The Darling Dahlias and the Eleven O'Clock Lady

The Darling Dahlias #6

by Susan Wittig Albert

New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert transports readers to the summer of 1934, when a sensational murder shakes up the small Southern town of Darling, Alabama—and pulls in the ladies of the Darling Dahlias’ garden club, who never let the grass grow under their feet when there’s a mystery to solve…

The eleven o’clock lady has always been one of garden club president Liz Lacy’s favorite spring wildflowers. The plant is so named because the white blossoms don’t open until the sun shines directly on them and wakes them up.

But another Eleven O’Clock Lady is never going to wake up again. Rona Jean Hancock—a telephone switchboard operator who earned her nickname because her shift ended at eleven, when her nightlife was just beginning—has been found strangled with her own silk stocking in a very unladylike position.

Gossip sprouts like weeds in a small town, and Rona Jean’s somewhat wild reputation is the topic of much speculation regarding who might have killed her. As the Darling Dahlias begin to sort through Rona Jean’s private affairs, it appears there may be a connection to some skullduggery at the local Civilian Conservation Corps camp. Working at the camp, garden club vice president Ophelia Snow digs around to expose the truth…before a killer pulls up stakes and gets away with murder.

Includes Southern-style Depression-era Recipes

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Cozy, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2015

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

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 6th book in the Darling Dahlias series. It takes place in the summer of 1934 in Darling Alabama. Instead of writing a synopsis of the book I want to share what I like about this book and the series.

It is a favorite cozy mystery series of mine. It has a relaxed writing feel or style as the reader goes along with the characters in their lives in the 1930s. The books center around the characters of the Darling Dahlias Garden Club. The central characters in the other Dahlia books have been Liz Lacy and Verna Tidwell. While we catch up with their lives in this book, Buddy Norris who has been recently elected as sheriff has the mystery of the book centered around him and his solving of the crime. Buddy has a lot to prove as a new sheriff since he is young, and replacing a sheriff who died from a rattlesnake bite. Even though there was less writing about Liz and Verna, I found the mystery portion of this book to be one of the best in the Darling Dahlia series.

The book also gave more attention to Charlie Dickens who is the editor of the small town paper. The Dahlias who play a prominent role are Ophelia Snow, Myra May, Violet and Lucy. So what makes this series special to me. First of all it is the characters. I always feel when I read this series that if I lived in this location and time period, I would like to join their club and be friends with them.

The time period and location make this series special for me. The reader sees what the lives of the characters are like living through the Depression Years. They make the best of it through friendships and it is a just a part of life at that time. In this book, I could feel the oppressive summer heat and humidity as the storm approached.

As I mentioned, I always like the relaxed feel of this series. I sit back and am transported back to the 1930's to Darling Alabama with great story telling. I find that as a reader that I care about the characters and their lives. I am looking forward to the next Dahlia book to see what has transpired in their lives and what mysteries or adventures the Dahlias will find themselves involved with.

[Sallee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great improvement of the last Darling Dahlias mystery. This was chock full of human interest and interesting new and well known characters. The story was very interesting and kept me entertained to the end. As a great fan of Susan Wittig Albert, I feel this is one of her best Dahlias story.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joy to read, as Susan Wittig Albert's books always are. It's nice to be able to lose yourself for a little while in a place where people are friendly and helpful to each other.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was as well written as the other books in this series. The story was great but I missed the Dahlias more than I enjoyed Charlie and Buddy. This book seemed to have more facts and figures in it or maybe they came across more as facts and figures. These books are very well researched and mostly that research translates into the story better in my opinion. I still enjoyed the book very much. Look forward to more stories with more Dahlias.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Albert pens the best stories with great characters. I want to be friends with these ladies!

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by far the best one in the series. Darling, Alabama is pulling out of the Depression - FDR is President, his innovative social programs are having a positive ripple effect throughout the South.

Still lots of repetition, I just sluff over it. Many, many characters (at least 50) so why does the author make it so hard to keep them straight? Beulah, Bettina, Bessie, Lizzy, Lucy, Verna, Violet, Myra May, Mildred, that’s just a sampling. It has taken me 6 books to remember who’s who!! I would think it would be hard to keep track of them all while writing the story.

Since I have it on hand Book 7 is on deck!

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was SO SO SO SO SO good. I really love this series.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is a historical set in 1934 in Alabama. It's the sixth book in the series. You don't have to read the previous books to understand this one and previous whodunits are not spoiled in this story. The historical backdrop is a CCC camp with a focus on how it was supplied mostly by the locals.

The mysteries are investigated mainly by the sheriff & the reporters. So we get leads, follow them, eliminate suspects, get evidence, and arrest whodunit. There are clues, but it's more a mildly suspenseful unfolding of events than a puzzle mystery.

After reading three of these stories, I noticed each focused on sexual scandals (mystery-related or not). Even without sex scenes, it's more sex-focused than I care for. I was surprised that an (apparently) homosexual couple would be so accepted when it gets out that they want to increase their family when the community is so shocked by adultery and premarital sex.

There were no sex scenes. There was some bad language.

[Sharon Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've long enjoyed Susan Wittig Albert's cozy mysteries, and her "Darling Dahlias" is a favorite. In "The Darling Dahlias and The Eleven O'clock Lady," Albert's sixth book in this historical/cozy mystery, readers are once again treated to a trip back in time to 1930s Southern Alabama where life is beginning to recover from the Great Depression.

In this story, the ladies of the Darling Dahlia's gardening club are once again pulled into a mysterious murder and by putting down their trowels and gardening gloves and putting on their sleuthing caps the ladies once again help local law enforcement to solve the intriguing crime.

Albert captures the essence and charm of Southern Alabama perfectly and, as usual, her storytelling is right on point - keeping the reader fully engaged with the fast-paced story to the very end. I look forward to more in this unique series, and highly recommend all six books to cozy mystery fans.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read many of Susan Wittig Albert's books (the Beatrix Potter series being the absolute best) and I am becoming a bit tired during the later titles in the series of her books. I do love the way she describes the era and the characters, but I felt this one was just about the CCC, a history lesson more than a mystery.

[NancyL Luckey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love everything written by this author. This book was no exception.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The CCC of Great Depression fame have moved near our Darling little Alabama town. It brings money, new friends and murder in its wake. Loved it!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Susan Wittig Albert's other series about China Bayle, but I think this is the first I have read in this series. But even though this is well into the series, I didn't feel like I had lost anything by not starting with the first one. Which is not to say I won't go back and read the earlier books in the series, because I did enjoy this one a lot. It was full of interesting and likable people and added a little bit to my knowledge of the CCC program.

[Kristen Lancia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting and enjoyable! I loved the time period and all of the many details from 1930s history that are included on every page. I learned things that I never knew before and it seems particular relevant to current events.

[Lafourche Parish Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had listened to the saying that “if a book doesn’t hold your interest in the first fifty pages, put it down and get another,” I would have missed out on a good wholesome read.

Set in Darling, Alabama in the summer of 1934, this quaint murder mystery transports you into the lives of the members of the Darling Dahlias garden club. This sixth mystery in the Darling Dahlias series takes place during the Depression where many of the club members take jobs at the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp, Camp Briarwood.

The small town of Darling benefitted from Camp Briarwood through jobs, purchases of local supplies, and money spent in the town from workers at the camp. Darling is looking up and the citizens are very happy about the progress being made until the night Rona Jean Hancock is murdered. Rona Jean was a switchboard operator, with a somewhat wild reputation, who loved the nightlife of Darling and the surrounding towns.

The garden club ladies won’t let grass grow under their feet as they gather information to help Sheriff Buddy Norris solve this murder mystery. It appears that Rona Jean’s murder is somehow entangled with some wrongdoings at Camp Briarwood. Murder, extortion, bribery. This novel has it all and life in the sleepy town of Darling, Alabama will return to normal when all is solved.
Those of us not very familiar with the Great Depression will benefit from the historical notes the author included. She also includes Depression era recipes that were used by garden club members at their meetings and dinners.

Susan Wittig Albert has done her research and presented an insight to daily life in small town America during the FDR years. Her authentic period details and charming characters make this book an enjoyable read.

[JaNel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was excellent and the historical information about the CCC was great. But I really missed the POV of the women. Lucy would’ve been the perfect Dahlia in this case, along with more of the initiative coming from Ophelia. In this book, however, (which should’ve been called “Dickens, Sheriff, and the Eleven O’clock Lady” because the Dahlias were mostly absent), she told the story mainly through the sheriff and the reporter, and while I like both these characters and don’t mind having a bit of a male perspective, I really liked how the earlier books were mostly solved by the smarts, observations, and initiative of women. I felt Wittig was making an important point about how much of what women are capable of has been so often overlooked and under appreciated—that society has been ignoring the talents of half the population for most of human history. Maybe I was just projecting though.

