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China Bayles #10
Bloodroot
Lawyer-turned-herbalist China Bayles returns to the Deep South, where her family’s legacy of silence is at last broken—and the past finally, unforgettably, speaks the truth… A frantic phone call from her mother brings China back to her family’s Mississippi plantation—a place she’d forsaken long ago. But the late-spring air is thick with fear—and from the moment of her arrival, China knows that something has gone desperately wrong at Jordan’s Crossing. An ancient property deed has surfaced—and the man who uncovered it has mysteriously vanished. And as the fates and fortunes of two very different families collide in frightening, unpredictable ways, China must face disturbing new questions about her family’s past—and her own future…
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
82 people are currently reading
826 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wittig Albert
120 books2,374 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 172 reviews
December 22, 2012
In #10 of the China Bayles series, China responds to an urgent phone call from her mother and goes back to her childhood home in Mississippi - to the family plantation and the past from which she had turned away.
Too many of the cozy mysteries I've been reading lack depth, especially when it comes to characterization. That's why it's so refreshing to read Susan Wittig Albert's work. Her work is always so rich with characterizaion and history, that I can imagine her writing volumes of backstory in order to immerse herself in her characters and their lives. This truly shows in "Bloodroot."
I think you need to already be familiar with the China Bayles series in order to truly appreciate "Bloodroot." Followers of the series must not miss this book!!! China goes "back to the motherline," as she says, and while solving both old and new mysteries, she learns to appreciate and know the line of southern women from whom she had tried to detach herself. I was especially able to connect with it, having southern connections in my own past and feeling about them much the way China did.
I've been reading the China Bayles series a bit out of order. I'm going to try to rectify that and read the books more in order so I can get a more true impact o what is going on.
Excellent addition to the series, lush with detail and characterization. Five big, fat stars to "Bloodroot"!!!!! Definitely a must read.
Too many of the cozy mysteries I've been reading lack depth, especially when it comes to characterization. That's why it's so refreshing to read Susan Wittig Albert's work. Her work is always so rich with characterizaion and history, that I can imagine her writing volumes of backstory in order to immerse herself in her characters and their lives. This truly shows in "Bloodroot."
I think you need to already be familiar with the China Bayles series in order to truly appreciate "Bloodroot." Followers of the series must not miss this book!!! China goes "back to the motherline," as she says, and while solving both old and new mysteries, she learns to appreciate and know the line of southern women from whom she had tried to detach herself. I was especially able to connect with it, having southern connections in my own past and feeling about them much the way China did.
I've been reading the China Bayles series a bit out of order. I'm going to try to rectify that and read the books more in order so I can get a more true impact o what is going on.
Excellent addition to the series, lush with detail and characterization. Five big, fat stars to "Bloodroot"!!!!! Definitely a must read.
October 7, 2019
When ex-defense attorney, cum herbal store and tea room owner, China Bayles, is called back to her families Mississippi homestead to help ferry out the truth behind a recently found centuries old deed, it’s more than skeletons in the closet that are exposed.
Leaving her own family and life in Texas, she drives out, at her mothers pleading, to assist in the swamp of trouble besetting her great-aunt, who is in the late stages of Huntington’s disease. Her own memories unfurl, including what she believed to be a recurring dream of a body found in the backyard on a midnight search.
It has all the makings of the steamy southern folklore: proprietary ghosts, sordid family history, illegitimate children, murder, an so forth. (There’s even a cameo appearance by Minerva from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” tho in an alias.. wink, wink.)
Lots to keep track of with family lineage unfurled, but one of her best writes so far.
Leaving her own family and life in Texas, she drives out, at her mothers pleading, to assist in the swamp of trouble besetting her great-aunt, who is in the late stages of Huntington’s disease. Her own memories unfurl, including what she believed to be a recurring dream of a body found in the backyard on a midnight search.
It has all the makings of the steamy southern folklore: proprietary ghosts, sordid family history, illegitimate children, murder, an so forth. (There’s even a cameo appearance by Minerva from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” tho in an alias.. wink, wink.)
Lots to keep track of with family lineage unfurled, but one of her best writes so far.
June 2, 2022
4 stelle e mezza
In questo libro la protagonista indaga su vecchi segreti e misteri che riguardano la sua famiglia materna. Devo dire che la storia mi è piaciuta molto, ma ho tolto mezza stella per la presenza di probabili fantasmi: il racconto avrebbe anche potuto fare a meno di questo aspetto. Devo poi dire che non essendo anglofona ho avuto difficoltà a comprendere quanto diceva un personaggio non proprio secondario... e meno male che stavo leggendo un libro e non ascoltandolo!
In questo libro la protagonista indaga su vecchi segreti e misteri che riguardano la sua famiglia materna. Devo dire che la storia mi è piaciuta molto, ma ho tolto mezza stella per la presenza di probabili fantasmi: il racconto avrebbe anche potuto fare a meno di questo aspetto. Devo poi dire che non essendo anglofona ho avuto difficoltà a comprendere quanto diceva un personaggio non proprio secondario... e meno male che stavo leggendo un libro e non ascoltandolo!
August 19, 2023
Bloodroot (China Bayles, #10) by Susan Wittig Albert.
This book was powerful in that it dealt with two specific issues that I was not prepared for. Those issues are Huntington's Chorea and adoption. It was shocking for me to come across this horrific disease in a book that was supposed to be another good mystery. It hit home to me because when working in a nursing home years ago the staff including myself were all well aware of a brother and sister that had that dreaded disease. The destruction it causes in a person cannot be over rated. A single gene in either or both parents will be lethal to any children they have.
The second issue, adoption, brings us to health records. Health records have not been available to adopted children. Finding out if they have or are carrying any destructive gene's remains a mystery.
This book was the best and most well written mystery that delved into these two important issues with a murder mystery developed around them. A must read and a huge thanks to the author for her originality.
This book was powerful in that it dealt with two specific issues that I was not prepared for. Those issues are Huntington's Chorea and adoption. It was shocking for me to come across this horrific disease in a book that was supposed to be another good mystery. It hit home to me because when working in a nursing home years ago the staff including myself were all well aware of a brother and sister that had that dreaded disease. The destruction it causes in a person cannot be over rated. A single gene in either or both parents will be lethal to any children they have.
The second issue, adoption, brings us to health records. Health records have not been available to adopted children. Finding out if they have or are carrying any destructive gene's remains a mystery.
This book was the best and most well written mystery that delved into these two important issues with a murder mystery developed around them. A must read and a huge thanks to the author for her originality.
January 28, 2013
Albert, Susan Wittig
Mystery
China Bayles long ago rejected her Southern roots and the heritage of racial cruelty and prejudice that has been passed down through the Coldwell line, along with Jordan's Crossing, the sprawling Mississippi plantation on the banks of the Bloodroot River. A cryptic phone call from her mother, Leatha, however, sends China packing and wondering if her mother's allusions to ghosts of the past has any relation to her own recurrent nightmare of a body being dug from the garden soil in the dark of the night. When she arrives at her ancestral home, China finds herself in the midst of a centuries' old mystery whose deadly secrets are slowly surfacing, bringing with them fatal consequences for the heirs of the Coldwell and Beauchamp families. China learns, too, that she may be the heiress to a crippling genetic disorder that will destroy her body and mind, as it has destroyed those of her Great Aunt Tullie. As she copes with this devastating news and attempts to piece together the mystery that is her family's story, China learns a great deal about the ethnobotany of the region and the many uses - both good and bad - of the herbs that grow wild on the rich, alluvial land.
Bloodroot takes readers away from China's beloved Pecan Springs, Texas to a world whose history and lore Albert probes expertly, giving the reader a deep, insightful book that, despite the relatively slow-to-develop mystery, is a truly rewarding read. Albert's depth as a writer continues to astonish me. Unlike many of her contemporaries who find a certain character that works well and repeatedly use them, in different costumes and settings, through their work, she creates unique, realistic characters that never seem the same. From sweet and slightly sassy Miss Potter to bold feminist China to the delightful ladies of the Darling Dahlia garden club, each series' heroines perfectly fit their surroundings and never seem to be mere variations on a common theme. This book takes her above even her standard of quality, with its sensitively critical view of the American South as well as racism, genetic disorders and the importance of blood and family. That could be the recipe for a dry, boring read but this book is anything but. Set against the beautifully described Mississippi landscape, it draws slowly but surely to a satisfying climax that leaves the reader feeling both enriched and entertained. Superb writing in every way!
