AN Unthymely Death

by Susan Wittig Albert

Book Overview

Now readers can join China Bayles in ten puzzling cases--and get a taste of her world. This delightful collection features loads of wonderful herbal tidbits on everything from rosemary to feverfew to catnip; recipes for such to-die-for dishes as a Deadly Chocolate Valentine, Ruby's Applesauce Mint Bread, China's Five-Spice Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry, and McQuaid's Tex Mex-and a host of creative ideas for garden and home. It's a one-of-a-kind collection...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425190021
• ISBN13: 9780425190029
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Scrumptious Mysteries and Tasty Tid-Bits...Double Your Reading Pleasure,

"An Unthymely Death, and other Garden Mysteries" by Susan Wittig Albert has ten of the China Bayles scrumptious mysteries to have fun with. The short stories have China and pal Ruby Wilcox sleuthing mysterious happenings in their little town of Pecan Springs, Texas. All cleverly involve some sort of herb, flower or food, as China an ex lawyer,and Ruby run the specialty shops "Thyme and Season Herbs" and "The Crystal Cave"( a new age shop) respectively, along with a joint venture, "Thyme for Tea", a lovely little tea room. These gals get sidetracked by all kinds of strange goings-on. They solve the crimes and save the day for many of the town's residents, filled with specialty gardeners and wonderful cooks. Finding the answers to murders, thefts, missing people, and sinister plots, are all part of a day's work for these two. Even the local police turn to them for help. The stories are deliciously fun and always have spicy, quirky, and well named characters. The theme of each story always stars some herb or spice, flower or food as the main character, and often have a seasonal twist. These tasty little stories include: "An Unthymely Death", "The Khat Who Became a Hero"(China's cat is missing, and has left it's trail through the town gardens), The Rosemary Caper", "Ivy's wild, Wonderful Weeds", "Death of a Rustler", "Mustard Madness"(this was a fun story of 2 old geezers who competed every year for the best made mustard", "The Pennyroyal Plot", "A Violet Death" , "A Deadly Chocolate Valentine", and "Bloom Where You Are Planted". Each a great way to pass the time, and try to follow the clues along with China and Ruby. There is more to this book though, then these fun, light mystery stories. The fabulous gems to be found within these pages are all the flavorful side bars and tid-bits sprinkled through the stories that Ms. Albert has included. Tantalizing recipes, used by the characters in the stories; Curry and Cardamom Cookies, Genevieve Shultz's Grilled Chicken with Rosemary-Mustard Marinade, Myra Merryweather's Rosemary and Ripe Olive Pesto and Cordially Yours: Ruby's Cranberry-Orange Cordial are just a few among them that may make your mouth water, and get you all kinds of kudos for your cooking, all using home-grown herbs, seeds, fruits, etc. You'll also find many many gardening tips, craft ideas, lore and history relating to healing herbs and dozens of other sweet ideas and natural remedies! 10 delicious stories with bonus tips on page after page....solve the crimes along with China and then enjoy some of the tasty tid-bits inside!....Enjoy.....Laurie

Scrumptious Mysteries and Tasty Tid-Bits...Double Your Reading Pleasure

"An Unthymely Death, and other Garden Mysteries" by Susan Wittig Albert has ten of the China Bayles scrumptious mysteries to have fun with. The short stories have China and pal Ruby Wilcox sleuthing mysterious happenings in their little town of Pecan Springs, Texas. All cleverly involve some sort of herb, flower or food, as China an ex lawyer,and Ruby run the specialty shops "Thyme and Season Herbs" and "The Crystal Cave"( a new age shop) respectively, along with a joint venture, "Thyme for Tea", a lovely little tea room. These gals get sidetracked by all kinds of strange goings-on. They solve the crimes and save the day for many of the town's residents, filled with specialty gardeners and wonderful cooks. Finding the answers to murders, thefts, missing people, and sinister plots, are all part of a day's work for these two. Even the local police turn to them for help. The stories are deliciously fun and always have spicy, quirky, and well named characters. The theme of each story always stars some herb or spice, flower or food as the main character, and often have a seasonal twist. These tasty little stories include: "An Unthymely Death", "The Khat Who Became a Hero"(China's cat is missing, and has left it's trail through the town gardens), The Rosemary Caper", "Ivy's wild, Wonderful Weeds", "Death of a Rustler", "Mustard Madness"(this was a fun story of 2 old geezers who competed every year for the best made mustard", "The Pennyroyal Plot", "A Violet Death" , "A Deadly Chocolate Valentine", and "Bloom Where You Are Planted". Each a great way to pass the time, and try to follow the clues along with China and Ruby. There is more to this book though, then these fun, light mystery stories. The fabulous gems to be found within these pages are all the flavorful side bars and tid-bits sprinkled through the stories that Ms. Albert has included. Tantalizing recipes, used by the characters in the stories; Curry and Cardamom Cookies, Genevieve Shultz's Grilled Chicken with Rosemary-Mustard Marinade, Myra Merryweather's Rosemary and Ripe Olive Pesto and Cordially Yours: Ruby's Cranberry-Orange Cordial are just a few among them that may make your mouth water, and get you all kinds of kudos for your cooking, all using home-grown herbs, seeds, fruits, etc. You'll also find many many gardening tips, craft ideas, lore and history relating to healing herbs and dozens of other sweet ideas and natural remedies! 10 delicious stories with bonus tips on page after page....solve the crimes along with China and then enjoy some of the tasty tid-bits inside!....Enjoy.....Laurie

A "must have" for any China Bayles fan!

I have just discovered the wonderful novels by Susan Wittig Albert, and I am playing catch-up trying to read all the past installment of the China Bayles saga.Imagine my delight upon finding this delightful collection of short stories. I love that these stories are a great deal more light-hearted than the usual serious themes found in the book length tales. Albert features all the familiar characters from her series, including China, her best friend Ruby, police chief Shelia Dawson, and of course, China's new husband Mike McQuaid. She also brings in a few new characters that have not appeared in any previously published mysteries to join in the fun.I also love the many herbal tips and recipes that appear sprinkled throughout the book.For fans of Albert's series, this collection is a "must have"!

Such a comfortable read

I have enjoyed all of the previous "herb" books and am not usually a fan of short stories. This collection is wonderful, though. and it goes great with a pot or glass of tea, a comfortable chair, and quiet time. I recommend this for your vacation reading list.

strong China Bayles mysteries

Fans of the China Bayles mysteries, staring a former lawyer turned herbalist and restaurant owner, have a special treat in store for them this time around. Author Susan Wittig Albert has written a ten-story collection starring the protagonist doing what she does best: solve crimes. Readers are also introduced to her best friend and business partner Ruby Wilcox, who often plays the part of the sidekick and China's beloved husband, former homicide detective Mike McQuaid, who still can't resist taking part in a criminal invitation.In addition to the stories, each one exciting and fast-paced, the reader is introduced to herbal lore and some mouth-watering meals using herbs found in China's very own garden. The short story format is just as potent as the novel length tales that fans expect from Ms. Albert. For fans this is a treat but for newcomers this is a delightful introduction to one of the more endearing mystery genre characters.Harriet Klausner