Bleeding Hearts

Death is always hard to understand and accept, but harder still when death is murder and when murder is done in the name of love. China's latest mystery takes her down a trail of bleeding hearts. Read the first chapter of Bleeding Hearts	Order from amazon.com Order from Barnes & Noble Order from your local independent bookseller

Here's what reviewers have to say about the China Bayles mysteries!

• "Quirky, enlightening and surprisingly profound, Albert's China Bayles mysteries are an absolute delight to read: head and shoulders above most other amateur whodunits." —Ransom Notes, Barnes & Noble
• "China's followers will delight in the complicated relationships, recipes and historical flower information." —Kirkus Reviews
• "China's warmth and sensitivity...endear her to readers, while her investigative skills make her a leader among female sleuths...A leisurely cozy with a Southwestern flair." —Publishers Weekly
• "A diabolically clever sleuth...China and Ruby make Batman and Robin look like amateurs." —Harriet Klausner
• "Add another fragrant bloom to the dozen already in the bouquet of Albert's herbal cozies." —Publishers Weekly

Discussion questions for Bleeding Hearts
Warning! Contains spoilers (plot hints).

Bleeding Heart Bleeding Heart (Dicentra sp.) is a shade-loving perennial herb, native to the Orient and happiest in cool, moist woodlands. The plant was once assigned to the Papaveraceae family (which also includes the opium poppy, from which morphine is derived). Now a member of the Fumariaceae, it has sedative and cardiovascular effects, lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Misused, it can be deadly. Bleeding Heart takes its name from its unique blossoms, which are shaped like delicate, dangling hearts in shades of red, pink, lavender, or white. In some forms, the red inner petals give the appearance of drops of blood. It has several cousins with descriptive common names: Mary’s Heart, Golden Eardrops, and Dutchman’s Breeches. Dicentra cucullaria, Bleeding Heart’s white-flowering cousin, was used by Menominee Indians as a powerful love charm and aphrodisiac. The blossom was thrown by a young man at the girl he fancied; if it hit her, she was bound to fall in love with him. The young man chewed the plant’s root and then breathed on the object of his affection. It was believed that the fragrance of his breath charmed her, even against her will.

Thirteenth book in the series: Dead Man's Bones

Fifteenth book in the series: Spanish Dagger

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