Mystery
China Bayles long ago rejected her Southern roots and the heritage of racial cruelty and prejudice that has been passed down through the Coldwell line, along with Jordan's Crossing, the sprawling Mississippi plantation on the banks of the Bloodroot River. A cryptic phone call from her mother, Leatha, however, sends China packing and wondering if her mother's allusions to ghosts of the past has any relation to her own recurrent nightmare of a body being dug from the garden soil in the dark of the night. When she arrives at her ancestral home, China finds herself in the midst of a centuries' old mystery whose deadly secrets are slowly surfacing, bringing with them fatal consequences for the heirs of the Coldwell and Beauchamp families. China learns, too, that she may be the heiress to a crippling genetic disorder that will destroy her body and mind, as it has destroyed those of her Great Aunt Tullie. As she copes with this devastating news and attempts to piece together the mystery that is her family's story, China learns a great deal about the ethnobotany of the region and the many uses - both good and bad - of the herbs that grow wild on the rich, alluvial land.
Bloodroot takes readers away from China's beloved Pecan Springs, Texas to a world whose history and lore Albert probes expertly, giving the reader a deep, insightful book that, despite the relatively slow-to-develop mystery, is a truly rewarding read. Albert's depth as a writer continues to astonish me. Unlike many of her contemporaries who find a certain character that works well and repeatedly use them, in different costumes and settings, through their work, she creates unique, realistic characters that never seem the same. From sweet and slightly sassy Miss Potter to bold feminist China to the delightful ladies of the Darling Dahlia garden club, each series' heroines perfectly fit their surroundings and never seem to be mere variations on a common theme. This book takes her above even her standard of quality, with its sensitively critical view of the American South as well as racism, genetic disorders and the importance of blood and family. That could be the recipe for a dry, boring read but this book is anything but. Set against the beautifully described Mississippi landscape, it draws slowly but surely to a satisfying climax that leaves the reader feeling both enriched and entertained. Superb writing in every way!
January 7, 2011
China Bayles goes home, to her ancestral manor house in the swamps of the South, looking for answers to the mysteries of her own family tree.
This was my first China Bayles mystery, and I enjoyed it. The herbalism, the pervasive, odorous mugginess of the swamps, the heavy feel of generations of conflict and mystery--it was all good, baby.
The plot, a straightforward investigation into whether a newly-missing man possessed a claim to the land under China's ancestral home, quickly spun off into curling detours and tangents that delved into previous generations and their secrets, as well as hereditary illnesses they may have passed on to the current generation. There were several characters who had vested interests in various outcomes. The only real letdown was the killer.
For the most part, the characters were awesome in this book, both the living and the ancestors. From Aunt Tullie, with her Huntington's chorea, to the mysterious Marie Louise, to the Chocktaw gardener, Judith. Other characters were flat or forgettable, never really connecting with me throughout the book. The killer never really felt fully fleshed out, as if the point of the book wasn't who killed the victim, but China's history, and the killer was just an excuse to bring that into the light. A pair of sisters, Dawn and Alice Ann, had the same effect on me; they seemed to float through the book without ever really seeming real.
There were several smaller themes throughout the book, which tied in nicely with herbal notations at the start of the chapters: herbal abortifacients, lily of the valley's various meanings and uses, plantation behavior on the part of the master, and of course all the implications and uses of the bloodroot plant itself. In most regards, these sort of gave away the secret, as it were. The same thing happened with the killer, whose name was given as a nickname for a certain plant, far earlier than they were listed as a suspect. As the only character with a plant name, that made them stick in my mind, and ruined the surprise; it was just a matter of figuring out why they did it.
This type of foreshadowing starts at the beginning of the book, where it's revealed who died, as well as a couple other facts, before the story technically even starts. Talk about ruining the surprise! In a mystery book, that seems like the sort of thing you specifically want to avoid doing.
This was my first China Bayles mystery, and I enjoyed it. The herbalism, the pervasive, odorous mugginess of the swamps, the heavy feel of generations of conflict and mystery--it was all good, baby.
The plot, a straightforward investigation into whether a newly-missing man possessed a claim to the land under China's ancestral home, quickly spun off into curling detours and tangents that delved into previous generations and their secrets, as well as hereditary illnesses they may have passed on to the current generation. There were several characters who had vested interests in various outcomes. The only real letdown was the killer.
For the most part, the characters were awesome in this book, both the living and the ancestors. From Aunt Tullie, with her Huntington's chorea, to the mysterious Marie Louise, to the Chocktaw gardener, Judith. Other characters were flat or forgettable, never really connecting with me throughout the book. The killer never really felt fully fleshed out, as if the point of the book wasn't who killed the victim, but China's history, and the killer was just an excuse to bring that into the light. A pair of sisters, Dawn and Alice Ann, had the same effect on me; they seemed to float through the book without ever really seeming real.
There were several smaller themes throughout the book, which tied in nicely with herbal notations at the start of the chapters: herbal abortifacients, lily of the valley's various meanings and uses, plantation behavior on the part of the master, and of course all the implications and uses of the bloodroot plant itself. In most regards, these sort of gave away the secret, as it were. The same thing happened with the killer, whose name was given as a nickname for a certain plant, far earlier than they were listed as a suspect. As the only character with a plant name, that made them stick in my mind, and ruined the surprise; it was just a matter of figuring out why they did it.
This type of foreshadowing starts at the beginning of the book, where it's revealed who died, as well as a couple other facts, before the story technically even starts. Talk about ruining the surprise! In a mystery book, that seems like the sort of thing you specifically want to avoid doing.
June 28, 2013
Loved this story. It was chance to see China at her best, AWAY from McQuaid and Brian. The thing I didn't like was the fact that she believed Amanda's story too quickly. She should have demanded a DNA test before she let her anywhere near the old lady. Also, and this is a minor thing, the family tree chart includes Brian as her son. He isn't a blood relative so there should've been a notation indicating that he is a stepson. At least an asterisk or something. Other than that it was a fun addition to the continuing series.
February 17, 2021
China leaves Texas to help her mother cope with a great aunt. The past and the present meet up with surprising results although I was way ahead of them both in figuring things out. The story was plausible though, and I think Albert has small towns figured out well. Jordan's Crossing has a murkier past than Pecan Springs, and when this book was written, people were just beginning to address issues that we're still trying to figure out now. As always, there was interesting herbology and recipes.
October 24, 2021
China has gone to Mississippi to help her mom with an aging aunt. Though China would like to forget this part of her family history, she is drawn in by an old diary left on her nightstand. Secrets are revealed, old friendships renewed, and of course murder. I was way ahead of China in solving but it didn’t distract from this atmospheric story.
June 26, 2014
This is one of my least favorite books read so far in this series. It is extremely slow-moving, and China is not the China we know at all. I guess she can only be herself when she is at home with family and friends. I'm not a fan of this one.
May 19, 2020
It seems that I have a love-hate relationship with the China Bales series. Some of the titles are so entertaining while others are just exhausting. I forged ahead to finish this book, but wish I hadn’t.
November 23, 2025
This is a very different book than the others in this series. China Bayles is not in Texas, nor is she with her usual crowd of friends, or family. Rather, she is in Mississippi with her mother and great-aunt, at the plantation that has been in China's family for generations. China's mom has been in some of the former books in the series, but in a peripheral way. This time she is a more central character, as are China's childhood friends. There are long buried family secrets to be revealed, and a murder to be solved. There are also concerns about inherited medical issues, and who will next inherit the family home. I enjoyed this detour from the usual setting and characters.
July 29, 2011
China Bayles has an ambivalent relationship with her mother Leatha. Leatha spent most of China's childhood and adulthood in an alcoholic fog. Leatha is now on the wagon, but with so much baggage the relationship is still difficult. Leatha is staying with her sick Aunt Tullie on the family plantation in Mississippi, and there is something very wrong. The manager, Wylie, has announced to Leatha and Tullie that he has a deed to the land under the plantation's main house, is assaulted by the angry old woman and disappears. Leatha, naturally very worried, begs China to come out and help her solve the problem. Reluctantly, China drives to Mississippi to resolve the problems, but they are deeper and more difficult than she realizes.
This is a much more personal mystery for China. In her other stories, she always seems just a little removed from the action. In this one, she is deeply involved with each and every one of the main characters, and related to most of them. Her family has more secrets than she or Leatha ever realized. The ghosts are a nice touch. They add to the atmosphere of the old house. This is a very enjoyable mystery. China Bayles fans will love it and it will appeal to many others who would not otherwise read one of these mysteries.
This is a much more personal mystery for China. In her other stories, she always seems just a little removed from the action. In this one, she is deeply involved with each and every one of the main characters, and related to most of them. Her family has more secrets than she or Leatha ever realized. The ghosts are a nice touch. They add to the atmosphere of the old house. This is a very enjoyable mystery. China Bayles fans will love it and it will appeal to many others who would not otherwise read one of these mysteries.
July 30, 2012
I MEANT to read BLOODROOT by Amy Greene, (I realized soon after starting this). Something labelled "mystery" is not something I would choose--even less so something labelled "a China Bayles mystery". I find mysteries to have many undeveloped characters, and lack of detail, but that is the nature of mystery. its just not what I like to read. But I started it, attracted to the herbology and southernness of it. It was an ok book, though a lettdown from just finishing the Big Stone Gap series by Adrianne Trigani. IT was hard to keep the family members and generations straight--a fact due to it being a mystery, once again--they don't spend much time going into details of the characters, the reader dosn't spend much time with a character in order to get to know him, and remember him. Nonetheless, interesting--"you want to find out what happens".... Though I would never buy a book by this author or even pay 50 cents at a book sale for it, If soemone gave another one by her to me for a gift, or I was on a dessert island with only this book, I would read it. Theres just too many other really good books out there to start wasting my time on China Bayles mysteries
August 10, 2016
August 2016: re-visited via audio because I liked it so much and it was fun to listen to while sewing!
March 2016: I think this might be my favorite of the China series so far, although I love them all. This one does not take place in Pecan Springs, TX but China travels to her ancestral home in Mississippi to help her mother care for her ailing aunt. While there she becomes embroiled in a family history search, which of course was interesting to me, as she tries to track down a genetic disease in the family and discover the answer to all the mysterious happenings in her family. There is a murder and it is the framework for all that happens, but unlike other books in the series, China is not spending her time finding the murderer, but finding the family history. But then the murder becomes the linchpin to the final exciting denouement. It was a very mysterious, atmospheric novel with some ethereal otherworldly hints when an old woman with "the sight" seems to know a lot about China and her family. Very satisfying story.
March 2016: I think this might be my favorite of the China series so far, although I love them all. This one does not take place in Pecan Springs, TX but China travels to her ancestral home in Mississippi to help her mother care for her ailing aunt. While there she becomes embroiled in a family history search, which of course was interesting to me, as she tries to track down a genetic disease in the family and discover the answer to all the mysterious happenings in her family. There is a murder and it is the framework for all that happens, but unlike other books in the series, China is not spending her time finding the murderer, but finding the family history. But then the murder becomes the linchpin to the final exciting denouement. It was a very mysterious, atmospheric novel with some ethereal otherworldly hints when an old woman with "the sight" seems to know a lot about China and her family. Very satisfying story.
April 20, 2009
In Bloodroot (Berkley, 2001) Susan Wittig Albert has written a novel that probes the depths of generational family secrets through a multi-layered story of kinship bonds and lost loves. China Bayles, Albert's venerable protagonist of (currently) seventeen published novels and many short stories, has left the relatively comfortable confines of her herb business in Pecan Springs, Texas to join her mother, Leatha and Aunt Tullie at Jordan's Crossing, the Coldwell family plantation in the Yazoo Valley of Mississippi. What is supposed to be a short trip to help her mother and Aunt Tullie get the plantation affairs in order turns into a labyrinthine exploration of the generations of families who have lived on the plantation, and the mysteries surrounding their legacies. Full review at: http://staymore.blogspot.com/2009/04/...
