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 The China Bayles Mystery Series by Susan Wittig Albert
Character's Personality: China is 41 years old (in the first book). She is a brisk, no-nonsense, capable, independent middle-aged woman.
Character's Occupation: Herbalist and owner of herb shop. Used to be a lawyer.
Character's Culture / Ethnicity: unspecified white person
Character - Other Notable Traits:
Location and Time Period: Contemporary central Texas in the fictional town of Pecan Springs, halfway between Austin and San Antonio.
Mystery Subgenre: Cozy
Objectionable Material: Occasional profanity
Series Description: (brought to you by kat impatientreader.com) I've only read the first book, but this seems like a satisfying cozy mystery series that will appeal to gardeners, those who love small artsy towns, and those who dream of a creative career in midlife.
China gives up the rat-race of her youthful career as a lawyer, and moves to a tiny picturesque Texas town to open an herb shop. Her shop is located in a mini-mall of quirky boutiques so she has a recurring cast of eccentric neighbors showing up in each book: among them, her best friend Ruby who owns a metaphysical shop.
Her ex-cop boyfriend McQuaid provides law enforcement support to her amateur sleuthing as well as ongoing tension over whether or not she should relinquish her independence and marry him. Many of the murders in the series hinge on poisonous herbs, enabling China to show her herbal expertise.
Series List: Purple date = I've read it Title links go to Amazon.com product pages.
- Thyme of Death
 (1992) When the town activist Jo dies under suspicious circumstances, China starts investigating. The cops believe Jo killed herself because she had terminal cancer, but those who knew her find this out of character. Soon China has many suspects including Jo's obnoxious friend Roz who is a famous children's book author, a creepy doll-maker named Violet, Roz's agent Jane, and a land developer named Seidensticker. An interesting cozy mystery.
- Witches' Bane
 (1993)
- Hangman's Root
 (1994)
- Rosemary Remembered
 (1995)
- Rueful Death
 (1996)
- Love Lies Bleeding
 (1997)
- Chile Death
 (1998)
- Lavender Lies
 (1999)
- Mistletoe Man
 (2000)
- Bloodroot
 (2001)
- Indigo Dying
 (2003)
- A Dilly of a Death
 (2004)
- Dead Man's Bones
 (2005)
- Bleeding Hearts
 (2006)
- Spanish Dagger
 (2007)
- Nightshade
 (2008)
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