2015 Challenge, Books, Paperback

Dying for your Art : A review of Susan Wittig Albert’s Death Come Quickly

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One of the great things about paperbacks is that they can be a welcome distraction from the screen. They also are a great passage of time—I know, for example, that I will be able to look forward to a new China Bayles mystery each year and in a great, portable format. Enter Susan Wittig Albert’s Death Come Quickly.

When an unexpected attack (and eventual death) in a shopping center parking lot hits Pecan Springs, China Bayles gets sucked into a mystery, with dangerous implications. China must use all of her resources, both friend-wise and internal, in order to solve the mystery. Her journey will take her from her garden and store, to a local private museum and all the way to the law firm of an ex-lover. But, moreover, when many of her friends have commitments and are dealing with things on their own (including her own husband), China has to rely on her knowledge to get the job done and the mystery solved. However, she does get occasional assistance from her friend (and business partner) Ruby—and Ruby’s psychic. Will Chyna be able to solve the mystery before the killer thinks she is too close?

I love reading this series, and while I can see how the writing style may not be for everyone, this series is like meeting up with an old friend. It is also easy, with the way the series is written, to jump right in without having read other books in the series.

China’s latest mystery, dealing with a cold case and a documentary were interesting to me. However, I felt there were two major points that I kept going back and forth over. China’s exploration of possibly having children has been hashed and the line has been drawn in the sand in previous books. Also, the whole ex-lover thing. I did not feel comfortable in that situation, and it felt, to me, like China did not talk about it, despite it being a big issue, in my opinion.

Overall, I liked the story, and the cold case aspect. I felt like, however, the mystery was a little too easy to solve. The clues made me think of the ultimately guilty party much earlier than I would have thought. Also, the recipes in the back were pretty awesome, I look forward to passing them along.

Do you like mysteries? Why or Why Not? Please share in the comments.

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