Synopses & Reviews
National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the 1930swhere the Darling Dahlias, the colorful ladies of a garden club, are anything but shrinking violets when it comes to rooting out criminals
The Texas Star herselfMiss Lily Dare, the fastest woman in the world”is bringing her Dare Devils Flying Circus to Darling. Unfortunately, shes also bringing a whole lot of trouble. As the Dahlias prepare for the annual Watermelon Festivalwhere they will present the famous female aviatrix with her own Texas Star hibiscusrumors are flying.
Dahlias president Liz Lacy learns from newspaperman Charlie Dickens that Miss Dare has been threatened and her plane sabotaged. Apparently the bold and beautiful barnstormer has made plenty of enemies. And is it possible she may even be involved with the husband of one of Darlings local ladies?
And speaking of wings, the new cook at Myra Mays Darling Diner can fry a chicken and whip up a sweet potato meringue pie like nobodys business. But why is she keeping her past such a mystery?
As the Texas Star barnstorms into town, Liz and Verna Tidwell offer to help bring down a saboteur who may be propelled by revenge. Before its all over, there will be plenty of black eyes and dark secrets revealed
Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes!
Review
“Thompson vividly re-creates the gaslit world of old New York.”
Review
"Victoria Thompson SHINES...Anne Perry and Caleb Carr fans, rejoice!"
Review
"Thompson's Gaslight Mystery series provides a fascinating window into a bygone era."
Review
"Victoria Thompson has a knack for putting the reader inside her characters' heads and...[brings] the setting vividly to life."
Review
Praise for
Murder on Fifth Avenue and the Gaslight Mystery series:
“[A] mystery with some neat twists.”—Kirkus Reviews
“As always, Victoria Thompson has written a fast-paced, engrossing mystery full of historical accuracies so real that old New York City is brought vividly to life.”—The Mystery Reader
Sprinkled with fascinating details of turn-of-the-century New York City, Thompson's old-fashioned mystery takes the reader from the mansions of Fifth Avenue to the flophouses of the Lower East Side. Thompson vividly re-creates the gas-lit world of old New York."--Publishers Weekly
“Victoria Thompson delivers yet another charming turn-of-the-century murder mystery...Fascinating characters with a story to tell.”—Fresh Fiction
Review
PRAISE FOR THE DARLING DAHLIAS MYSTERIES “Captivating…Charming characters, a fast-paced plot, and a strong sense of history help make this a superior cozy.”—Publishers Weekly
“[Albert] hits all the right notes…The plots believable, the Southern color brims with authenticity, and the characters are charmingly and realistically drawn.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Cozy fans will be delighted…Another exceptional series.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Plenty of charm and period detail.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The author of the popular China Bayles Mysteries brings a small Southern town to life and vividly captures an era and culture—the Depression, segregation, class differences, the role of women in the South—with authentic period details. Her book fairly sizzles with the strength of the women of Darling.”—Library Journal
“As always in any [of] Susan Wittig Alberts series, including this one, the reader feels transplanted in time and place as the meticulous interwoven tidbits bring to life late 1930.”—The Mystery Gazette
“This sweet book captures the true tone of a small town.”—The Times-Picayune
Review
“Captivating…Charming characters, a fast-paced plot, and a strong sense of history help make this a superior cozy.”—
Publishers Weekly
“[Susan Wittig Albert], a master of the cozy mystery, fills her novels with vibrant local color that evokes a distant time and setting.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
Praise for the Darling Dahlias series:
“Cozy fans will be delighted…another exceptional series.” —Booklist (starred review)
“[Albert] hits all the right notes…The plots believable, the Southern color brims with authenticity, and the characters are charmingly and realistically drawn...Heres hoping the ladies have many more opportunities to dig into crime.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“The author of the popular China Bayles mysteries brings a small Southern town to life and vividly captures an era and culture—the Depression, segregation, class differences, the role of women in the South—with authentic period details. Her book fairly sizzles with the strength of the women of Darling.” —Library Journal
Review
PRAISE FOR THE DARLING DAHLIAS MYSTERIES “Captivating…Charming characters, a fast-paced plot, and a strong sense of history help make this a superior cozy.”—Publishers Weekly
“[Albert] hits all the right notes…The plots believable, the Southern color brims with authenticity, and the characters are charmingly and realistically drawn.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Cozy fans will be delighted…Another exceptional series.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Plenty of charm and period detail.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The author of the popular China Bayles Mysteries brings a small Southern town to life and vividly captures an era and culture—the Depression, segregation, class differences, the role of women in the South—with authentic period details. Her book fairly sizzles with the strength of the women of Darling.”—Library Journal
“As always in any [of] Susan Wittig Alberts series, including this one, the reader feels transplanted in time and place as the meticulous interwoven tidbits bring to life late 1930.”—The Mystery Gazette
“This sweet book captures the true tone of a small town.”—The Times-Picayune
Review
