Rating: 
Summary: Not my favorite
Review: The China Bayles series is one of my favorites that I read. This entry is far from my favorite of the series but is still enjoyable.
China is attending, along with her best friend Ruby, an arts & crafts fair in a neighboring Texas town. That weekend the villian of town is murdered, apparently the victim of one of his own booby traps. Of course, China thinks differently and sets out to find the murderer. There are the usual cast of suspects, all residents of the small town and all with his/her own reason for wanting the man dead.
I am not for sure why I did not like this book as much as I usually like the entries in this series; maybe I felt it was a little too cookie-cutter than most of her previous books. But, it is still a cut above most of the books out today and I am still looking forward to reading the next book, A Dilly of a Death.
Rating: 
Summary: Herbally speaking, another good tale
Review: There's nothing like a good mystery to help content me on a wintry, dreary day. The joy of a good read includes a plot that is realistic, but escapist, and something new to learn. And Albert accomplishes all this with "Indigo Dying". She not only educates the reader as to natural dyes with the emphasis on the special relationship of indigo in mankind's history, but she explores a very real situation of the decline of small communities and the overpowering influence of corporate moneys.China Bayles has come a long way by this 11th volume of Albert's mysteries. And the devoted fan has learned a lot about herbs, of which Albert is well-versed indeed. China's struggle to find her own way as a business woman separate from her high-pressure days as a Houston attorney is well past. And she has a comfortable life with a successful business and partnership with Ruby, the New Age shop owner, and marriage with the former homicide cop, now university professor, McQuaid. She is settled into a way of life that should be free of the drama of murder, but it is not. And as she and Ruby head to the tiny burg of Indigo, Texas for an October festival to peddle their wares, she and her cohorts come face to face with very real conflict and dead bodies. The character development central to this story is decently thorough and nicely ties in old friends from China's college days to her present life. The new acquaintances, all part of her new life as an herbalist and business woman, certainly reflect the diversity of Texans who are seeking better lives away from the large cities. And China's very real feelings about her stepson also reflect the extended families that are common place today. One of the nice things about China's experiences is that she is so completely involved in living. And it is just great to enjoy her recipes and relationships, including the suspenseful elements of bringing the "bad" guys to justice. As a Texan, I find her fictional trails set among the real places of today's Texas very believable. Good reading. Can't wait to read "Dilly of a Death."
Rating:
Summary: Herbally speaking, another good tale
Review: There's nothing like a good mystery to help content me on a wintry, dreary day. The joy of a good read includes a plot that is realistic, but escapist, and something new to learn. And Albert accomplishes all this with "Indigo Dying". She not only educates the reader as to natural dyes with the emphasis on the special relationship of indigo in mankind's history, but she explores a very real situation of the decline of small communities and the overpowering influence of corporate moneys. China Bayles has come a long way by this 11th volume of Albert's mysteries. And the devoted fan has learned a lot about herbs, of which Albert is well-versed indeed. China's struggle to find her own way as a business woman separate from her high-pressure days as a Houston attorney is well past. And she has a comfortable life with a successful business and partnership with Ruby, the New Age shop owner, and marriage with the former homicide cop, now university professor, McQuaid. She is settled into a way of life that should be free of the drama of murder, but it is not. And as she and Ruby head to the tiny burg of Indigo, Texas for an October festival to peddle their wares, she and her cohorts come face to face with very real conflict and dead bodies. The character development central to this story is decently thorough and nicely ties in old friends from China's college days to her present life. The new acquaintances, all part of her new life as an herbalist and business woman, certainly reflect the diversity of Texans who are seeking better lives away from the large cities. And China's very real feelings about her stepson also reflect the extended families that are common place today. One of the nice things about China's experiences is that she is so completely involved in living. And it is just great to enjoy her recipes and relationships, including the suspenseful elements of bringing the "bad" guys to justice. As a Texan, I find her fictional trails set among the real places of today's Texas very believable. Good reading. Can't wait to read "Dilly of a Death."
Rating:
Summary: Best of the series
Review: This book is quite different than most of the others in the series. Even the theme is different because the book is written around the whole concept of natuaral dyeing. Plants are still a part of the story, but in a different way. In this book China and Ruby set out to save a small Texas town from dying. The local landowner wants to sell the mining rites to the land, and it didn't seem to matter to him that the land had people's houses and businesses on it. Needless to say, he was not a popular citizen and when he turns up dead, no one in the small town of Indigo seems to mind a bit, but then other things start heating up and another body is found that seems totally unrelated to the first murder, and China and Ruby, along with China's McQuaid are on the tail of a murderer. Not a bad little story.
Rating:
Summary: Small Texas Town Murder Mystery!
Review: This book is quite different than most of the others in the series. Even the theme is different because the book is written around the whole concept of natuaral dyeing. Plants are still a part of the story, but in a different way. In this book China and Ruby set out to save a small Texas town from dying. The local landowner wants to sell the mining rites to the land, and it didn't seem to matter to him that the land had people's houses and businesses on it. Needless to say, he was not a popular citizen and when he turns up dead, no one in the small town of Indigo seems to mind a bit, but then other things start heating up and another body is found that seems totally unrelated to the first murder, and China and Ruby, along with China's McQuaid are on the tail of a murderer. Not a bad little story.
Rating:
Summary: Indigo Dying
Review: This was the first book I read by Susan Wittig and I found it very interesting. She kept on track and also taught me something about dyes. I always enjoy a cozy mystery and this one was very interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not her best
Review: When China Bayles agrees to go to the small town of Indigo, Texas, to take part in the Colors to Dye For Workshop, she has no idea that not all of the dying will be in conjunction with the herbs she is supplying. The town is angry at Casey Ford, a crotchety old man who has decided to sell the mineral rights of his land to a strip mining operation which will virtually kill the town. When he is found dead, there are a number of suspects. The plot takes several twists and turns, as different
people's secret pasts are uncovered. Author Albert doesn't spend enough time on any of the characters to flesh them out so that the reader knows and cares about them. The emphasis on plot over characters makes this book less appealing to me than most of the other books in the series.
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