April 29, 2013
I do like this series. This installment may be my favorite so far, for two reasons I think. First, I am doing my own family's genealogy and the family history links in the story were really appealing to me. Second, I really enjoyed the recipes that Albert included in this book. I have been hoping to see more herbal recipes in the series and these look particularly good.
This series has done a great job in continual development of the main character, China Bayles. She remains herself, yet constantly seems to be growing as a person. Author Albert also changes the setting of the stories frequently and the central characters to the plots are rotated so the reader does not get bored or get the feeling that they have "read this one before." A simple thing, to be sure, but it is surprising how many authors aren't able to do this.
I like this series more with each installment I read!
This series has done a great job in continual development of the main character, China Bayles. She remains herself, yet constantly seems to be growing as a person. Author Albert also changes the setting of the stories frequently and the central characters to the plots are rotated so the reader does not get bored or get the feeling that they have "read this one before." A simple thing, to be sure, but it is surprising how many authors aren't able to do this.
I like this series more with each installment I read!
Read
July 30, 2011Took me a little while to get into the story - I'm not usually all that interested in Deep South generational tales - but somewhere after 50 pages or so I became interested. I really like that China (maybe being an ex-lawyer?) is a thinking amateur detective and does not (for the most part) impulsively confront suspects and get herself unwittingly into dangerous situations. I liked following her thought process and that she consciously decides who to tell what rather than blurting it all out at the wrong person. I think this is only the second book I've read in this series and I know she was out of her usual environment so we didn't get much of Ruby, McQuaid or the son. I will definitely read more in this series as I come across them.
May 12, 2021
I honestly should just learn from past books to skip the volumes where the main character ends up traveling, especially when said character is heading home. Another red flag is if the home is one the character has forsaken but now feels compelled (by plot) to revisit. I rarely like these stories and I certainly didn't enjoy this one.
With a travel story the narrative has to do extra leg work with world building and family history. Work already accomplished in previous volumes won't suffice here because it's a new location. But ten volumes in, in this case, means, expectations are high. There's no way Jordan's Crossing can possibly feel as real as Pecan Springs.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...
With a travel story the narrative has to do extra leg work with world building and family history. Work already accomplished in previous volumes won't suffice here because it's a new location. But ten volumes in, in this case, means, expectations are high. There's no way Jordan's Crossing can possibly feel as real as Pecan Springs.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...
October 17, 2015
I found this book very interesting. It was quite different from other books in the series with a different setting--China's mother's homeplace, a Mississippi plantation called Jordan's Crossing, and mainly dealing only with China and her mother Leatha instead of the usual cast of characters. The family history and sordid secrets kept for decades made an interesting story, and the information included about China's great aunt Tullie's genetic debilitating disease, I found very interesting. There were current deaths to investigate and some inexplicable ghost stories that haunted China's visit. It was a good read and a creative plot.
July 16, 2024
All of the China Bayles series books are written with a conversational style, and endearing sincerity. The characters are both loveable and believable as are the places. Albert describes things well enough to give you a picture for your mind's eye without allowing the descriptions to overtake the storyline. If you've never lived in Central Texas trust me when I tell you that this is as close as you can get without moving here! These books are a comfortable, easy read - equally good for rainy days, and excuse to stay in the air conditioning, or by the fireplace.
May 20, 2012
My favorite of the series so far...not my favorite location, can't wait until China gets back to Pecan Springs and the usual cast of characters.
"she ain't who you think she is" sums it up for me. I was totally prepared to just get thru this book and on to the next in this series but enjoyed this read and its cast.
"she ain't who you think she is" sums it up for me. I was totally prepared to just get thru this book and on to the next in this series but enjoyed this read and its cast.
