finds a lengthy code embroidered on the pillow that was previously completely covered.
Charlie Dickens, reluctant local newspaper editor, gets on both cases and sleuths to his heart's content.
Here we are in 1930's Darling, Alabama, and the Dahlias are getting ready for a Confederate Day celebration. Each chapter is from someone's viewpoint, so in the end, the reader winds up with a bird's eye view of the whole story but also quite a bit of detail that each character may or may not have had access to. Interesting way to tackle the mystery. Firstly, Verna Tidwell is accused of stealing when $15K is found to be missing when an auditor is called in after the death of the county treasurer, Verna's boss. Secondly, Miss Rogers (yes, she's that formal) has one momento from her pre-foster system life: a pillow with a cover crocheted by her grandmother. When a cat moves into the boarding house Miss Rogers inhabits and tears the cover to shreds, Miss Rogers finds a lengthy code embroidered on the pillow that was previously completely covered.
Charlie Dickens, reluctant local newspaper editor, gets on both cases and sleuths to his heart's content.
February 17, 2014
This book had basically two lines of mystery. One was about the title character of Confederate Rose, and the other was about embezzlement of government money in the fictional town of Darling, Alabama, with some side stories about a woman taking diet pills and the local newspaper and print shop owner. There is just enough of the characters, town and times to keep me coming back to Darling to peek in on the happenings, but this really is just another easy-going cozy, with not a lot of depth. For me, there were two major flaws with this book. One is that the "oh, I found my grandmother" revelation and reaction is reiterated too many times - emotionally moving once, but boring another 6-7 times - kinda too sappy, really. The other is that the most intriguing mystery, one of the main recurring characters being suspected of embezzlement, could have had deeper development and a much more satisfying conclusion.
Yes, I'll visit the Darling Dahlias again, but I hope there will be more of the interaction of the town's characters, and more about the flowers. I'm not all that interested in recipes included at the end of the story.
Yes, I'll visit the Darling Dahlias again, but I hope there will be more of the interaction of the town's characters, and more about the flowers. I'm not all that interested in recipes included at the end of the story.
July 30, 2022
Ms Albert has a unique of writing her Dahlia novels - it’s called cut and paste!! This is the 4th book I’ve read in this series and they all have multiple paragraphs/ pages that are identical. She also tends to repeat the same descriptions of happenings over and over, like I forgot in ten pages!! She also gives away the plot and conclusion of her previous book in the current one - why? Guess you have to read them in order??
I liked the historical angle in this story. Do you think Confederate Day is still a state holiday in Alabama? Google says yes, along with Mississippi and South Carolina, I’m surprised.
Two pet peeves - it is A hibiscus not AN - it’s only an before a silent H word. The author wrote me that crepe myrtle vs crape myrtle is her editors fault! Both are correct, but crape is the most acceptable spelling - we both agree.
Why do I keep reading this cozy, silly series? I don’t know why (perhaps I swallowed a fly.). LOL 😆
I liked the historical angle in this story. Do you think Confederate Day is still a state holiday in Alabama? Google says yes, along with Mississippi and South Carolina, I’m surprised.
Two pet peeves - it is A hibiscus not AN - it’s only an before a silent H word. The author wrote me that crepe myrtle vs crape myrtle is her editors fault! Both are correct, but crape is the most acceptable spelling - we both agree.
Why do I keep reading this cozy, silly series? I don’t know why (perhaps I swallowed a fly.). LOL 😆
July 12, 2023
A great cozy realistic historical fiction mystery. Great characters in a wonderful town to visit. It has a nice, simple mystery woven into an entertaining visit to a "real" town with realistic character lives. The only thing bad about this book, like all good things, it has an end. I'm looking forward to my next visit to the sweet town of Darling, Alabama.
July 21, 2013
Top notch research on Southern life during the Depression alongside an intriguing history mystery. Albert captured all the nuances of life in a small Southern town in the 1930s. The Confederate Rose has always been of special interest to North Carolinians like myself. Here she lies in her final resting place.
