When ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles’s friend Jo dies of an apparent suicide, China looks behind the quaint façade of her new home of Pecan Springs, Texas, and takes a suspicious look at everyone. And though she finds lots of friendly faces, China is sure that one of them hides the heart of a killer. Nominated for both an Agatha and an Anthony Award, Susan Wittig Albert’s novels featuring China Bayles have won acclaim for their rich characterization and witty, suspenseful stories of crime and passion in small-town Texas.

When ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles’s friend Jo dies of an apparent suicide, China looks behind the quaint façade of her new home of Pecan Springs, Texas, and takes a suspicious look at everyone. And though she finds lots of friendly faces, China is sure that one of them hides the heart of a killer. Nominated for both an Agatha and an Anthony Award, Susan Wittig Albert’s novels featuring China Bayles have won acclaim for their rich characterization and witty, suspenseful stories of crime and passion in small-town Texas.