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    Holly Blues
    Holly Blues
    Holly Blues
    Audiobook9 hours

    Holly Blues

    Written by Susan Wittig Albert

    Narrated by Julia Gibson and Tom Stechschulte

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Author Susan Wittig Albert turns up the suspense in her China Bayles mystery series. Just as the holiday season begins, so does the drama, when her husband's ex-wife Sally appears begging for help and a place to stay. 'Tis the season of giving, so China opens her home to Sally. But when troubling phone calls start, China knows she'll need to dig up the truth before Christmas turns deadly.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 28, 2010
    ISBN9781449808686
    Holly Blues
    Author

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Susan Wittig Albert is the New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred books. Her work includes four mystery series: China Bayles, the Darling Dahlias, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and the Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries. She has also published three award-winning historical novels as well as YA fiction, memoirs, and nonfiction. She and her husband live in Texas Hill Country, where she writes, gardens, and raises an assortment of barnyard creatures.

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    Reviews for Holly Blues

    3.5/5

    88 ratings5 reviews

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    • 5/5
      There are a handful of authors whom I count on to produce a great mystery every time. Susan Witig Albert is one of them.In Holly Blues, China Bayles agrees to let hubby McQuaid's ex-wife stay at their home for the holidays. Sally is Trouble with a capital T. But she is Brian's mother, and she claims to be homeless and without money. But the truth about Sally's situation is much more complicated than she claims and soon China realizes all of them are in danger. With McQuaid out of state on a PI assignment, China and her friend Ruby are on their own to figure out what's happening and do what they can do to keep everybody safe.I like everything about Susan Wittig Albert's writing style. She never falls into the traps that some of her fellow writers of amateur sleuths do. The way China avoids some of the stupidity that seems to dog other female detectives is totally refreshing. China may get in trouble, but it's not because she is unaware of or oblivious to the dangers surrounding her. I like SMART heroines and China is among the best.04/25/2010
    • 4/5
      Per usual I couldn't figure out the who done it until the end… but even if it should be easy for me, the best part of these books are the vivid descriptions of the plants and landscape involved in the story written by this author. That is why, even though I'm a few behind , I will continue to read this series and want the next one as I finish each one!
    • 4/5
      I love these mysteries. There is always a lot of herbal lore and some great recipes included.
    • 5/5
      “…let’s take time out for introductions. Some of you already know me and have visited my shop a dozen times or more. Others—well, maybe this is your first visit, and you haven’t a clue to who we are or what we’re talking about. So, my name is China Bayles.”One of the best parts of Holly Blues, or any of the China Bayles series, is the warm welcome. The reader is immediately drawn into the world of Pecan Springs, China, McQuaid, Ruby, and all of the other folks in this small Texas Hill Country town. Since there is inevitably a time span between releases, this serves to refresh the memory of the regular China Bayles reader; and, if this is the first of the series the reader has picked up—heaven forbid!—there is enough background given that this could be read as a stand-alone book. A very nice touch!As one might suspect from the title, this story finds China and companions ready to celebrate Christmas. Times are hard in Pecan Springs, as elsewhere in the country, and China is working extra at her herbal shop to bring in much needed revenue. Hubby McQuaid, a private investigator, is off to Omaha despite the calendar, also trying to make the most of every money-making opportunity. At this busiest of times, who should show up but the troublesome Sally, McQuaid’s ex-wife and definitely not one of China’s favorite people. Still, it is the holiday season and China does her best to make Sally feel welcome.As usual, Sally brings mayhem in her wake, adding murder, threatening phone calls, and tragedy to her list of companions this time. Once again, China, McQuaid, and Ruby have to pool their myriad and varied skills to solve old and new mysteries. The holidays may pass them by if these mysteries and murders aren’t solved quicker than they can say “Grinch”. It’s tough work, but this team is up to the challenge, using McQuaid’s connections, Ruby’s sometimes far-out ideas, and China’s lawyerly and problem-solving skills.With this book came for me the realization that China has grown in depth of character since the beginning of the series. She has always been a strong and competent woman, a good friend, wife, and business woman. Here, there is softening and mellowing. From a woman who was not sure how to even relate to Brian, her stepson, China has opened her arms and her heart to her orphaned niece, Caitie, reveling in her hugs and cuddles, thankful that they can provide a loving and stable home for her. China seems more rounded and multi-faceted now and the change is pleasant to see.Just as China and McQuaid have to tough out the hard economic times, they have to learn to cope with a changing landscape. Showing that she is environmentally aware far beyond Pecan Springs and her own gardens, China laments the urban sprawl taking over her part of Texas describing it as “…an ugly octopus of supersized, overpriced McMansions.” As always, Albert’s keen descriptions of place are detailed and right on, be it familiar Pecan Springs, or snowy Omaha. Her research comes shining through, and is another reason her books are so enjoyable to read.Instead of letting an established series turn stale, Albert has used her considerable skills and imagination to give the reader yet another thriller, with fresh ideas, up-to-date methodology, current social commentary and new depth to her characters and story line. I’ll be waiting anxiously for the next installment!I received a copy of this book for review from the author, publisher, or publicist.
    • 4/5
      But not the best in the series. I still enjoyed it. It is a book set around Christmas and I'm reading it in May so that was a little different. I think this would be a pretty good holiday mystery and I may have enjoyed it more if I read it in December. The book isn't much of a mystery but there is quite a bit going on with the arrival of McQuade's ex-wife in Pecan Springs. She has come to ask to stay at China and Mike's house in order to visit her son, but she appears to have secrets that China finds out are pretty deadly. Her arrival brings up the question of a cold case which involved the death of Sally's parents some ten years earlier. China and Ruby set out to find out what happened and to stop a killer. All my beloved characters are here and that is why I love this series so much. Even the inimitable Basset Hound - Howard Cosell plays a big role in the book. I always love another visit to Pecan Springs with China and her gang.