November 29, 2019
I read Albert's Confederate Rose mystery to meet a challenge to read a book with a flower in its title. It was okay for a cozy mystery, but it seemed to move very slowly and the historical mystery centering on the Confederate Rose seemed secondary to the current mystery surround misappropriated town funds
February 2, 2017
One of my favorite cozy mystery series. In this book, there are two mysteries and two plot lines going on simultaneously which makes this very engaging. If you like southern settings and strong female protagonists you'll love this book and series.
June 21, 2021
Another great entry in this series. It is really growing on me. The characters and their happenings and their friendships and all are fun to read. The writing too is well done. This is the best kind of cozy mystery - entertaining and light, but not cheesy or dumb.
December 23, 2021
I love the authors. I liked the sleuths and the mysteries. But I struggled with the confederacy parts. I understand it’s historical component, but it was a reminder of why I have such a strong bias against southern things.
March 16, 2013
Another well written book in this series. The women and the time of the Depression are well portrayed. The way the women work through and solve the problems are fun and seem true.
February 21, 2021
Gave up at 41%,just not engaging.
August 6, 2021
An interesting bit of Civil Was history woven into the main plot, but not a memorable story.
August 13, 2022
Disturbing
Racism wrapped in a cozy mystery is still racism. I'm embarrassed to admit it took reading three books in this series to realize how blatantly offensive the writing is.
Racism wrapped in a cozy mystery is still racism. I'm embarrassed to admit it took reading three books in this series to realize how blatantly offensive the writing is.
October 22, 2017
There are two main storylines here: Miss Rogers and her mysterious embroidered pillow, and Verna Tidwell being accused of stealing $15,000 from the county treasury. The obvious mystery is Miss Rogers and her connection to the Confederate Rose, a Civil War-era spy. It's practically given away in the dedication of the book, so I don't feel bad about spoiling it here. Even knowing what was coming, though, it was a pleasant read - and learning about the Confederate Rose was pretty cool, too. Nobody suspected a woman spy, sending her encrypted messages through other women. Pretty ingenious, and a celebration of female ingenuity, much as the present-day series celebrates the cleverness of the Darling Dahlias. I'm a big fan of this series for those reasons: its the ladies solving the mysteries, and relying on their own smarts and their own connections to do it.
There is a pattern emerging through these books - aside from the main characters of Liz Lacy and Verna Tidwell (along with strong secondary characters Myra May Mosswell and Ophelia Snow), the subplots focus on other Dahlias. Bessie Bloodworth got this treatment in "Naked Ladies," and Miss Dorothy Rogers gets the spotlight in this book. It's very gentle and subtle, and it just feels like we're getting to know the other club members one at a time. I'm curious to see who's spotlighted in the remaining 3 books =)
The other mystery, surrounding Verna being sucked into an embezzlement probe, is not-so-obvious (at least not to me). Earle Scroggins, the probate clerk, is appointed county treasurer when the original man dies suddenly. Everybody knows that Verna Tidwell actually runs his super-tight ship, so she takes on twice the responsibility when he inherits the office. It's obvious from the start that someone's trying to frame her, but who? And why? Verna is a straight shooter with a good eye for a person's character, who can keep her mouth shut when need be but who is also as honest as the day is long. She's a tough cookie, and it would take a lot to bring her down. When she is told that she's being furloughed in favor of her flighty coworker at the probate office, she is outraged - and scared. She turns to her best friend, Lizzy Lacy, and the two of them decide to get to the bottom of things.
Lucky for them that Myra May and Violet are also Dahlias, because they play a big role in Verna's investigation - as does Charlie Dickens, the local newspaper editor. He was an investigative reporter before returning to his hometown to take over the paper from his dying father, and he still has a nose for news. Charlie catches Verna in the courthouse after midnight, and she agrees to show him a few of her cards. Charlie has an internal source at the treasury office and has been running editorials questioning some of the decisions being made. Together, they put together all of the pieces of the puzzle and figure out what's going on.