October 26, 2012
This has been one of my favorite China Bayles's mysteries. Her description of the southern plantations of her ancestors made you feel the sultry heat and smell the honeysuckle. The story has multiple twists and turns and as alwayss, she keeps you guessing right up to the end. I could hardly stop reading it yesterday and finished it first thing this morning. That's the kind of book I like.
January 18, 2018
a Fictionaized version of Mississippi; it has to be because in the real world Ole Miss and Mississippi State are not the same place; not to mention the University Of Louisana in Baton Rouge? come on it's LSU
January 11, 2018
I needed something light after two dark books back to back. I got it in this fun romp in the Mississippi Delta. China's mother has been caring for her Aunt Tulie who has run the family plantation for years. She asks China to come for a visit because there are problems & she needs her expertise as an attorney. China reluctantly agrees. It soon becomes obvious there are big problems. Aunt Tulie is suffering from Huntington's Disease which has made unpleasant changes in her personality and made her movements very erratic. China learns that the plantation manager had visited them with a deed that would give him claim of their home as well as the best parts of the plantation. Aunt Tulie had hit him on the side of the head with her cane when this happened. At the same time, China has a dream that she hadn't had since she was a child - where she saw a body being dug up and Aunt Tulie sobbing. However, she begins to think that it's just her vivid imagination. Then the pajamas she wore that night appear in her bureau drawer, washed and neatly pressed, and her great grandmother's journal appears on her desk in her room. She had put it where she found it in the library but not before smelling lily of the valley. Now it is suddenly on her desk. Nobody will admit to doing that. This book isn't hard to figure out as you read it. The only surprise was one that came out of the blue more or less relating to the death of the plantation manager. It's in there more as an afterthought in many ways. Still this was a fun and relaxing quick read. You also learn a LOT about herbs including some really interesting ones in this book.
January 4, 2019
Wow. I was not expecting this. I've read the nine previous China Bayles books leading up to this one but was not prepared for how fantastic this book was. Actually, this hardly felt like a genre read as all the others felt. Albert truly made strides with her writing in this book.
Bloodroot is a Southern Gothic novel dealing with family secrets, ghosts, murder and insanity. Yes, all those sound like the makings of an overwrought book written in the Southern style. But, Albert picks through a complicated family history with logic. I never felt the story was being manipulated in order for the pieces to fit together.
I have to say, it was a real treat that the book took place away from Pecan Springs. As much as I like the China Bayles series, Pecan Springs is a bit of a bore. I can understand Albert having a soft spot for Texas. But, the section of Texas she chose for these books is, for me, not very interesting. The Mississippi setting of Bloodroot was much more interesting. Plus, as nice as the Ruby character is, I didn't have to deal with her New Age attitudes which was a good thing.
Even if you have not read any other China Bayles books, I can recommend Bloodroot. The book does not rely on past events in the series. This could very well be a standalone novel. The writing fits the mood of the book and the story fascinates as it unfolds. I enjoyed reading this and I found it to be the best in the series thus far.
Bloodroot is a Southern Gothic novel dealing with family secrets, ghosts, murder and insanity. Yes, all those sound like the makings of an overwrought book written in the Southern style. But, Albert picks through a complicated family history with logic. I never felt the story was being manipulated in order for the pieces to fit together.
I have to say, it was a real treat that the book took place away from Pecan Springs. As much as I like the China Bayles series, Pecan Springs is a bit of a bore. I can understand Albert having a soft spot for Texas. But, the section of Texas she chose for these books is, for me, not very interesting. The Mississippi setting of Bloodroot was much more interesting. Plus, as nice as the Ruby character is, I didn't have to deal with her New Age attitudes which was a good thing.
Even if you have not read any other China Bayles books, I can recommend Bloodroot. The book does not rely on past events in the series. This could very well be a standalone novel. The writing fits the mood of the book and the story fascinates as it unfolds. I enjoyed reading this and I found it to be the best in the series thus far.
