Rating: 
Summary: This book made me a fan...
Review: As a mystery writer myself, I am very picky about the ones that I read--just personal tastes cropping up. This is the first China Bayles book I've read and I really enjoyed it. I have to say, this was the first mystery I've read in several months where I finished it in one day because it pulled me in so quickly. I am on my second China Bayles book now, and plan on reading the whole series. I like the characters, the writing is mature and the book well-written. Very well done.
Rating:
Summary: This book made me a fan...
Review: As a mystery writer myself, I am very picky about the ones that I read--just personal tastes cropping up. This is the first China Bayles book I've read and I really enjoyed it. I have to say, this was the first mystery I've read in several months where I finished it in one day because it pulled me in so quickly. I am on my second China Bayles book now, and plan on reading the whole series. I like the characters, the writing is mature and the book well-written. Very well done.
Rating:
Summary: CHINA'S SYNDROME
Review: As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I do my best to read a wide variety of mystery fiction to see which books succeed and which books fail in this literary genre. If a book fails, I'll never review it. There are already plenty of faceless reviewers who get their kicks panning books while hiding securely in cyberspace. Susan Wittig Albert's MISTLETOE MAN succeeds masterfully on its terms. China, a former lawyer, is operating an herb shop in a New Ageish Texas town. Her source for mistletoe gets murdered, and China, in conjunction with her assortment of friends and associates, set out to solve this cozy mystery. Ms. Albert's style is light and breezy. Her story is entertaining. I recommend MISTLETOE MAN highly.
Rating: 
Summary: China investigates the death of the mistletoe man
Review: China Bayles is in the middle of decorating her home for the holidays and is feeling overwhelmed with her new roles of wife and mother, and with opening up of a new tea room with her friend Ruby. As if this isn't enough, she's run out of wreaths and has to make a trip to the country to pick up new ones from the two sisters who make them for her. While she is visiting with them she discovers that they are having problems with their neighbor Carl who supplies China with mistletoe for her herb shop. She also discovers that they are caring for their elderly aunt, who thinks that she is being pursued by Klingons. When Carl is killed by a hit-and-run driver China suspects one of the neighbor woman hit him on purpose. Further complications occur when China's best friend Ruby, begins acting strangely and refuses to talk to China about what's bothering her. Her last problem is her new cook at the tea room, who seems to have a problem with larceny. Albert does her usual fine job of weaving a mystery around the professional and personal life of China Bayles. Although the killer seems to confess too easily to China in the end, this is still a good addition to the series.
Rating:
Summary: The death of China's mistletoe supplier opens a can of worms
Review: China's mistletoe supplier is a surly loner who raises goats in the Texas hills. He is found dead on the side of the road next to his brand new $20,000 truck. There seems to be many more mysteries around this neighborhood other than the identity of the murderer.As usual, Ms. Albert writes a really strong mystery with vivid and colorful characters. There is more than one mystery involved as well as China's worry over the strange behavior of her best friend Ruby. Great book, enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: I believe MISTLETOE MAN is the 9th in the China Bayles series that began with THYME OF DEATH. This is one of my favorite mystery authors -- she always creates strong charcterization and a good sense of place. By now each visit to Pecan Springs is a real treat for me, like visiting old, loving friends. And loving is really the theme of this tightly woven story. Loving sisters, loving an old "crazy" woman, loving spouses, loving children, loving pets, loving friends, loving life. This is one of the best examples of how the mystery itself is not the most important part of the book. It's the development of the ongoing story of the characters that keeps the series fresh and alive. In this case, a life-threatening illness brings out new feelings and responses in our familiar charcters. A lovely ending. One of the best books in the series so far.
Rating:
Summary: China Bayles mysteries are the best!
Review: I have had the pleasure to read the China Bayles' books from the first one through Misletoe Man. They just keep getting better! I haven't been this exited about any series of books ever. China and her friend, Ruby, are so real, they seem like old friends. I can't wait to read the newest in the series, Bloodroot. Besides being entertained by great mysteries, I'm also learning alot about herbs and their uses. Please, Ms. Albert, don't stop writing about China and her friends!!
Rating:
Summary: ENJOYABLE READ
Review: I have not been reading this series in order, probably a mistake, but have found the author makes it quite easy to follow the overall story line, nevertheless. This is an enjoyable read of the "cozy" sort and was simply fun. Ms Albert is a wonderful story teller. Her books, including this one, are filled with interesting facts, plants, cooking, etc. Overall, recommend this one highly and am looking forward to more. Thank you Ms. Albert!
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable China!
Review: I have read all the books in this series, in order, and that's the way I would recommend the series to anyone. I really like China and her friends. They seem like good old friends to me now after nine books. This is a really good example of a "cozy". Most of Ms. Albert's books in the series have had a lot more murder and mayhem with people getting shot and killed everywhere. That makes this one quite enjoyable. China can concentrate on solving the mystery, and not trying to dodge killers. I liked this book, but just the same, it is predictable. An astute reader will be able to pick up on Ruby's problem right away and maybe on the murderer too. Still I recommend this series. The characters that people these books are so very real, and I love them all.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent mystery with something for everyone.
Review: The China Bayles series offers the best of all worlds for mystery fans. China herself is no nonsense and tough talking (she calls her husband by his last name), with a background in criminal law and a circle of friends that include police chiefs, sheriffs, and Texas Rangers. But she's put the dog-eat-dog business world behind her to run an herb shop in the small Texas town of Pecan Springs, and she's just recently opened a tearoom with her best friend, Ruby. With Christmas approaching, business is booming, but then things start to go awry. China's mistletoe supplier, Carl Swenson, turns up dead by the side of the road, the victim of an apparent hit-and-run. The main suspects are Carl's next-door neighbors, the two Fletcher sisters, who happen to be China's good friends. And on top of all that, China's friendship with Ruby is suddenly strained by Ruby's odd behavior and insistence that nothing is wrong. This is an interesting mystery, with ample subplots and characters to keep a reader on her toes. China is a complicated character, and her life in Pecan Springs is fun to read about. This is the ninth book in the series (preceded by Lavender Lies), but Albert does an excellent job of making China's recurring involvement with mystery solving plausible. (It's difficult for long-running series to keep their amateur sleuths stumbling over crime in a realistic manner. Most authors don't manage it very well.) A thoroughly enjoyable Christmas mystery.
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