Bleeding Hearts

February 27, 2006
In Albert's engrossing 15th mystery to star China Bayles, herbalist, erstwhile lawyer and occasional gumshoe (after 2005's Dead Man's Bones
), everyone in China's charming hometown of Pecan Springs, Tex., is stunned when the high school football coach, Tim Duffy, is murdered. The good coach, it turns out, had a nasty habit of getting sexually involved with teenage girls, and that criminal predilection led to his death. One of Duffy's victims had died recently, too, supposedly a suicide. Her case is reopened after the coach's predatory ways are discovered. Meanwhile, China stumbles onto a packet of letters written by her father years before, letters that reveal more about his past than she really wants to know. Albert's characterization is strong—China delights as ever, as does her wacky friend, Ruby Wilcox. Descriptions of delectable dishes (recipes included, of course) and tips about herbs add to the fun, but beware the prefatory author's note, which gives too much away.

China Bayles, lawyer turned herbalist, once again dusts off her sleuthing skills in Albert's entertaining mystery series. When the charming and successful high school football coach in China's Texas town turns up with a bullet in his heart, China begins to ask questions. Narrator Julia Gibson does justice to Albert's rich characters, especially the capable yet emotionally vulnerable China. Gibson portrays China with a firm voice that is soft around the edges. Gibson also captures Albert's take on Texan characters--with their stereotypical penchants for beautiful socialites and successful football coaches. She sensitively portrays a confused teenager who is involved with the football coach and adds color to China's wacky circle of friends. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine