This book is the latest installment in the China Bayles mystery series. China used to be an attorney, but she's abandoned that life for very different one. She is now the proprietor of Thyme and Seasons, an herb shop located in Texas that sells everything from the herbs themselves to books explaining the herbs. In addition to her son, she and her husband McQuaid, now have custody of Caitlin (her niece) who has lost her parents in a tragic turn of events covered earlier in the series.

At the beginning of this book, China is quite taken by a local newspaper intern, Jessica; she seems intelligent and ambitious, but she thinks that Jessica may be hiding something. As an intern, Jessica covers smaller stories, but she is determined to get a bigger story as soon as possible. She gets her wish when China discovers a trailer outside of town that is ablaze, and it explodes with a woman inside it. As she calls the fire in, she can hear the woman inside calling for help. But before China can get to her, the trailer explodes, killing the woman inside.

Jessica gets assigned to do a human interest story on China and her discovery of the trailer fire. China soon discovers in the course of the interview that Jessica's "secret" is that her family (including her twin sister) was killed in a fire while Jessica was out of town several years ago. Because of this, Jessica soon turns her human interest assignment into more of an investigative one, despite China's warnings about getting too close to her subject and staying objective.

However, China soon wishes Jessica had listened to her warning because Jessica turns up missing. At first, Jessica's boss at the paper thinks it's just a matter of today's youth being irresponsible. But China has a hunch that something more sinister is afoot, and she begins to follow the trail Jessica was on.

I really liked the herbal information that kicked off each chapter, and I liked the way the author integrated information about herbs in the book without making the book read as a boring textbook. I'll admit that I'm not one for aromatherapy or herbal healing, but I loved learning about it here because of the way it was presented. The mystery itself was fun and interesting, and I found myself trying to solve it along with China (although she solved it first). I really enjoyed watching China interact with Caitlin and acclimating to her role as a mother to a daughter. The author has a knack for writing great dialogue, although I would preferred that the characters weren't referred to by nicknames so often (Smart Cookie, Blackie, etc.).

I can easily imagine myself becoming immersed in the world of China Bayles much more often, as well as becoming more interested in herbs as a result of this series.

Book Summary

Another herbal treat from national bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert. While Pecan Springs bustles back to life in the warmth of spring, one woman's life is tragically brought to an end. China Bayles happens upon a burning house trailer and hears a woman screaming for help. The evidence leaves no doubt that it's arson homicide. Jessica Nelson, an intern-reporter at the local paper, is assigned to cover the story. But she's gotten herself too deeply involved. When Jessica disappears, China is determined to find her, before she becomes headlines herself.