China Bayles Books in Order
China Bayles is the protagonist of a mystery series by Susan Wittig Albert, a former big-city lawyer who opens an herb shop in the fictional small Texas town of Pecan Springs. Beginning with Thyme of Death (1992, an Agatha and Anthony Award nominee), the series follows China solving murders using her legal background and herbal knowledge, often alongside her friend Ruby Wilcox.
Publication order
In the order the books were originally released.
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Buy on Amazon1992 · Susan Wittig Albert
Ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles investigates when her friend Jo dies of an apparent suicide, looking behind the quaint facade of…
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Buy on Amazon1993 · Susan Wittig Albert
In the second China Bayles mystery, herb shop owner China is shocked when Halloween hijinks in Pecan Springs take a gruesome turn, ending in a brutal…
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Buy on Amazon1994 · Susan Wittig Albert
When an animal researcher is found hanged, herb shop owner China Bayles discovers her friend the Cat Lady is not the only one who wanted him dead.…
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Buy on Amazon1995 · Susan Wittig Albert
When her accountant Rosemary is killed, ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles finds a host of suspects including an abusive ex-husband and…
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Buy on Amazon1996 · Susan Wittig Albert
During a retreat at a Texas convent, herbalist China Bayles and her friend Maggie, a former nun, investigate the seemingly accidental death of the…
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Buy on Amazon1997 · Susan Wittig Albert
Ex-lawyer and herb-shop owner China Bayles investigates the shooting death of a retired Texas Ranger, killed with his wife's gun, while…
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Buy on Amazon1998 · Susan Wittig Albert
Ex-lawyer turned herbalist and amateur sleuth China Bayles attends a chili cookoff where a womanizing judge dies of an allergic reaction to peanuts,…
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Buy on Amazon1999 · Susan Wittig Albert
Texas herbalist China Bayles must set aside her upcoming wedding plans when a murder investigation entangles her friends and neighbors.
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Buy on Amazon2000 · Susan Wittig Albert
Former lawyer China Bayles has made her Texas herb shop and new tea room a success, but is distracted from celebrating by worry over her friend Ruby…
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Buy on Amazon2001 · Susan Wittig Albert
A frantic call from her mother brings herbalist China Bayles back to her family's Mississippi plantation, Jordan's Crossing, a place she had long…
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Buy on Amazon2003 · Susan Wittig Albert
Indigo Dying is a 2003 book by Susan Wittig Albert. It is book 11 of the series China Bayles.
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Buy on Amazon2004 · Susan Wittig Albert
China Bayles faces a pregnant houseguest and a husband turned amateur P.I. when Mike McQuaid takes on a case for Phoebe the Pickle Queen, whose plant…
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Buy on Amazon2005 · Susan Wittig Albert
When China Bayles's teenage son finds skeletal remains showing a not-so-accidental death during a cave dig, it coincides with the opening of a new…
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Buy on Amazon2006 · Susan Wittig Albert
When local football coach and hero Tim Duffy is accused of improper behavior, lawyer-turned-herbalist China Bayles investigates, following a trail of…
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Buy on Amazon2007 · Susan Wittig Albert
China Bayles is busy with her herb shop, catering business, and a paper-making class when her half-brother reopens the investigation into their…
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Buy on Amazon2008 · Susan Wittig Albert
China Bayles's herb shop and catering business thrive, but she is still reeling from her father's death and uninterested in her half-brother Miles's…
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Buy on Amazon2009 · Susan Wittig Albert
China Bayles visits a Kentucky Shaker village for rest, assisting with herbal workshops while the restored tourist attraction is plagued by…
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Buy on Amazon2010 · Susan Wittig Albert
China Bayles isn't happy when a Texas wind blows her husband's ex-wife, and the mother of China's stepson, into her herb shop. Sally, known for a…
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Buy on Amazon2011 · Susan Wittig Albert
Mourning Gloria is a 2011 book by Susan Wittig Albert. It is book 19 of the series China Bayles.
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Buy on Amazon2012 · Susan Wittig Albert
As the first female police chief in Pecan Springs, Texas, Sheila Dawson has cracked many mysteries in collaboration with local sleuth China Bayles.…
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Buy on Amazon2013 · Susan Wittig Albert
Widow's Tears is a 2013 book by Susan Wittig Albert. It is book 21 of the series China Bayles.
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Buy on Amazon2014 · Susan Wittig Albert
When China's and Ruby's friend Karen Prior is mugged and later dies, China suspects it wasn't random. Karen had been supervising a documentary about…
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Buy on Amazon2015 · Susan Wittig Albert
At Thanksgiving, China Bayles visits her mother Leatha and stepfather Sam, whose new bird-watching retreat venture is threatened by Sam's heart…
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Buy on Amazon2016 · Susan Wittig Albert
China Bayles aids nurse Kelly Kaufman, who is renting China's guest cottage amid a bitter divorce and has discovered suspicious practices, including…
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Buy on Amazon2017 · Susan Wittig Albert
The Last Chance Olive Ranch is a 2017 book by Susan Wittig Albert. It is book 25 of the series China Bayles.
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Buy on Amazon2018 · Susan Wittig Albert
Discovering a box of antique handcrafted lace and old photographs in the loft above her shop, China hears ghostly humming and smells lavender from an…
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2019 · Susan Wittig Albert
A Plain Vanilla Murder is a 2019 book by Susan Wittig Albert. It is book 27 of the series China Bayles.
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Buy on Amazon2021 · Susan Wittig Albert
Hemlock is a 2021 book by Susan Wittig Albert. It is book 28 of the series China Bayles.
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Buy on Amazon2024 · Susan Wittig Albert
Forget Me Never is a 2024 book by Susan Wittig Albert. It is book 29 of the series China Bayles.
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Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the China Bayles books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with “Thyme of Death”. Start with “Thyme of Death.”
How many books are in the China Bayles series?
We list 29 books by Susan Wittig Albert , published between 1992–2024.
Where can I buy the China Bayles books?
Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.