“The author of the popular China Bayles mysteries brings a small Southern town to life and vividly captures an era and culture—the Depression, segregation, class differences, the role of women in the South—with authentic period details. Her book fairly sizzles with the strength of the women of Darling.”
—Library Journal Starred Review

The eleven o’clock lady has always been one of garden club president Liz Lacy’s favorite spring wildflowers. The plant is so named because the white blossoms don’t open until the sun shines directly on them and wakes them up. But another Eleven O’Clock Lady is never going to wake up again. Rona Jean Hancock—a telephone switchboard operator who earned her nickname because her shift ended at eleven, when her nightlife was just beginning—has been found strangled with her own silk stocking in a very unladylike position.

Gossip sprouts like weeds in a small town, and Rona Jean’s wild reputation is fertile ground for speculation. As Sheriff Norris and the Darling Dahlias begin to sort through Rona Jean’s private affairs, it appears there may be a connection to some skullduggery at the local Civilian Conservation Corps camp. Working at the camp, garden club vice president Ophelia Snow digs around to get at the roots of the truth…before a killer pulls up stakes and gets away with murder.

Praise for The Darling Dahlias

“Albert does a beautiful job of blending a whodunit with a vivid portrait of an idyllic Depression-era Southern town.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Cozy fans will be delighted to learn that the prolific Albert—known for her clever puzzles, engaging characters, love of nature, and outstanding historic research—is debuting yet another exceptional series.”
—Booklist Starred Review

“This sweet book captures the true tone of a small town.”
—New Orleans Times-Picayune

“Excellent timely regional Depression Era mystery that brings to life the atmosphere of a period in which people are concerned over the economy that has left no chicken in almost any pot.”
—Follow The Clue