Susan Wittig Albert | 25 Years of China Bayles

This year marks the publication of the 25th China Bayles mystery, THE LAST CHANCE OLIVE RANCH. Gosh—it seems like yesterday when the first book, THYME OF DEATH, came out. But that was way back in 1992, the same year that Bill Clinton became president, Hurricane Andrew bulldozed across South Florida, and Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven cleaned up at the Oscars. To tell the truth, I never imagined that China and Ruby would be still be sleuthing, 25 books later. But I’m glad they are, for they’ve given me, as their partner-in-crime, many wonderful (and challenging) hours of writing fun.

Back in the day, those early China Bayles mysteries broke some new ground. For
one thing, regional mysteries were fairly new to readers, and I was a little
worried that a small town in the Texas Hill Country might not be appealing.
What’s more, China was a shop owner, an herbalist, and a gardener, the first of
her kind in the U.S. (British mystery author John Sherwood had already written
several books in his Celia Grant horticultural series but there were none in
America.) China’s mysteries were also among the first to feature recipes (Diane
Mott Davidson began doing this at about the same time). And China Bayles herself
was the first ex-lawyer (a criminal attorney) coupled with an ex-cop
boyfriend/husband.

To my mind, it was China’s background as a lawyer that made her different from
other female amateur sleuths—and still does. She’s had experience with lots of
different bad guys, which gives her an eye for criminals and a pretty strong
sense of who isn’t telling the truth. She knows the law and is trained to spot
the ways people—both bad guys and good—use the legal system to their advantage.
Her relationship with Mike McQuaid has given her an insight into the way cops
and professional investigators think and work, and her friendship with Sheila
Dawson, Pecan Springs’ first female chief of police, provides a strong
connection to local law enforcement. On the other hand, her longtime friendship
with highly-intuitive slightly-wacky Ruby Wilcox gives her a different view of
what’s going on.

And of course, the plants themselves made the series different back then, and still do. Herbs—used for good or for ill, wisely or ill-advisedly—are powerful medicine, and each of China’s adventures has taught me a great deal about the wide, wonderful world of plants. THE LAST CHANCE OLIVE RANCH is no exception. For while the olive has been a delicious and nutritious mainstay in diets across the centuries, science is only beginning to understand all of its medicinal properties. Olive oil (more accurately, the juice of the olive) has been used to prevent cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. It is reported to be beneficial in treating constipation, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and blood vessel problems associated with diabetes. Topically, olive oil is applied to the skin to ease minor burns and wounds. It has also been used as an important lubricant and as a fuel for lamps and other— But we won’t go into that. It might spoil the story for you. So I’ll just invite you to pour a cup of tea, grab a handful of your favorite cookies (maybe Ruby’s Hot Lips Cookie Crisps*), and settle in with THE LAST CHANCE OLIVE RANCH. It has all the elements that make China Bayles a true Texas original: an amateur sleuth with a green thumb and a serious nose for prime-thyme crime. I hope you enjoy it! *Ruby’s Hot Lips Cookie Crisps