Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Queen Anne's Lace
Queen Anne's Lace
Queen Anne's Lace
Audiobook10 hours

Queen Anne's Lace

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

A present day ghost leads China Bayles to a secret from Pecan Springs's past in this haunting mystery from New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert. While helping Ruby Wilcox clean up the loft above their shops, China comes upon a box of antique handcrafted lace and old photographs. Following the discovery, she hears a woman humming an old Scottish ballad and smells the delicate scent of lavender.... Soon, strange happenings start to occur in Thyme and Seasons: misplaced items, a ringing bell, and the appearance of lavender sprigs in odd places. When a customer mentions seeing a mysterious woman picking flowers nearby and then suddenly disappearing, China must finally admit what Ruby has always known--their building is haunted. But by whom? As China investigates, the tragic story of a woman in one of the old photographs unfolds. Annie Laurie was a young widow who'd lost both her husband and her child in the same day. She manages to survive through her lace-making business and finds happiness again only to have a suspicious death overshadow her new life. China delves into Annie's century-old mystery and realizes that solving it could have unimaginable repercussions in the here and now.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 3, 2018
ISBN9781501994630
Queen Anne's Lace
Author

Susan Wittig Albert

Susan Wittig Albert is the New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred books. Her work includes four mystery series: China Bayles, the Darling Dahlias, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and the Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries. She has also published three award-winning historical novels as well as YA fiction, memoirs, and nonfiction. She and her husband live in Texas Hill Country, where she writes, gardens, and raises an assortment of barnyard creatures.

More audiobooks from Susan Wittig Albert

Related to Queen Anne's Lace

Titles in the series (18)

View More

Related audiobooks

Cozy Mysteries For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Queen Anne's Lace

Rating: 3.9047619047619047 out of 5 stars
4/5

42 ratings4 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved the historical element in this book and the split time periods. One of my favorites in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this one! It alternated the story line between the 1880's and the present day in Pecan Springs, TX. While clearing an old store room on the upper level of her historic building, China and Ruby find a box of antique lace and another of Victorian Era photos. And a ghost. A ghost with an agenda. And China absolutely, totally does not believe in ghosts! Fun!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A strong entry in the series. China feels the presence of a ghost in her shop after cleaning out a store room. Parallel stories uncover a long ago family and details about herbal contraception in the late 1880’s. Very sympathetic characters and the herbal detail very interesting.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I am a huge fan of the China Bayles series, and this book is the latest in this long-running series. It is a totally different book than the others in the series. All the previous books (25 in all) have very tricky and intricate mysteries, with lots of sidebars with China's very quirky friends. There is always lots of herb lore, and usually some very nice recipes too. This book had these last two, but there wasn't much mystery here. The book is written in the present and then every other chapter is a throwback to the late 17 century. The glue that binds the two storylines is the building where China has her herb shop. The stone building where she and Ruby house their businesses is two-hundred years old and China is delving into the history of the building as she slowly opens up different areas within the structure. China is usually very level-headed and forthright, but in this book she thinks that she is being haunted by a persistent ghostly presence within her shop. The bell above her entry door keeps ringing and no one is there to come in. Things get moved around on her bulletin board, and she hears humming and feels cold drafts in unusual places. As she searches, she finds the story about her house and the woman who lived in it just after it was built. As we read we see the actual happenings from the 17 century in the throw-back chapters. I missed the mystery, and I missed China's quirky friends. We only see Ruby Wilcox briefly in different places throughout the book. It was an ok book, but I wouldn't like to have someone read it as their first China Bayles' book because it would give them a totally wrong idea about what the other 25 books in the series are like. I would call this a good filler book since it gives us the history of China's building, and there were some very interesting nuggets of information about early pioneer methods of contraception, and the role that herbs played in health and wellness back then.