I also wish she’d integrate more of the African American perspective. I mean, if she’s going to start telling the story from men characters, why not from the maid’s? And listening to all the unmitigated patriotic BS for the Old South is hard to swallow—Confederate Day...are you kidding me? But I guess it’s part of the historical detail of time and place. Dickens does sometimes seem to cast a jaundiced eye on that all-white point of view, and occasionally, one of the Dahlias will make a very soft comment or observation about “how it must be” for one AA character or another (like Liz quoting Mr. Mosley on how the law doesn’t work equally for all sides). But all that doesn’t seem enough. Of course, I could say the same for society in general today.

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read this book on the heels of the book before it in the series, THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE SILVER DOLLAR BUSH, I will say I liked ELEVEN O’CLOCK LADY more.

The Darling Dahlias are back and planning on enjoying a wonderful summer. But they didn’t plan on the murder of the town’s lady with the “somewhat wild reputation”.

With rumors sprouting up all over and the suspect list growing like weeds, THE DAELING DAHLEAS AND THE SILVER DOLLAR BUSH was a well plotted mystery that captured my attention at the very beginning and held me captured until the end.

I really like all the ladies in the garden club. In real life, one or two of them would be sort of hard to get used to. However, between the pages of this book, they are a lot of fun to read.

With it’s 1930’s setting, this isn’t your typical cozy mystery. That being said, this series shouldn’t be over looked by cozy readers.

And be sure to check out the back of the book where you will find The Dahlias’ Household Magic tips, and wonderful southern style depression – era recipes!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I found this series!!! I love the characters, the time, and the setting. In this installment, local tart Rona Jean is found murdered and the investigation ensues! There is also a subplot regarding the local CCC encampment! (The time is during the Great Depression and the Civilian Conservation Corps was part of many a town or city).
The characters are wonderful and one of the main reasons I have gone through this whole series of "cozy" mysteries!

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dang it!! Using my phone for comments and autocorrect strikes again! love all Susan Wittig Albert's books. She is a master storyteller. I enjoy the fact that I learn a bit of history from the Darling Dahlias series.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this installment, Charlie has two big stories for the Darling newspaper. (And of course the two scoops meld into one.) Rona Jean is murdered after getting off from her shift at 11 o'clock. And what's going on out at the CCC camp? The more Dahlia books I read the more I enjoy them!

[Janna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this whole series very much. I will miss these characters!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the history of the CCC camps and the move out of the depression. More of a mystery than the last one.

[Cheryl Ras · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m liking this series more and more.

[Ngu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable light read.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

very quick story on the solving of a murder discovered on a Saturday morning. Interesting information regarding the CCC in the afterward.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one yet! Very suspenseful!

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This last book in the series is structured like the first one, at least in terms of the mystery. The victim was even kinda similar - Rona Jean just wasn't blonde like Bunny Scott was. She's found dead, and its up to the new sheriff to investigate and catch her killer. A lot of the townsfolk suspect that the killer might be one of the Yankees from the CCC camp that's been just up just outside of Darling. Practically every man in town is a suspect, including the young sheriff himself, who was seen canoodling with the victim a couple of months before she was found dead.

The secondary mystery starts with a Mata Hari sending newspaperman Charlie Dickens mysterious messages about Something Big going down at the CCC camp. Not murder big, but fraud big - the spy claims to have evidence of a huge scam that's being run at the camp, but she doesn't want to come forward herself, considering how she got the information she's passing along. Mata Hari is pretty darn clever, about the way she figured out what was going on and in the way she concealed her identity - it's only revealed when she and Charlie are in a rickety old schoolhouse exchanging information and a hurricane blows up from the Gulf and smashes the building to bits. He rescues her, and convinces her to accompany him to see the sheriff about lay out what she knows.

The only downside of this book - and, indeed, the reason why it's a rather deflated end to the series - is that the Dahlias are, at best, secondary characters. Yes, Ophelia is snooping around the camp, and Mata Hari turns out to be one of the Dahlias (as Charlie suspects, as their conversations go on - although it wasn't the Dahlia he thought it was!), but otherwise, the Dahlias barely even feature. This is a story told by Charlie and Buddy Norris, the sheriff. Both are series-long characters (Buddy starts off as the brash young deputy sheriff), but its still a letdown, because Liz Lacy and Verna Tidwell play exactly no part in any of this.