January 23, 2020
If you are a murder mystery fan, you're likely to enjoy this book more than I did. It is well written overall, and has a mystery that eventually unfolds. Actually there are really several mysteries, some of which I guessed, some of which I didn't. I didn't care for some of the themes and the way certain characters could be highly cruel--again, I'm not much of a mystery fan, and often that is the case. I did have some specific irritations with descriptions. When I'm reading and form a mental picture of a scene and/or a neighborhood, I hate when the initial description doesn't include directions. For example, if a book has lines such as "as she drove down the narrow lane, the house appeared on her right", it helps me a lot. In this book, there were several places I either had trouble picturing, or I had pictured them in detail, then a character turned left toward the front of the house and the road, when in my mind it would have been to the right. Another complaint is that certain observations that appeared to be clues were left completely unresolved: not just red herrings, which would have had coincidental explanations, but things that must have been done by unidentified characters or ghosts, and just weren't addressed later. I picked this book up at the 10-cent sale of the local thrift shop, but will be avoiding murder mysteries for a while!
February 17, 2020
“...I could never know what compelled my great grandfather to do the terrible things he had done all those years ago. His motives were lost forever, as lost as the Old South to which he and his father had given their hearts.”
I love Pecan Springs Texas to bits but with this outing - the second foray our dear China Bayles takes beyond the city limits to solve her murder mystery de la livre - Susan Wittag Albert’s work returns true to the form of excellence promised in Rueful Death.
There are some problematic characteristics (cribbed from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil no less and the Internet makes its initial appearance in the series as time ticks on. People are starting to distinguish the ring tones of rotary phones vs more modern communication tools and DNA is up and coming in the detective’s arsenal of investigative tools) and there is some fumbling, well-meant syntax of the time but I am in awe of the courage Albert has to sail right up the heart of America’s darkness of racial injustice and sexual violence and how the land in the south came to be in the hands of some families and not others.
But, girl! Get yourself out of Mississippi. Never has East Texas looked so progressive, so welcoming, so
sane! It may not be good for the plot line, but it is good for the soul!
I love Pecan Springs Texas to bits but with this outing - the second foray our dear China Bayles takes beyond the city limits to solve her murder mystery de la livre - Susan Wittag Albert’s work returns true to the form of excellence promised in Rueful Death.
There are some problematic characteristics (cribbed from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil no less and the Internet makes its initial appearance in the series as time ticks on. People are starting to distinguish the ring tones of rotary phones vs more modern communication tools and DNA is up and coming in the detective’s arsenal of investigative tools) and there is some fumbling, well-meant syntax of the time but I am in awe of the courage Albert has to sail right up the heart of America’s darkness of racial injustice and sexual violence and how the land in the south came to be in the hands of some families and not others.
But, girl! Get yourself out of Mississippi. Never has East Texas looked so progressive, so welcoming, so
sane! It may not be good for the plot line, but it is good for the soul!
July 7, 2023
This was one of the books featured at my local library's "A Taste for Murder" program as part of their Adult Summer Reading Program. (Such a fun idea, honestly.) The passages read from this book were really interesting and I immediately checked it out as an audiobook because that's what was available. My mom and I listened to it on our recent road trip, buuut... I was disappointed. Many parts of the book felt so repetitive and made the book unnecessarily longer. I also feel like some of the language should be updated. I'll be honest- I'm not a huge fan of mystery, but it didn't even feel like the "mystery" in this book was really anything. I checked out a physical copy of the first book in this series the same night, so I'll give it a chance, but I'm not too hopeful. The most fun part of this book was listening to it with my mom and discussing our frustrations about it in the process. That's honestly the only reason I was able to finish it. Had I been reading a print copy on my own, I would have given up on it.
April 5, 2024
CAVEAT: I find that Albert’s writing can be off-putting. She often uses body-negative adjectives to describe characters. Many references to weight are used in the series in a disparaging manner. Her identifying terms do not put the person first, such as Slave versus Enslaved Person. When topics such as race or ethnicity arise, her vocabulary is a bit insensitive. I understand that these books were written a few decades ago, but I sometimes find myself wincing as I read.
However! If you can get past these awkward and unfortunate detractors, the China Bayles mysteries are fun and engaging. Bloodroot is an especially well-written story about family history, family secrets, and family sins. I am glad to see the series get back on track. After enduring two novella-length disappointments, I am glad to say that Bloodroot was a story worth reading.
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