Synopsis: McQuaid is still healing slowly and has been depressed, but when he becomes interested in the murder of an insurance salesman, his mood and vitality improve. The nursing home in which McQuaid is staying has trouble brewing behind the scenes. One of the patients has been abused and a good nurse fired. These two mysteries get McQuaid and China involved and put them both in danger.
Review: Twisted plots lines make this fun to read and the ending a surprise. ( )

CHILE DEATH, published in 1998, is the seventh of the China Bayles series. While it makes references to events in previous books, it can stand alone and new readers will not feel like they have arrived in the middle of a play they can’t understand because they missed act 1.
The previous book ended with China finally agreeing to marry Mike McQuaid. They have been together for a several years and China feels like she is his son, Brian’s mother. Suddenly everything changes when McQuaid is hit by a bullet and becomes paralyzed. His recovery is uncertain. China’s mother, with whom she has a very distant relationship, moves in unexpectedly and uninvited, to help, much to China’s annoyance.
Further complicating the story is her best friend Ruby winning a $2 million lottery and deciding she wants to invest in a tearoom, attached to China’s herb shop.
China has to face her issues with commitment in this story. McQuaid doesn’t want to get married and become a burden. China doesn’t want to go partners with Ruby in an uncertain business. And her mother begins to interfere with China’s routine and relationships.
The title of the book relates to the annual chile contest. All the contestants are men and making the hottest chile is one of their main objectives. A half hour after the judging begins, one of the judges suddenly jumps up and clutches his throat. At first, those around him think he is just pretending to be overcome by the hot chile. When they realize it is not an act, they call for medical assistance, but it doesn’t help. The cause of death is listed as a heart attack. That is soon questioned and an allergy to peanuts becomes the possible cause.
China, Ruby, and Mike, who is living in a rehabilitation center, become involved in figuring out who put the peanuts into the chile and if it was deliberate. There are several suspects, not all obvious. All are involved in the resolution.
Susan Wittig Albert provides a lot of information about chile at the beginning of each chapter as well as some recipes at the end.
The story is well-written and moves at a rapid pace. For those following the series, it adds important information. Most of it makes sense, but I doubt if someone who knows he is allergic to peanuts would ever agree to be a judge in a cooking contest where there can be a lot of secret ingredients. ( )

After the last book in the series this one is a breath of fresh air. China is back to being China the herbalist, entrepreneur, and investigator. Things with McQuaid are finally sorted out and their relationship returns to some semblance of normalcy. I enjoyed the mystery story in this one and it was great to see China handle herself in a perilous situation. ( )

3.5 stars

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )

China Bayles is a former trial lawyer turned herbalist, and this installment in the series finds her investigating the death of an unpopular insurance salesman with a peanut allergy. During a chili cook-off Jeff Cody ingested some chili laced with peanuts, leading to a quick demise. Some think death is an unfortunate accident, but China is convinced otherwise.

During the investigation China is also dealing with her boyfriend's recovery from a gunshot wound. The nursing home where he is recuperating seems suspicious to China, opening another possible mystery. Signs of possible abuse and a very evasive director keep China attuned.

This book is definitely light reading, but it was mostly enjoyable. One of the things I like about this series is that China is a former lawyer, her boyfriend is a cop, and they collectively have more respect for law, police procedure, and due process than one generally finds in a cozy mystery. This is not the sort of book in which a random knitter, barista, antiques seller, or other such character mishandle evidence and take over a murder investigation. That was refreshing. I'm sure I'll read more in the series when I'm looking for light entertainment. ( )