Bloodroot (Paperback)

So not only does China have to find out whether this man died from being whacked with a cane by an old lady, but she also has to worry about whether her mother and her possibly have Huntington's. Not only does she solve the mystery, but in her family research she finds out the information that helps her to deal with all of this knowledge.

I would hate to see people do genealogy research because they are fearful of some disease. Family research should be done to find out information about what your ancestors did and accomplished. Huntington's disease is an awful disease that we still do not know a lot about...they are working on genetic therapy for it (replacement of genes) but still have a way to go. Everyone has 'problems' in their backgrounds, but it should not be approached in fear on the basis of a mystery. Enjoy the book, but take it with a grain of salt and a big dosage of knowledge.

As usual, the herbology is great and very interesting.

Karen Sadler

The strong female role that epitomizes China Bayles life in each of the novels Albert has written of her is now exposed at its roots, and we see a strong and successful female who precedes China and her mother in Aunt Tullie. But with each discovery of what really ails her aunt, China and her mother both have to face the likelihood that they will both face a similar fate, fighting a disease for which there is no known cure, a decline to death that brings on a tortuous end. The reader can't help but hope that part of the mystery will be solved and that there will be some reason why China will not inherit this fate.

With China displaced from her usual Texas base, she is not the business woman we usually encounter. Instead, she is the guest of her past and must face the close and haunting memories of her childhood, which come to her in dreams of vignettes played out in the moonlit grounds of her ancestor's home.

This is a good ol' Southern set mystery, not as violent as a James Lee Burke tale but nicely eerie. And the departure from the Texas setting is not disconcerting at all. "Bloodroot" just enriches the reader's understanding of China, who will appear in several more volumes of Albert's imaginings. Fun reading, suspenseful and poignant with good food in all the right places.

Her mother Leatha calls and asks her to come to come to Jordan's Crossing, the old family plantation in Mississippi. She will only tell her that Aunt Tullie might end up in jail if she doesn't come to help. China is no longer a practicing lawyer, but she gets Ruby to look after her herbal store Thyme and Seasons. She says goodbye to her husband McQuaid and his son Brian. Then takes off for Jordan's Crossing.

When she arrives, she finds that not only has Aunt Tullie aged in the years since China has seen here, but she is also not well. Sometimes she is fairly lucid, but not always.

Her mother tells her that Wiley showed up with what he claimed to be a deed to a portion of their land. No one seemed to be aware of this and Aunt Tullie got quite upset. Wiley hasn't been seen since. There are extenuating circumstances and then the Deputy gets involved in the search for Wiley.

China renews an old friendship with Darlene, who is now the cook at Jordan's Crossing. They start looking into things and find that there is more going on than just a deed. China starts reading Great-Grandmother Pearl's diary hoping to unlock some of the secrets.

China finds herself in many interesting situations and dealing with many feelings regarding her family and heritage. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more China Bayles mysteries. This book was very well written and the plot was masterfully crafted.

I highly recommend this book.