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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780425140987
ISBN number: 0425140989
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: March 01, 1994
Publishing house: Berkley
Sale Popularity Level: 95642
Studio: Berkley
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
When her friend Jo dies of an apparent suicide, ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles looks with suspicion upon the friendly faces of quaint Pecan Springs. Reissue.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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China Bayles gave up her high stress law practice in Austin, Texas, a few years ago
and came to quiet little Pecan Springs, a small touristy town in east Texas
and opened an herb shop. When China's friend Jo dies of an apparent
suicide, things just don't add up for China and her best friend, Ruby
Wilcox. With some determined sleuthing and a couple of strokes of sheer
luck, they uncover some old skeletons in Jo's closet that reach all the way
to New York City and Washington, D.C.
This series is comfortable enough and the characters interesting enough to
hold my interest, but there's really nothing about it that makes it stand
out for me. I found it just a bit irritating that Albert found it necessary
to describe in detail what each and every person was wearing in each and
every scene. I really don't care if someone's scarf matches their lipstick.
But other than that, it's an okay book.
Rated by buyers 
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This mystery just fell flat for me. The heroine, or protagonist, China Bayles was so contrived. I didn't relate to her at all, nor any of the other characters who seemed very wooden and one-dimensional to me. I forced myself to finish it because of the author's reputation. But I was still disappointed in the end. There was a bit of anti-gun sentiment that was gratuitous I didn't appreciate. I've been reading a few mystery novels lately, and and to my disappointment, the China Bayles/Wittig Albert one did not hold up. I still prefer authors Candace Robb, Aaron Elkins, Nancy Atherton & Elizabeth Peters for mysteries.
Rated by buyers -
Well, I finally did it. I jumped into yet another series of books that everyone said would have me hooked before I finished book one. Guess what? They were right.
I spent a couple of weeks (keep in mind I get to read a chapter every couple of days) reading THYME OF DEATH, the very first in the China Bayles mystery series written by Susan Wittig Albert. China is a really neat character, a little bit of fun wrapped up in a serious package.
The story comes together in a nice little homespun package of quirky characters and murderous double-dealing. What I like best about this book is that Ms. Wittig has a flair for the dramatic and this makes the story all the more fun to read.
With dead bodies popping up like weeds in a cleverly designed garden, Susan Wittig Albert's THYME OF DEATH is a breath of fresh air that is the beginning of what I can only assume is a mysterious bouquet of death and delight. I will be working my way through each one.
Rated by buyers 
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The very first book I read in this series was SPANISH DAGGER, which was published in 2007. DAGGER sent me back to this one, the very very first from 1992, and I was not disappointed. In fact, THYME OF DEATH proved to be a compelling and sophisticated page-turner. The themes are contemporary and relevant, and China Bayles and the city of Pecan Springs, Texas are very memorable.
Among other interesting layers of plot and character development, THYME OF DEATH speaks to the value we place in our friends and the close relationships we form with friends and family over time (relationships, in fact, are the heart of this whole story). It's a book that also encourages us to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us, and not wait until it is too late.
Albert's book also addresses contemporary social issues such as sexual identity; health and illness; celebrity fame, fortune and greed; and the environment, but never are these topics treated in a "preachy" way. Everything works together to keep the pages turning and the reader racing toward the satisfying end.
This is the second book I've read in this series in as many weeks, and I plan on reading all of them. I highly recommended this most interesting and well-plotted novel.
Rated by buyers -
The plot was fine and it did keep me reading until the end (I hate giving up on a book) but I really hate being hit over the head with the feminist, lesbian, do-gooder greenie stuff so I probably will not read another China Bayles mystery again.
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