Bleeding Hearts (China Bayles Series #14) by Susan Wittig Albert

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
In this China Bayles novel (Dead Man's Bones, A Dilly of a Death, et al.), the hardworking herbalist and former criminal defense attorney is faced with her most intriguing -- and disturbing -- case to date, as she struggles to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murder of a beloved high school football coach and the alleged suicide of a woman who was once one of his students.

Coach Tim Duffy's Pecan Springs high school football team has won the state championships two years in a row -- and in Texas, that makes him a demigod. But when China's stepson's principal asks her to conduct a sensitive investigation concerning accusations of sexual misconduct lodged against Duffy, she becomes embroiled in a dark drama that, if exposed, could destroy families and ruin lives. Statutory rape and cold-blooded murder are just the beginning of this mystery…

Amid the hundreds of amateur sleuth mystery series being published, Albert's China Bayles saga is noteworthy for two reasons. First, the books are a unique and highly entertaining blend of by-the-book investigatory procedure, new age sensibilities (Ouija board, tarot cards, etc.), and herbalistic knowledge. Second, the author employs a nearly poetic writing style. In this novel, for example, numerous bleeding heart symbols (the perennial herb, the Catholic icon, a bullet-riddled torso, etc.) subtly accentuate scenes and themes. Quirky, informative, and surprisingly profound, Albert's mysteries are an absolute delight to read -- head and shoulders above most other amateur whodunits. Paul Goat Allen

From the Publisher

When local football coach and hero Tim Duffy is accused of improper behavior, lawyer-turned-herbalist China Bayles investigates, following a trail of obsession and murder that may lead to her own doorstep.

Publishers Weekly

In Albert's engrossing 15th mystery to star China Bayles, herbalist, erstwhile lawyer and occasional gumshoe (after 2005's Dead Man's Bones), everyone in China's charming hometown of Pecan Springs, Tex., is stunned when the high school football coach, Tim Duffy, is murdered. The good coach, it turns out, had a nasty habit of getting sexually involved with teenage girls, and that criminal predilection led to his death. One of Duffy's victims had died recently, too, supposedly a suicide. Her case is reopened after the coach's predatory ways are discovered. Meanwhile, China stumbles onto a packet of letters written by her father years before, letters that reveal more about his past than she really wants to know. Albert's characterization is strong-China delights as ever, as does her wacky friend, Ruby Wilcox. Descriptions of delectable dishes (recipes included, of course) and tips about herbs add to the fun, but beware the prefatory author's note, which gives too much away. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

In Pecan Springs, Tex., football is king and Coach Tim Duffy is prince-but he may also be a sexual predator. Fully occupied with her herb shop, tea room and catering business, China Bayles, Esq. (Dead Man's Bones, 2005, etc.), is far from eager to investigate when the high-school principal calls her. An anonymous caller has accused Coach Duffy of sexual relationships with underage girls dating back to his days at Friendship High. So China goes to Friendship to talk to Margarita Lopez, whose daughter Angela was involved with the coach. The stakes escalate when Margarita reveals that after Angela departed for college in Pecan Springs, she was found dead, a supposed suicide. When the coach is murdered, China's stepson and his girlfriend, marked as Duffy's next victim, snap a picture of Margarita doing the deed. Should it all be hushed up when Margarita kills herself? Duffy's wife is the scion of an old Pecan Springs family whose roots in local affairs run deep. But when China's investigation reveals that Angela was murdered, the truth must be disclosed. Meantime, China's learned that she has a half-brother, son of their father's secretary, himself a lawyer in possession of letters indicating that their father may have been murdered. In addition, there's a hint that her best friend Ruby's boyfriend is not who he seems to be. China's followers will delight in the complicated relationships, recipes and historical flower information.

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