Hemlock

China Bayles #28

by Susan Wittig Albert

From Susan Wittig Albert, the New York Times bestselling author of A Plain Vanilla Murder, comes a tightly crafted novel that juxtaposes the disappearance of a rare, remarkably illustrated 18th-century herbal with the true and all-too-human story of its gifted creator, Elizabeth Blackwell.

​Herbalist China Bayles’ latest adventure takes her to the mountains of North Carolina, where her friend Dorothea Harper serves as the director and curator of the Hemlock House Library, a priceless collection of rare gardening books housed in a haunted mountainside mansion that once belonged to Sunny Carswell, a reclusive heiress. But the most valuable book—A Curious Herbal, created by Elizabeth Blackwell in the 1730s—is  missing and Dorothea is under suspicion.

China’s search for the thief takes on a new urgency when she discovers Miss Carswell’s bookseller, the victim of an attempted murder. Is his shooting connected with the theft? And there are other urgent questions: What is the Hemlock Guild? Who owns Socrates.com? Did Sunny Carswell really kill herself, or does her ghost have a different story to tell? And what is the real truth behind the many tantalizing mysteries of A Curious Herbal?

Hemlock is a compelling mix of mystery and herb lore, past secrets and present sins, and characters who are as real as your friends and neighbors—in an absorbing novel that only Susan Wittig Albert could create.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Gardening, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

322 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2021

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

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always liked this series, but this one was definitely not one of the best. I thought it was pretty boring, not much action. The main character did some pretty stupid things, even for her (people kept warning her she needed snow boots, but no, she wears loafers with fluffy wool socks-how do you even fit fluffy wool socks into a pair of loafers?, driving up a mountain with many sharp switchbacks in a fierce snow and windstorm). There were also a lot of errors; proofreaders and editors were not doing their jobs. There were multiple times things were repeated and at one point, a paragraph was repeated almost exactly. Not sure how so many people gave this 4 or 5 stars.

[Kyrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story moved so slowly. At page 66, I skipped to the end and decided I'd try to continue to slog through. Not sure that was my best use of time.

China has gone to western North Carolina to help an acquaintance who is curating an old personal library. A major antique work is missing, along with pages from several other old books. There were so many potential thieves that I couldn't keep them straight.

Along with the main mystery there's the story of the woman who wrote the antique herbal that's gone missing. That part of the story was mildly interesting, but only mildly.

I missed Pecan Grove and the familiar people. So many strangers in Bethany and it was hard to know who was worth remembering and who was just passing through. Ruby's cryptic psychic messages were almost useless. China bent rules she knows better than to bend.

Just not my fave by a long shot.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It must be difficult to keep coming up with new ideas for the China Bayles series--but Albert has done a good job here, taking Bayles out of her TX hill country m.o. into the mountains of North Carolina. And--she's included a mini-book, written by a grad student student China finds herself working with. The book-within-a-book (actually just five chapters, scattered through the traditional whodunit) tells the story of Elizabeth Blackwell, who wrote a stunningly complete compendium--'A Curious Herbal'--written serially between 1737 and 1739, and illustrated by Blackwell herself. Those illustrations are gorgeous. (There's plenty about Blackwell online, and it's fascinating.)

It was a clever way to get her readers interested in a particular book as she set the scene for a mystery. There were lots of characters in the book (actually, the two books) and plot complications almost sank the storyline near the end--but all in all, a lovely afternoon read.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

That’s the end of the series for me with one exception. My library didn’t have Book #12, A Dilly of a Death, so I skipped it. I just had the library search the interstate library system, so one is on its way from somewhere in Florida!!

This final installment took China to North Carolina - an old creepy house, a blizzard, missing rare books and a resident ghost complete the scene. I liked the historical aspect of the book, Elizabeth Blackwell was an amazing women. Google showed me her fabulous drawings.

China driving a treacherous road in a blizzard was beyond stupid - I was actually hoping she’d fall off the cliff and the series would end with a big bang!
But…..Susan had other ideas

I guess Sheila had her baby, Noah, without us. She was due in November and this takes place the following April. Ms Albert must have Book#29 in the works, although I’ve seen no information about it.

Edit note - fireplace trim is mantel, she uses that twice and mantle once. Mantel is the more acceptable spelling. At least be consistent!!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite series because it entertains me and I also learn so much. I loved the chapters about the Herbal book and its creation. The mystery was very good and was even more interesting since China didn’t have her regular cast of characters to rely on, though I did miss them. She was on her own and had to rely on her intuition to get her through. This series just keeps getting better and better.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

China is invited to North Carolina to help her old friend Dorothy, who has taken a job cataloging a deceased women's book collection. One of the most valuable items has disappeared, and Dorothy is the local sheriff's prime suspect. China is eager to interview local residents who had access to the collection to clear Dorothy's name, but she also learns interesting historical information about Elizabeth Blackwell, the woman who illustrated the missing 18th century tome.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite China Bayles titles. The story as well paced, and quite interesting!

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed the China Bayles series but I have felt, for the last few books, that the tank was running out of gas and that feeling continued with this book. The mystery was boring and the conclusion was anti-climatic. I missed the usual cast of background characters and setting. China seemed a little, off in this one. She did some things I felt were out of character (i.e. a little dumb). The repetition problem persists. There is so much background information given in these books and some facts are given repeatedly. I appreciate how well researched these books are however, sometimes they start to feel a little lecture-y in the way the research is presented. I think it may be time to retire the Pecan Springs gang (maybe that would free up time for Ms. albert to write more of her Darling Dahlia series!). I'm not sure if I will read the next book or let this one go, I'll have to decide when the time comes.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 28 in the China Bayles and with the exception of two, I’ve loved them all. Unfortunately, this is one of the two that I only just sort of liked. While it’s nice to have China out of Pecan Springs every once in awhile, I miss her having at least one of her regular characters with her whether it be Ruby, Sheila, or her husband, McQuaid. For me, the story within a story just didn’t work and really didn’t change the outcome of the plot or move it along. I felt having those chapters that the character or Jenna wrote tampered with the flow of the main storyline. Jenna could have told China in a few paragraphs how the rare lost book was made and why the author did it. This book doesn’t change my mind about the series because I always look forward to her next one which hopefully will be set in her hometown with her friends and family.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

China Bayles is called to come out an locate a valuable book that is missing. This one involves books on various plants and flowers. This takes place in the mountains of North Carolina, where her friend Dorothea Harper serves as the director and curator of the Hemlock House Library. She gets to know Dorothea's helper, Jenna who is writing a book about Elizabeth Blackwell and her books. In the meantime, China tries to find out if Sunny was killed or it was a suicide. Who benefits and who are able to lift books from the library. China needs to use both her skill as a Detective and an Attorney in the latest book.

[Kianna Hendricks · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was very boring and long winded. i started off with an OPTIMISTIC 2.5 but reading this book was CHORE. 150 pages could’ve been taken off this book. there were numerous typos and repeated sentences. unfortunately, i have to say this was a waste of my time to read. the ONLY reason i read it this fast was to get it over with. i hate to not finish books so i suffered through it. i’m surprised this has such a high rating. i guess it’s not for me.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways it feels like this one was phoned in, so to speak. Lots of editing errors (like a repeated paragraph) and the story didn't seem to have that China Bayles spark. At first I was excited to see that she was leaving Pecan Springs, but I guess I would have liked it if her visit to North Carolina were a bit longer and we had gotten the same sense of small town that we have in Pecan Springs. We barely knew characters before they were dead or the story was over. I did like the book within a book but I am wondering if that time could have been better spent on China and her interactions with the townspeople?

[Barbara Blindauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book. China Baylee’s leaves Texas for NC to help a friend who is a curator of a special book collections. Valuable books are disappearing and when China attempts to investigate murders begin to happen. There is also another story within this story about Elizabeth Blackwell who did a curate illustrations of herbs and I like the historic story within the mystery. Felt the ending was rushed, but I did enjoy learning more about herbs.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read every book in this series but found this one underwhelming. Lots or repetition- almost as if the author is talking down to the reader as if we are too stupid to retain information. Overall very “meh” book. There are so many good ones in this series, a miss now and then can be expected. I’m looking forward to the next one.

[Yvonne Speece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series.

[Barbara Hugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book because of references to ancient books written by women and medical uses of plants.

[Mildred Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best, so far

The back story is fascinating, and the main story line is riveting. Susan Wittig Albert does it again! History and plants - a winning combination.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a book club pick. The club members are very knowledgeable about herbs and wanted a light “summer read” after several heavy non-fiction titles. This mystery, set in modern day North Carolina, was a good choice as it mixes herb lore and historical fact into a fabricated tale of the disappearance of a rare and valuable herbal compendium from a remote mansion’s library. The cast of characters include a local sheriff, a bookstore owner, eccentrics with wealth, a librarian.

Alternating chapters flashback to
London in the 1700s and an exploration into the life of Elizabeth Blackwell, the real life illustrator of A Curious Herbal. Hemlock’s author, Susan Wiitig Albert, is well known to my book club members, most of whom have read one or more of her China Baylis mystery series. Hemlock is number 28.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed this author’s Darling Dahlias books. This is the first China Bayles book I’ve read. I enjoyed it very much. It’s a light mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Elizabeth Blackwell as I’ve read a short bit on this person. I look forward to reading more China Bayles books.

[Judy Aulik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd abandoned this series a few years ago, when the Texas setting got to be a bit boring. However, I gave this book a chance, and am glad I did. Set in the Appalachians near Biltmore, the library of a wealthy, eccentric, very dead woman needs cataloguing--and its prize herbal has gone missing.

[Lauren Carlisle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5-3 ⭐️ I like the premise of the detective investigating missing items, murders, etc., but didn’t find this book to be an intriguing mystery. It was just okay for me. I’d be interested to read more from this author because it’s sounds like the previous books in the series are more captivating.

[Maureen Caupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy learning more about various plants along with the mystery. A great addition to the series.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest, I could not get into this book! I have read every book in the China Bayles series and really enjoyed them. The type was off-putting to me, I couldn't get past that. I tried to read it, but just couldn't!

[Daune Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the normal China Bayles story. She leaves town and takes on a job on the east coast. The characters are not particularly likable and the goal set out for China is tenuous and far-fetched. I gave up. Bring China back home and give us back her normal sleuthing group.

[Jewett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always given this series the highest rating, but in this book, I changed. I liked the basic mystery but I didn't like the story within the story.

[Beverlyb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love these books but since Widow's Tears, they have gone decidedly downhill. This book was so different in tone from its predecessors I wondered if Albert really wrote it. As well, being self-published it lacked any editing and that showed. In several places the same sentence was repeated verbatim on the same page. In one case, an entire paragraph was repeated. And an editor would have (I hope) corrected every reference to Appalachian Mountains. China was in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Such a shame too. Here we have a fellow herb guild member who implored China to drop everything to go to the mountains of North Carolina to help a slight acquaintance find a possibly stolen book. The book is an herbal, so of course China decided to skip out on her businesses, her family (Brian home from college), and her husband to do this.

Leaving Pecan Springs every few books is OK to bring a fresh perspective to writing and character. It worked very well in Bloodroot (one of the best in this series). In this book, the pretext to leave PS is flimsy at best. The book within the book was actually better written than the main story, although it takes up too much space relative to the main plot.

China's method to find the stolen book is not terribly sound. Her first point of order should have been to confront the trustees to publicize the alleged theft. Why the board wouldn't was never explained, yet they were willing to pay for China's expenses. Does not add up.

Her husband going, being a PI, would have been the better choice, in my opinion, to look for the stolen herbal. At least in Holly Blues he had the sense to buy warm clothes and boots when it started snowing. Not our China. It's spring she said. Well it snows in a lot of the US in the early spring. I visited Asheville in early spring, in the snow (yes, the flowers had bloomed already).

The plot was so thin and dragged out that I didn't care who did what halfway through the book. Improbable events --like China hanging around all the police work-- abound. In what universe can you waltz into a police station, type your own witness statement, sign it, and waltz out just like that? That was truly cringe-worthy writing. The supposed ghost part was plain silly. Enough with the ghosts, Annie included.

[Crystal Toller · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, China Bayless travels to North Carolina to help out her friend. Dorothea Harper who has taken a position at a library that has a priceless copy of Elizabeth Blackwell's Curious Herbal that has gone missing. How China solves the mystery of the book, along with some other mysteries, makes for a great read. Loved the novel about Elizabeth Blackwell that was included in this book. Good characters, good editing and a compelling mystery. Another great addition to the series. The Elizabeth Blackwell information was most intriguing.

[Larraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've missed China Bayles and was glad to get my hands on a copy of this book. It is a fun and relaxing read as well as an interesting learning experience. I didn't know that Queen Anne's Lace and another wildflower, Hemlock, were both related and very different. Queen Anne's Lace is benign. Hemlock is deadly. I looked up the difference because, thinking about it, I've seen plants that were similar in the wild. To confuse matters even more there is also a Hemlock TREE that is not poisonous. However apparently they are endangered thanks to invasion of a non native species. Hemlock, the plant, is what Socrates took to end his life and this is woven expertly throughout the book.

China is asked by a friend to contactDeborah, a librarian and conservator, in North Carolina who moved there from Texas after her husband's death. There were debts to be paid and she lost nearly everything and is basically starting all over again. She accepted a position to catalogue the vast library of herbal and gardening books and materials accumulated by a wealthy recluse who had committed suicide a year before. There has been some pressure to simply sell everything off but that's not what the later owner wanted. The reason for China's visit is to investigate the disappearance of a priceless "herbal" that was hand drawn and painted by a little known herbalist, Elizabeth Blackwell. The author includes "chapters" of a book that is being written by a young woman who is getting her masters degree in library science and is using the unfinished novel as part of her masters thesis. Very little is known about Blackwell other than that her husband was in debtor's prison and she used some of the money from the herbal sales and subscriptions to pay off his debts.

Jenny, the young woman who is assisting in the cataloguing and is working on her masters thesis, is convinced that the ghost of the late owner comes out at night. China always looks for a logical explanation although she admits to having a cheerful ghost in her herb shop in Texas.

As always this was an interesting and delightful book with a nice amount of information although no recipes this time. Albert always has a lot of projects so I don't know when the next China Bayles is coming out. I hope it won't be too long.

[Moondance · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a Monday afternoon on a mild spring day in Texas.

The twenty eighth book in the China Bayles series finds China travelling to North Carolina to help find a stolen book. A Curious Herbal: Containing Five Hundred Cuts, of the Most Useful Plants, Which Are Now Used in the Practice of Physick Engraved on Folio Copper Plates, after Drawings Taken from the Life by Elizabeth Blackwell has been stolen. The book is a rare copy owned by the Hemlock House Library. The curator is a friend of China's and she hopes to help find the book before Dorothea loses her job.

I learn so much about herbs and gardening in each of these books. I fall into the story and don't stop until I complete the book. China is one of my favorite characters. Thyme of Death was my introduction to the cozy mystery genre and holds a soft spot in my heart.

China has learned to investigate without putting herself into danger (or as little as possible). She is knowledgeable and likeable. I missed Ruby being a bigger part of the story. I listened to part of the book and really enjoyed the narrator.

The North Carolina mountains are my happy place. I loved the descriptions of the area and could picture where I thought Hemlock House could be. The variable April weather was spot on. You don't fool with Mother Nature here in the early Spring.

The mystery was very good. The back story of Elizabeth Blackwell's 1737 book was fascinating and now i'm looking for a couple to read.

Reading this series is like visiting old friends. I feel like I am welcomed warmly no matter how long it has been between visits.

This is a series that I highly recommend.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Albert, Susan Wittig: "Hemlock," #28 in the ”China Bayles Mysteries” series, is a book for cozy mystery fans but also for those who love books, for librarians, rare book enthusiasts, herbalists, and others who love reading about book collections and all that goes into protecting these old treasures.

Set in the NC mountains during a snowstorm, China Bayles, the protagonist in this series and the owner of a herbal shop, flies out from her home in Pecan Springs, TX, to the NC mountains at the request of her friend Dorothea who is attempting to catalog and organize a seriously disorganized home library of a recluse who bought hundreds of books from a local book broker in her small town near Asheville. "A Curious Herbal," a book written by Elizabeth Blackwell in the 1730’s, is missing, and the home library’s curator, Dorothea, is charged with finding it. "A Curious Herbal" is a real book (google the title to read more about it), containing very detailed drawings by Blackwell with descriptions of the plants, and is worth thousands of dollars in today’s market. As China begins the search for the book, she visits the local bookstore. Upon entering, she finds no one around until she walks to the back and finds the owner sprawled out in his office, dead from a severe blow to the head. It’s at this point that the story develops all sorts of subplots and questionable characters with the history of Blackwell and her book thrown in. (An really interesting part of this book is

It’s difficult to figure out the “who dun it” in this story – there are so many – but the story moves along at a good pace. The reader will want to finish it in one sitting if at all possible, it’s that good.