Nightshade

A China Bayles Mystery

By: Susan Wittig Albert

Narrated by: Julia Gibson, Tom Stechschulte

In this 16th entry in Susan Wittig Albert’s long-running mystery series, China is finally on the verge of finding out the truth about her father’s death. But her reservations about letting her half-brother, Miles, hire her husband prove all too accurate when she discovers Miles has a hidden agenda.

Crack another case with China Bayles.©2008 Susan Wittig Albert (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“Details of herbs and herbal remedies continue to flavor the always-intriguing plots.”(Booklist)

"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." (Publishers Weekly)

A Little Slow for Me...

I love the China Bayles series, but this book didn't move quickly enough for me in audio version. Maybe it is China's resistance to the idea of her father's murder that slows down the pace of this book. She remains so unconvinced by the clues staring her in the face (sorry, but I found her denial annoying) that the book actually takes on an unconvincing undertone. Or maybe it's the intermittent addition of the much older male reader for her husband McQuade, interrupting the natural flow of the book. I love, love narrator Julia Gibson -- she could read the phone book and make it pleasant -- but the McQuade chapters seemed to drag on, despite the male narrator's talent and timbre. His voice didn't seem to mesh with China's. The visual he invoked didn't work for me -- I guess I couldn't imagine them in a relationship. It's also one of the more serious books in the series ... I miss their light-hearted family moments. I miss the herb store. I miss the recipes.