Nightshade

February 18, 2008
Former attorney China Bayles, now the proprietor of a small herb shop in Pecan Springs, Tex., finally gets some answers to her questions about the death of her cold, distant father, who perished in a fiery car accident 16 years earlier, in the satisfying conclusion to a trilogy that began with Bleeding Hearts
and Spanish Dagger
, the preceding two books within Albert's long-running cozy series. When China's half-brother, Miles, hires China's husband, Mike McQuaid, a former homicide officer struggling to establish himself as a PI, to investigate the fatal crash, China isn't sure this is a good idea. Her reservations prove well founded after the secretive Miles turns out to have his own agenda. Fans will be pleased that by supplementing China's usual first-person narration with McQuaid's third-person perspective, Albert casts fresh light on his character and his relationship with China. Snippets of plant lore, mostly to do with the nightshade family, add spice.

In the latest in the China Bayles series, the former attorney, who is now the owner of an herb shop, and her husband, P.I. Mike McQuade, a former cop, investigate the sixteen-year mystery of the fiery death of China's father. Julia Gibson's portrayals of China and the various supporting characters are believable and well delivered. In particular, her tone and pacing are comfortable. Unlike the other books in the series, the story is not told only from China's point of view. Tom Stechschulte's delivery of McQuade's perspective provides an enjoyable contrast in the voice of the narrator. A.C.P. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine