Today I’ll be featuring another classic Cozy, one that has been recommended many times and, in this case, one that I have read before myself, though years ago at this point, titled Thyme of Death. This is the first book in Susan Wittig Albert‘s China Bayles Mystery Series, which has grown to not only be one of the longest-running mystery series on the site, but also one of the most influential regarding modern Cozies.
Published in 1992, this is definitely the precursor to what I would consider the modern Cozy Mystery. The protagonist, China Bayles, is a former lawyer from the “big city” – in this case, Houston. Hitting a midlife crisis in her late thirties, China decided to give up her law career and follow her old passion of herbal botany, moving to the small (fictional) town of Pecan Springs midway between San Antonio and Austin. Naturally, having made this move a few years ago, she’s already close friends with many of her eccentric neighbors.
All of this might be very standard in modern Cozies, but it wasn’t anywhere near as widespread back when this was released in the early ’90s. I would go so far as to say that this is one of the cornerstones of modern Cozies in general. There are some modern elements missing – a modern Cozy usually features a zany/free-spirited older relative, and I don’t think China ever spent childhood summers in Pecan Springs that she has come to idealize during her breakneck city career – but you can definitely see the blueprint of the modern Cozy quite clearly despite these variations.
One element from many modern Cozies that I don’t miss is that this particular novel gets to the crime very quickly, while many modern mysteries tend to move much more slowly into the crime element. One of the previously mentioned eccentric neighbors is discovered dead by her daughter and China is one of the first people she calls for consolation. Naturally, it turns out that there are plenty of people who might have wanted the dead woman gone, and serious questions about whether she committed suicide.
Despite having so many familiar modern elements, it also has its old-fashioned parts, at least by modern sensibilities. First, I will warn those who prefer their Cozies perfectly “clean” that this does include significantly more profanity than I would consider normal in a modern Cozy. There are also some relatively uncomfortable “real-life” influences that might be a bit less likely to be brought up in modern Cozies. In this case, the primary victim is currently undergoing depression due to her bad prognosis for her breast cancer, which causes the initial ruling of suicide that the police reach seem more plausible. Many of these elements would be less likely to be present in a modern Cozy – none of them bother me, but I did think I should bring it up for my more sensitive readers.
I will also say that I normally link Kindles in my image links because that is how I read books these days, but that is not what I would recommend here. The Kindle isn’t a particularly good transfer, with numerous formatting issues and errors in punctuation and other minor issues that I doubt are present in the paperback. So I would recommend against the Kindle version.
All told, I would strongly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an older Cozy, though be warned that compared to more modern, more sanitized Cozies, this is going to be a bit closer to “reality” than most of the comfort-food sort of Cozies of today.
Cheryl Marriage says
Love all of Albert’s books! I’m addition to her China Bayles mysteries, she writes the Darling Dahlias mysteries set in Depression era Alabama, the whimsical Beatrix Potter mysteries set in Victorian England, and collaborating with her husband, using the pseudonym Robin Paige, Victorian Mystery series also set in England. All are delighted & definitely merit rereading.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cheryl, I’m sure that sooner or later I’ll cover one or another of her other series as well!
Mary M-S says
Susan Wittig Albert’s books are delightful. I almost feel like the characters are comfortable old friends. I began reading her books in the early 90s and have read each one since. They’re wonderful, more enjoyable and not formulaic like many modern cozies.
Teressa Eastman says
One of my authors and series!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Teressa, it’s definitely a favorite of many, no doubt!
Todd says
The China Bayles series is one of my favorites. Try to read them in order. I’ve never been bored reading any of this series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Todd, I don’t remember it being particularly important to read in order, but it’s been a while since I’ve read the whole series.
stellans says
The China Bayles series is one of the first I read when becoming interested in women-centric mysteries. I must admit to being surprised at how well it’s held up to time, as several series I read at that time have not. Susan Wittig Albert is a good and prolific author, and I also enjoy her Darling Dahlias series, as well as the Edwardian Mystery series she wrote with her husband under the name Robin Paige.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Stellans, I definitely agree that it has passed the “test of time”, so to speak!
Alice Moreland says
I have read and enjoyed all of the books in this series since they began in the ’90s and have all except 3 on Kindle: Hangman’s Root, Witches’ Bane and Thyme of Death. I didn’t know Thyme of Death was ever on kindle; how disappointing that it was such a mess! Do you know if there are any plans to put these three on Kindle or, in the case of Thyme, back on kindle?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Alice, I don’t know – when I was looking for Thyme on Kindle a few months ago, it wasn’t available. I ended up picking it up about a week ago, but looking at the item through my order history, this particular Kindle version might already have been pulled. The link is giving me a “Product Not Found” page. Very strange.
Nancy E says
Thank you for this great review! I recently bought an old copy of Thyme and am looking forward to beginning the series. It was recommended to me by my sister-in-law.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Nancy, I hope you enjoy it!
mique capel says
LOVE YOU AND SUSAN AND CHINA BAYLES!!!! We are telepathic, I was going to write to you about her and that all the others that came after her felt a bit like deratives. Anyway i cherish my dear old hardcovers. And what about Harry and Sneaky Pie Brown by Rita Mae Brown….
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Mique, Rita Mae Brown is definitely another great “oldie but goodie” that is worth picking up!
M.P. Black says
Added to my TBR – thanks. Also, very interesting to read your comment about how older US cozies were less sanitized. I read cozies from the US and Britain, and have found that some British cozies have elements that wouldn’t be considered “mainstream cozy” in the US. But I haven’t made a scientific study of this. 😊 Have you noticed a difference between modern US and non-US cozies?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
M.P. I hope you enjoy it! And yes, as a general rule, I would say that US and non-US Cozies do have a bit of a different “feel” to them – and a bit less sanitization would definitely not surprise me for British Cozies. Though these days it feels like there are far more American Cozies than non-American.
Karen Shelton says
Susan Wittig Albert is a very good writer. I have thoroughly enjoyed her China Bayles series and I highly recommend them to others.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, I recommend them as well!
Melissa says
Love her books!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Melissa, so do I!
Bon says
I love that series and have read every on of the adventures of China Bayless and her family and friends.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bon, it’s definitely a classic!
Wendi says
I haven’t read any of these books yet. I’m definitely adding them to my list.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Wendi, I hope you enjoy them!
Karen Tabaka says
Been reading them in order I am up to date of the China Bayles and Darling Dalias books, Are there more coming in these series. Everyone I have recommended them too loved them also.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, unfortunately I don’t know of any new entries in either of these series coming up.
Wide-Eyed Jane says
I was happy to see this entry on Susan Wittig Albert. The China Bayles series is excellent, with a fun cast of neighbors and a growing family to follow over the years.
I also get such a kick out her Beatrix Potter series, set in Britain’s Lake Country shortly before WWI. In those, the mystery might be not so much investigating a death as figuring out why a haystack was moved. True definition of cozy! And her animal characters had me hooked!