And even when they're mentioned, their storylines are abruptly dropped until the final chapter. Liz is suddenly a budding writer, and she's sent a manuscript off to New York. Maybe 1/3 of the way through the book, she's waiting on pins and needles to find out if it's good enough to publish...and then we don't see her again until the final chapter.

Verna has even less of a role - she's hosting a dinner for her new boyfriend, Alvin Duffy from the previous book, and the CCC commander Lt. Campbell. She asks Liz to come along and charm Campbell so he'll throw more business Darling's way, and then invites the Sheriff to join them - but the dinner is postponed because of the sudden storm, and as far as I can tell, it never actually happens. WTF?? Talk about a plot line that goes nowhere...

The other Dahlias are mentioned in passing. Rona Jean is found in Myra May's car, but only because of the convenience of its location (just outside the door of the telephone exchange). Myra May and Violet, and Fannie Champaign Dickens are caught up in some of Rona Jean's scheming, also are red herrings. Beulah is mentioned in passing, as is Bessie Bloodworth, and that's about it as far as the 13-member-strong garden club goes.

The main mystery is fairly easy to solve, as the clues are laid out with painstaking clarity, but the secondary mystery, of the fraud going on at the CCC camp, does have a bit of a surprise/twist ending.

The other downside of the book is that its left so open-ended. There is no resolution to the UST between Liz and Mr. Moseley (which is what I wanted more of!). It took me way too long to figure out what Fannie Champaign's secret was, mostly because it was explained in a very mundane way in the previous book - a famous French designer buys her hats and sells them on under her own name, sending Fannie the money each hat goes for. That's how she's able to support herself with a seemingly niche business in small-town Alabama.

As a whole, this was a charming little series, very easy and fun to read - cozy mysteries that are definitely on the cotton candy side, as opposed to the dark side.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series, although I can't really say it's fun or entertaining - the constant reminders of what it was like to live through the Depression are sobering, although the characters in these books have adjusted and are making the best of it. That is part of what I like about the series.

I like the recurring characters in these books. Most of them are hard-working people who do what they can to help whoever needs help, a trait that seems to be harder and harder to find in today's world. I'm happy to see Buddy growing into his new job as the sheriff, and his willingness to at least consider some of the 'modern' advances coming to the business of policing.

While listening to this book, I learned a lot about the newly-established CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), one of the New Deal programs created by President Franklin Roosevelt. Of course I'd heard of it before, but never knew much about it, except that it had something to do with planting trees and creating parks. Some of the (fictional) CCC workers played a big part in the story, making it possible for the author to delve into the CCC's purpose, practices and lifestyle without taking the reader too far out of the story.

The murder victim in this book was discovered early in the story, which allowed plenty of time to investigate. There were several suspects worthy of serious consideration, but I was unable to figure out exactly who the killer was until I put together the pieces that Ophelia, Charlie and Buddy had assembled. If the three of them had shared what they knew, the crime would have been solved much sooner... but then the book would have been considerably shorter :)

There are only a handful of books left in this series for me to read, so I will probably spread them out a bit more than usual, trying to make the series last as long as possible, but I will return to Darling, Alabama, for another visit with Liz, Ophelia and the other Dahlias.

[Nd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really enjoyable murder mystery set in the depression-era town of Darling, Alabama. Rona Jean, one of the telephone exchange workers, rumored to be a little promiscuous, was found dead in Myra May's garaged car in back of the exchange. The long-time sheriff had recently died and was replaced by his former deputy, Buddy Norris, still thought of as young and untried. Not only that, but Buddy had dated Rona Jean, and not everyone was aware that he had broken it off. As he began to investigate small town gossip was abundant, and more than one Darling native appeared to have reason and opportunity to have done the murder.
Though the depression was devastating, Darling was beginning to benefit from President Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. A few residents worked at the nearby camp, which brought their salaries into the town, and the CCC purchased fresh local food and goods used in running the camp. As Sheriff Norris was running down leads to Rona Jean's murder, he discovered that she had been seen with at least one of the CCC staff as well as other locals, which made for a tricky situation. Trying to separate gossip from snippets of facts discovered piecemeal and then knit facts together keeps this mystery captivating. And the history included by Susan Witting Albert is a great bonus.

[Amalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

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).