Praise for the Edgar® and Agatha award-nominated Gaslight Mysteries
“Tantalizing.”—Catherine Coulter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Backfire
“Victoria Thompson has a knack for putting the reader inside her characters heads and…[brings] the setting vividly to life.”—Kate Kingsbury, author of A Bicycle Built for Murder
“Victoria Thompson shines…Anne Perry and Caleb Carr fans, rejoice!”—Tamar Myers, national bestselling author of The Witch Doctor's Wife
“Fast-paced…Another Victorian page-turner!”—Robin Paige, national bestselling author of Death on the Lizard
“A fascinating window into a bygone era.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Vividly re-creates the gaslit world of old New York.”—Publishers Weekly
“Gangs of New York, eat your heart out—this book is the real thing.”—Mystery Scene
“Enthralling…Fascinating characters with a story to tell.”—Fresh Fiction
Synopsis
From the tenements to the town houses of nineteenth-century New York, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy never waiver in their mission to aid the innocent and apprehend the guilty. Now, the latest novel in the Edgar®-nominated Gaslight Mystery series finds Sarah and Malloy investigating the murder of a Knickerbocker club member who was made to pay his dues
Sarahs father, Felix Decker, takes his position in society seriously. He refuses to accept his daughters involvement with an Irish Catholic police detective. But when a member of his private clubthe exclusive Knickerbockeris murdered, Decker forms an uneasy alliance with Frank Malloy to solve the crime as discreetly as possible.
Malloy discovers that the deceasedChilton Devrieswas no gentleman. Hes left behind his own unofficial club of sorts, populated by everyone who despised him. As Malloy and Sarah sort through the suspects, it becomes clear to her that her father is evaluating more than the detectives investigative abilities, and that, on a personal level, there is much more at stake for Malloy than discovering who revoked Devries membershippermanently.
Synopsis
National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to small-town Darling, Alabama, in the 1930sand the Darling Dahlias, the ladies of a garden club who arent 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 town cemetery. Of course the plant is in fact a hibiscus.
The Confederate rose is not the only thing that is not what it first appears to be. Earle Scroggins, the county treasurer, has got the sheriff thinking that Verna Tidwell is behind a missing $15,000. But Darling Dahlias president Liz Lacy is determined to prove Verna is not a thief.
And club member Miss Rogers has discovered a secret code embroidered under the cover of a pillow that belonged to her grandmother. With missing money, mysterious messages, and the 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!
Synopsis
From the tenements to the town houses of nineteenth-century New York, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy never waiver in their mission to aid the innocent and apprehend the guilty. Now, the latest novel in the Edgar®-nominated series finds Sarah and Malloy investigating the murder of a Knickerbocker club member who was made to pay his dues… Sarah Brandt’s family is one of the oldest in New York City, and her father, Felix Decker, takes his position in society very seriously. He still refuses to resign himself to his daughter being involved with an Irish Catholic police detective. But when a member of his private club—the very exclusive Knickerbocker—is murdered, Decker forms an uneasy alliance with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to solve the crime as discreetly as possible.
Malloy soon discovers that despite his social standing, the deceased—Chilton Devries—was no gentleman. In fact, he’s left behind his own unofficial club of sorts, populated by everyone who despised him. As he and Sarah sort through the suspects, it becomes clear to her that her father is evaluating more than the detective’s investigative abilities, and that, on a personal level, there is much more at stake for Malloy than discovering who revoked Devries’ membership—permanently.
Synopsis
In this Gaslight Mystery from the national bestselling author of Murder in Murray Hill, midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy investigate foul play in the secretive high-society world of nineteenth-century New York City
In the midst of Sarah and Franks wedding preparations, Sarah accompanies her mother on a condolence call to the Upper West Side, where Charles Fairfax, the son of family friends, has died unexpectedly after suffering from a mysterious disease. It is a tragic and all too common storyor so it seems. Charless father asks to speak with Sarah privately. He believes his son was poisoned and would like Sarah and Frank to look into the matter with the utmost discretion.
Putting their own personal affairs on hold, Sarah and Frank soon learn that not everyone wants to know more about Charless death, particularly if he was murdered. As they unravel secrets that reach back to the War Between the States, they also discover that they are in the company of a very present danger
About the Author
Susan Wittig Albert grew up on a farm in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. A former professor of English and a university administrator and vice president, she is the author of the China Bayles Mysteries, the Darling Dahlias Mysteries, and the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. Some of her recent titles include Widow���s Tears, Cat���s Claw, The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose, and The Tale of Castle Cottage. She and her husband, Bill, coauthor a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the name Robin Paige, which includes such titles as Death at Glamis Castle and Death at Whitechapel.