A decent mystery with moderately interesting characters. China is a world-class butt-insky, but nobody seems to mind too much. She and her former-cop husband are given a lot of leeway by the new sheriff and help to solve the murder of an unpopular neighbor. The friendshio between China and Ruby is nicely drawn, but more could have been done with most of the characters to make us care what happens to them. ( )

A Christmas China Bayles mystery. China’s supplier of Mistloe is found dead, and China gets caught up in the case. Meanwhile, on the personal front, her best friend is keeping a secret. Fun galore with Christmas just around the corner in Pecan Springs!

This is a good, engaging mystery with a real Christmas atmosphere. I think it would be double as good when read during Christmas time, but don’t let that stop you from reading it sooner (or later)! Highly recommended, just like the rest of the series! ( )

Carl Swenson is known around Pecan Springs as the Mistletoe Man, because his
one consistent cash crop is the mistletoe that grows wild on his huge ranch.
He raises a few goats and has more than one feud going with the neighbors,
but the hottest one is with the Fletcher sisters, Donna and Terry, who
bought 200 acres from Carl and have developed a small profitable flower
growing business there. When Carl is found lying in a ditch in front of his
property, the obvious victim of a hit and run, Blackie, the local sheriff,
isn't so sure it's an accident. Suspicion falls on the Fletcher women, the
sisters and their eccentric elderly Aunt Velda, whose tales of being
abducted by Klingons are tolerated with a smile by any who listen. China
knows there is more here than meets the eye, and she engages the help of her
good friend and business partner, Ruby, hoping to distract her best friend
from a personal problem that threatens to consume her.

This episode in the series moves the backstory along nicely and provides a
nice little mystery to go along with it. I had it figured out fairly early
on, but that hardly mattered because I enjoy visiting the folks in Pecan
Springs once in a while. 4 ( )