Book Cover excerpt: Ex-lawyer and current herbalist China Bayles has been called "a leader among female sleuths." (Publisher's Weekly) Now Susan Wittig Albert takes China on a trip down memory lane, where one fesh murder and a bunch of cold cases will force her to face her dark past...
China's herb shop and catering business may be thriving, but she's still reeling from the circumstances surrounding her father's death. Which means she isn't remotely interested in her half brother's investigation into those events. China's husband, on the other hand, has no such qualms about following Miles' lead and finding out more. And when fate forces her to get involved as well, China realizes it's time to bring the past to light---or else it will haunt her for the rest of her life.
But China and McQuaid discover that Miles may have been keeping as many secrets as he seemed determined to uncover---for starters, knowledge of the whereabouts of their father's wrecked car, a missing key piece of evidence. How deep do the layers of secrecy go? And who has a stake in concealing the truth after sixteen years?
Piecing together clues, China and McQuaid embark on what feels like a wild-goose chase, tracking down the evidence that might prove how several old cold case murders are related to her father's death. But the closer they get to untangling the story, the more China longs for answers to her past that she may never get...
Quotes:
p.31
Cass does not concern herself with calories and refuses to be defined by her dress size. "I am abundantly ready to enjoy life and all it has to offer," she says with a flourish. "I am a woman of substance, and I refuse to sell my sizable self short."
p121
The front of the house was screened by forsythia bushes---in the Far East, where the plant originated, the roots are boiled to treat bacterial and fungal infections---......
p.157
The fruit of the silver-leaf nightshade (Solanum elaegnifolium) is a berry tht is yellow or blackish when ripe. It was used by Southwestern Indians in making cheese. The berries were also used to treat sore throat and toothache. Nightshade berries mixed with cream have reportedly been used as a cure for poison ivy.
Wildflowers of Texas
Geyata Ajilvsgi
p.185
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an evergreen shrub in the Solanaceae family. It grows up to six feet in height inthe Mediterranean region, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India, and Pakistan. Its fruits, like the berries of other nightshades, have been used to coagulate milk in cheese-making.
Ashwagandha is widely used in Ayurvedic, Unani, and Middle Eastern traditional medicines, where it is regarded as an aphrodisiac, a rejuvenative and a panacea. Large doses of ashwagandha should not be used during pregnancy due to its actions as an abortifacient.
p.232
Hurriedly, I filled his bowl with dry dog food and added a spoonful of alfalfa powder and another of flaxseed oil---herbs that help him cope with arthritis and other ailments experienced by elderly bassets.
p.267
Nightshade Spa Secrets
For a skin-softening facial that will remove dead cells and restore the acid balance of your skin, try this tomato astringent scrub. Mix up to 3 tablespoons tomato juice with 1/8 cup of granulated sugar until it has the consistency of frosting. Pat the mixture onto your face and rub with gentle, circular motions. Rinse and pat dry.
Potatoes can make you beautiful, too. Puffy skin under your eyes? Cut six thin slices of potatoes. With a washcloth and cool water, moisten the skin around the eyes. Lie down, place three slices of potatoes over each eye, and fold the damp washcloth over them to hold them in place. Rest for ten minutes---when you get up, the skin will be tighter and feel much cooler.
Or try this old recipe for potato elbow-and-heel cream. Peel, cook, and mash one medium potato. Mix with 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and enough potato water to make a smooth, thick paste. Massage into rough elbows and heels; after ten minutes, rinse off. For rough skin on the feet, apply potato cream before going to bed, and put on a pair of cotton socks.
Ruby Wilcox's Spa Secrets.
The following: Nightshades: Nice---and Nasty will be on my aromatherapy and herb blog and the recipes on my recipe blog...I only copy them here to have handy for me...since this is from a library book due back and I want to read again...no copyright infringement intended. All comes from Susan Wittig Albert's book Nightshade and all copyright belongs to her.
I really enjoyed this book! It was a nail-biter, one to keep you up at night until you finish it. And I've read nearly all of her China Bayles' books (I missed one or two, but one is sitting on my couch and will be read when my library books are done, LOL). Of all of them, this one is my favorite so far... the author is getting better, and she wasn't anywhere near bad to start with! Other than the excerpt from the book cover, will give nothing else away, cause frankly, if you care, read the book!
I do foresee China's niece Caitlin showing up again in the future. And it would be kinda cool if she moved into the "neighborhood" so that she, Brian and Jake (Brian's girlfriend) could delve into their own mysteries, a la the Bobbsie Twins (spelling is wrong, I just know), Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, et al. Hey, maybe a new series for young adults? Cool idea.
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