Review: Chile Death

Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars. China Bayles is back to continue her story. While her fiance Mike McQuaid is recovering from being shot and having to do physical therapy, there's still a chance that he might not ever walk again. China is standing by his side.

Mike is asked to be a judge in the town's chili cook-off, he's at first reluctant to do it because he's afraid that everyone will stare at him, feel sorry for him, but China encourages him to do it. She's already going to be there since she's going to be writing a story for the local newspaper about the cook-off, gathering the recipes from the contestants, and incorporating about the peppers and other spices and herbs that people put in their chili. Once they arrive, Jerry Jeff Cody another judge for the contest comes to talk to Mike about a problem that he is having, someone is threatening his life. Mike and China think that he's making it up since he's in the middle of a divorce and his soon to be ex-wife is trying to get more than her fair share. While Jerry Jeff is telling Mike and China why he feels his life is endanger, his soon to be ex walks up and starts threatening him with the assumption that she knows where he's hiding his money that he hasn't disclosed to the lawyers. Before she leaves she tells him that she will be getting more than he's willing to part with over his dead body.

Once the judging of the contest start Jerry Jeff start choking and the other judges think he acting like the chili is way to hot for him, soon he collapses and it's Mike that steps in and tells them to call the ambulance. Jerry Jeff is dead.

Naturally China starts her own investigation along with Mike and her trusted side kick Ruby. But while China is helping with Jerry Jeff's case, a nurse at the nursing home where Mike is recovering comes to her and asks for her help, since China is an ex-lawyer. The nurse explains about a situation that she saw between the nursing homes director and another patient. China gets involved with that as well, and she gets Mike to help her since he's recuperating there. China has her hands full with these two case and trying to keep Mike's spirits up and she knows that with him helping it will make him feel more useful.

The author has a way of pulling you into the story and keeping you entertained all the while your trying to figure out who the murder is. This is the seventh book in the series and with each book, you get to know more about China along with Mike. However, Ruby wasn't in the story much and we didn't get to learn more about China's herbalist. This book was centered more around Mike's recovery and the Chili cook-off, which I was fine with that, not every book has to be centered around China's shop and herbs. It was refreshing to see China out and about in her sleepy little town of Pecan Springs, Texas. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.

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