The China Bayles Herbal Mysteries feature herbalist China Bayles, who abandoned her career as a hot-shot Houston criminal attorney to open an herb shop in Pecan Springs, a small Texas town located half-way between Austin and San Antonio.
China wants the things that many contemporary women seek: a quieter life, rewarding work, a close relationship, friends, and community.
Each of her mysteries has a signature herb that is connected to a major theme, and each is liberally sprinkled with information on growing and using herbs. The China Bayles novels have been praised for their intelligent plots, quirky and appealing characters, interesting settings, and strong writing.
China Bayles’ latest adventure takes her to the mountains of North Carolina, where her friend Dorothea Harper serves as the director and curator of the Hemlock House Library, a priceless collection of rare gardening books housed in a haunted mountainside mansion.
China Bayles and Pecan Springs police chief Sheila Dawson team up to solve a vanilla-flavored murder.
China and Ruby meet a former resident of Pecan Springs and delve into an intriguing mystery from the long-ago past.
China Bayles and Mike McQuaid spend an unsettling weekend settling a few old scores.
China comes to the aid of a nurse who ends up in the hospital and uncovers a complex case of fraud and murder…
This Thanksgiving, be grateful for China Bayles—who teams up with a game warden friend to solve a complex case of theft and murder.
An artful crime and a crafty criminal teach China Bayles and her friends that death comes in many colors.
The Storm of the Century helps Ruby find the key to the very special gift she inherited from her grandmother.
Police chief Sheila Dawson and China get snagged by several thorny mysteries. Life (and death) in Pecan Springs is never dull.
When a reporter gets involved too deeply with a story and disappears, China must find her–before she becomes headlines.
Bad-Penny Sally, McQuaid’s irrepressible ex, turns up in Pecan Springs–and turns a green Christmas blue.
China and her friend Martha Edmond visit a Kentucky Shaker village and are pulled into a deadly crime and a bitter history of loss.
China and McQuaid team up to solve a mystery and put an old family skeleton (and a very fresh corpse) to rest.
What happens when Ruby falls in love with a cloak-and-dagger man with a past life full of secrets?
The wrong kind of love leads to bleeding hearts, ruined lives, desperate fear—and murder.
The bones in a cave have a story to tell, and hold a clue from the past that could help China solve an urgent mystery in the present.
A dilly of a mystery, especially if you like pickles. And even if you don’t, you’re sure to smile (and maybe hiss) at China’s pickle jokes.
Colors to Dye For, a deep-dyed mystery, and a true-blue China & Ruby collaboration that helps to save historic Indigo from destruction.
Bloodroot takes China on a difficult journey into her past, and into the bloody roots of her family’s Southern history.
What’s Christmas without mistletoe? What’s life without Ruby? Join China as she faces both of these difficult questions.
China and McQuaid are finally getting married. Or are they? Mystery, murder, and a wet ‘n’ wild wedding.
A chile cookoff in Pecan Springs–the perfect setup for a murder. A firecracker of a mystery. Hot stuff, folks!
China discovers that the roots of avarice, ambition, and desire run deep. When even good cops go bad, it’s time to learn a tough lesson in love.
China learns about forgiveness and discovers some hard truths about her own limitations. Grace, forgiveness, and the mystery of community.
Something about the murder of an accountant just doesn’t add up for China Bayles.
A mystery with an attitude. Animal rights, academic politics, and murder—a potent mix that’s sure to brew up a pot of trouble.
China and Ruby discover that the supernatural isn’t funny, and that Halloween can call up a terrifying brand of evil.
China Bayles has fulfilled her dream of having her own herb shop. Will murder be her first customer?
Herbal recipes, crafts, gardening tips, remedies, and more. Make this special volume your very own personal calendar.
These are the China Bayles short mysteries originally written for the Country Living Gardener web site, complete with recipes, crafts, herb lore, and other herbal goodies!