It's a great read, to me, especially because the ladies are the impetus behind the investigation. They have to decide whether they can trust Verna's flighty coworker to help them, when she has plenty of reasons herself for needing the mysteriously vanished money. Verna is a hard-boiled detective fiction nut, and she brings a rather reluctant Lizzy in on her plans, which is rather dangerous, especially when Mr. Moseley, the lawyer Lizzy works for, is out of town on business and can't provide any legal guidance as he had in the previous novels. But the ladies hatch a plan, and pull it off with the help of their fellow Dahlias.
Secondary subplots include Ophelia having to get a job to pay off some crazy expensive furniture (she gets a job at the newspaper, operating the Linotype machine) and local hotel manager Angelina Biggs going crazy from her diet pills.
The only part of the book that I didn't really like was the whole Confederate Day celebration. Ugh, I can't imagine how the black people must've felt during this celebration of all things slavery. Mercifully, it was just a couple of pages which can be easily skipped on the next read-through. I could've done without it at all, but I guess the author had to tie in the whole Confederate Rose storyline, too.
There is a pattern emerging through these books - aside from the main characters of Liz Lacy and Verna Tidwell (along with strong secondary characters Myra May Mosswell and Ophelia Snow), the subplots focus on other Dahlias. Bessie Bloodworth got this treatment in "Naked Ladies," and Miss Dorothy Rogers gets the spotlight in this book. It's very gentle and subtle, and it just feels like we're getting to know the other club members one at a time. I'm curious to see who's spotlighted in the remaining 3 books =)
The other mystery, surrounding Verna being sucked into an embezzlement probe, is not-so-obvious (at least not to me). Earle Scroggins, the probate clerk, is appointed county treasurer when the original man dies suddenly. Everybody knows that Verna Tidwell actually runs his super-tight ship, so she takes on twice the responsibility when he inherits the office. It's obvious from the start that someone's trying to frame her, but who? And why? Verna is a straight shooter with a good eye for a person's character, who can keep her mouth shut when need be but who is also as honest as the day is long. She's a tough cookie, and it would take a lot to bring her down. When she is told that she's being furloughed in favor of her flighty coworker at the probate office, she is outraged - and scared. She turns to her best friend, Lizzy Lacy, and the two of them decide to get to the bottom of things.
Lucky for them that Myra May and Violet are also Dahlias, because they play a big role in Verna's investigation - as does Charlie Dickens, the local newspaper editor. He was an investigative reporter before returning to his hometown to take over the paper from his dying father, and he still has a nose for news. Charlie catches Verna in the courthouse after midnight, and she agrees to show him a few of her cards. Charlie has an internal source at the treasury office and has been running editorials questioning some of the decisions being made. Together, they put together all of the pieces of the puzzle and figure out what's going on.
It's a great read, to me, especially because the ladies are the impetus behind the investigation. They have to decide whether they can trust Verna's flighty coworker to help them, when she has plenty of reasons herself for needing the mysteriously vanished money. Verna is a hard-boiled detective fiction nut, and she brings a rather reluctant Lizzy in on her plans, which is rather dangerous, especially when Mr. Moseley, the lawyer Lizzy works for, is out of town on business and can't provide any legal guidance as he had in the previous novels. But the ladies hatch a plan, and pull it off with the help of their fellow Dahlias.
Secondary subplots include Ophelia having to get a job to pay off some crazy expensive furniture (she gets a job at the newspaper, operating the Linotype machine) and local hotel manager Angelina Biggs going crazy from her diet pills.
The only part of the book that I didn't really like was the whole Confederate Day celebration. Ugh, I can't imagine how the black people must've felt during this celebration of all things slavery. Mercifully, it was just a couple of pages which can be easily skipped on the next read-through. I could've done without it at all, but I guess the author had to tie in the whole Confederate Rose storyline, too.
October 15, 2024
I was born and raised in the American Northeast, but my entire paternal side has been in the American Southeast for centuries. I have lived in the Southeast for the past 27 years, and there is so much I adore about this region of the US. The flora, the fauna, the music, the food, and the diversity. What I am not at all in support of is how America established itself, especially in the South. While I understand that Southern women of the late 1800s had to bury their husbands, sons, and fathers, just like Northern women did in the Civil War, I cannot feel a sense of pride in the Confederacy- despite my heritage. I am not naive. I know the war was about money. I understand that Northerners were no more moral than Southerners- they just had less to lose by ending the enslavement of people. However- white Americans held on to the idea that people of European descent were superior to people of African descent for a very long time. They convinced themselves of it to justify profiting off the backs of human beings. There is no pride in that. I do not enjoy reading stories that honor people who were vehemently pro-slavery (Confederate spies). I do not enjoy stories that use the term “colored” without any apology. I understand this is historical fiction- but authors can find ways to treat marginalized characters with more respect. It isn’t that the characters of color are mistreated in these stories, but they are not fully fleshed out as anything more than “extras.” They are not given the same level of humanity and that is disappointing. Susan Wittig Albert is not Mark Twain. She is a modern writer and there is a duty to do more than just regurgitate the old ways. I hope this series evolves to do better.
November 25, 2019
Five reasons I'm giving Five Stars to The Darling Dahlias by Susan Wittig Albert:
1. For me this is cozy mystery at its best. A series of books (eight so far) with an interesting setting,
not too much blood and gore, a light tone and very decent writing.
2. The time and place - the story is set in the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the early 1930s.
A group of ladies get together to form the Darling Garden Club and if they happen upon a mystery - they are on it.
3. The protagonist - we gradually get to know all the ladies of the club and some of the town's people, but the protagonist and my favorite character is Miss Elizabeth Lacey, club president.
Lizzy is a legal secretary by profession, a gardener and a writer, and as nice as they come.
She is said to look a little like Loretta Young.
4. Beyond the mystery plot this is the story of a small town struggling with the Depression of the early 1930s. There are a lot of domestic details, which I always love, and a lot about the way the ladies help each other and the town through these difficult times.
5. The message of these books, to my mind, is that friendship and community are the best weapons to have in times of adversity (and always).
1. For me this is cozy mystery at its best. A series of books (eight so far) with an interesting setting,
not too much blood and gore, a light tone and very decent writing.
2. The time and place - the story is set in the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the early 1930s.
A group of ladies get together to form the Darling Garden Club and if they happen upon a mystery - they are on it.
3. The protagonist - we gradually get to know all the ladies of the club and some of the town's people, but the protagonist and my favorite character is Miss Elizabeth Lacey, club president.
Lizzy is a legal secretary by profession, a gardener and a writer, and as nice as they come.
She is said to look a little like Loretta Young.
4. Beyond the mystery plot this is the story of a small town struggling with the Depression of the early 1930s. There are a lot of domestic details, which I always love, and a lot about the way the ladies help each other and the town through these difficult times.
5. The message of these books, to my mind, is that friendship and community are the best weapons to have in times of adversity (and always).
July 11, 2018
I love this series of books. It makes me wish that I lived here, even during the depression! I liked how the author portrays the women as strong. Not just in an assertive personality but the women who believed that they could make a difference in their community by planting flowers to keep their town beautiful, and then also by planting a garden to help feed people. They also believed that sharing their knowledge by word of mouth and in the local newspaper would also help people. I think the author has captured how women who lived during a time where women were not valued for their contributions, still understood that they had the power to build a strong community in quiet, understated actions. Of course I love the mystery that is also a major part of the plot. But she uses the mystery to show the strength of friendship, loyalty and trust of the people in your life. I do think that many of the virtues that are written about have been lost in our busy, overloaded and our "instant" ability to too much information about the entire world, life. I think it is hard to care about your neighbor when you know how many people are struggling or dieing every where. These books are a good reminder that maybe the greatest good we can do is right here at home.
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