"The ladies of the Darling Dahlias face two mysteries in this tale."
Reviewed by Leanne Davis
Posted December 1, 2012
Mystery
Set in Darling, Alabama during the Depression, Ms. Albert
has written a series filled with Southern charm and some
intriguing mysteries. THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE CONFEDERATE ROSE features two
mysteries. The Dahlias are a gardening club with a lot of
women who are widowed or single. Their gardening passion
brings them together but their friendship keeps them
working happily. Verna Tidwell, the treasurer of the
Dahlias, is also the assistant to the county probate clerk. When the current county treasurer dies, Mr. Scroggins is
given the charge of the treasurers office as well. Since
Mr. Scroggins is a mostly absentee employer, he delegates
all the responsibility to Verna. Not only is Verna
overworked, there is something wrong in the treasurers
office. There are numerous bank accounts and several of
them are in the county of another town. Verna hasn't had time
to determine what is going on when a state auditor appears.
Then a second one comes in. Before the report is returned,
Mr. Scroggins puts Verna on furlough and asks for her office
key. Verna turns to the her best friend, Liz Lacey for help. Liz
is the president of the Dahlias and she works for the only
lawyer in town. While all this is going on, Miss Rogers, the town librarian
and a Dahlia has the only memento of her grandmother's
destroyed by the tomcat taken in by one of the residents at
her boarding house. She turns to the owner of the boarding
house who discovers that the pillow whose cover has been
shredded has more secrets to expose. There are strange
symbols under the knitted cover. They go to Charlie
Dickens, the owner of the local paper for help. This was my first exposure to the series and I'm glad I got
to read this book. Ms. Albert has done a wonderful job of
capturing the unique characters of a small town and the
charms of living in a town where everyone knows everyone
else. There are some amusing vignettes of life in a small
town along with the history of the era. The mysteries were well plotted and kept my interest. The
characters were likable and enjoyable. Fans of Susan Wittig
Albert won't be disappointed. If this is your first
exposure, you will probably want to go back to the
beginning.
SUMMARY
National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to
the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the 1930s—and the
Darling Dahlias, the ladies of a garden club who aren’t
afraid to get their hands dirty solving mysteries…
Just in time for the Confederate Day celebration, the
Darling Dahlias are ready to plant Confederate roses along
the fence of the town cemetery. Of course, Miss Dorothy
Rogers, club member and town librarian, would be quick to
point out the plant is in fact a hibiscus.
The Confederate rose is not the only thing that is not what
it first appears to be in this small Southern town. Earle
Scroggins, the county treasurer, has got the sheriff
thinking that Scroggins' employee Verna Tidwell (also the
Darling Dahlias’ trusted treasurer) is behind a missing
$15,000. But Darling Dahlias president Liz Lacy is
determined to prove Verna is not a thief.
Meanwhile Miss Rogers has discovered her own mystery—what
appears to be a secret code embroidered under the cover of a
pillow, the only possession she has from her grandmother.
She enlists the help of a local newspaperman, who begins to
suspect the family heirloom may have larger significance.
With missing money, secret codes, and the very strange
behavior of one resident, Darling, Alabama, on the eve of
Confederate Day, is anything but a sleepy little town...
Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes
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