Let me preface this by saying that I really love all of the China Bayles books; however, this one was so boring that I stopped reading about 100 pages in. I don't know if it was the shifting narrative or the subject matter but I just could not read it. I sincerely hope the next book is better and back with the who Pecan Springs gang!

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I disliked the alternating point of view, switching back and forth from present time to a point in history in the 1800s. I did not feel that it added anything to the book; if anything, it detracted. I prefer Albert's "normal" writing style.

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I really enjoyed this China Bayles--it's out of the ordinary because it does not take place in Pecan Springs. Great read!

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"You ought to go," Ruby Wilcox said decidedly.

China Bayles, ex-lawyer and current herbalist, leaves her Texas home to travel with her friend, Martha, to a historic Shaker community in Kentucky. Martha is concerned about recent events at the village and needs China's investigating skills to help solve a mystery.

The book was written partly as a diary as written by the Shakers that lived there in the early 1900's. As always, I learn something new about herbs that I did not know. I read reviews where people did not like this form of writing. However, I found it quite interesting and will do a little more research on the Shakers and their use of herbs in the community.

An enjoyable read but I missed Ruby, McQuaid and the crew. A solid 4 star read.

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This was a good read, but not one of my favorites of Albert's. She used an interesting technique of intertwining the historical story with the modern day one, but none of the characters had much depth. It did offere information on Shakers that I never knew.

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