Mistletoe Man: 01/20/21

Mistletoe Man by Susan Wittig Albert is the ninth China Bayles mystery. China's new business, Thyme for Tea is booming. She's happily married now and enjoying being a step-mother. It's coming up on Christmas and she can't get enough mistletoe. Then her supplier ends up dead in an apparent hit and run!

The majority of this mystery is set on a former ranch which has been broken into smaller lots. The deceased was the original owner and lived at the top of the property. Friends (and suppliers of other things) of China live in the largest parcel. They are also the prime suspects.

I liked the confined setting. The landscape is a well defined space within the context of this mystery. It was a refreshing change after the last couple melodramatic volumes.

The mystery, while apparently straightforward has some nice surprises. There are enough red herrings to make things interesting but not so many to be confusing or ridiculous.

Readers who enjoyed this book might also like For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black (2020). The tenth book in this series is Bloodroot (2001).

Four stars

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