Indigo Dying

China Bayles #11

by Susan Wittig Albert

The tiny town of Indigo, Texas, is the perfect setting for China Bayles to teach a “Colors to Dye For” workshop. With artists flocking to the countryside in growing numbers, Indigo is coming back to life. Only one person stands in the way of the town’s revival: longtime resident Casey Ford, who has decided to sell his profitable mining rights. Once the deal is done, Indigo will be dead and buried. But when Ford winds up dead himself—from a shotgun blast—China, along with her best friend Ruby, embark on their own investigation into the murder. Before long, it becomes chillingly clear that Indigo is a town with more than its share of dark secrets—secrets that someone thinks are worth killing to keep.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Herbs

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 6, 2003

About the author

Susan is the author/co-author of biographical/historical fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Now in her 80s and continuing to write, she says that retirement is not (yet) an option. She publishes under her own imprint. Here are her latest books.

A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.

Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.

THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL

THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.

LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters

A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon

THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert

TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE

AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS

WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

China Bayles is an ex-lawyer that runs an herbal gift shop in Pecan Springs, Texas and she’s gearing up for a weekend festival in Indigo.

The town where her cohort in natural dye workshops is about to be lost to a strip mine and her stepson has been showing signs of depression at school and a bruised backside was noticed in his gym locker room. Could it be from the hands of the new, high-faluting beau of hubby McQuaid’s ex-wife? Side stories are always a diversion, but add to the enjoyment.

Staying in a rustic cabin while leading a dye workshops, China and bff, Ruby inevitably get themselves lured into investigating a murder (or two) while just trying to make some sales at their festival booths.

The uncle of co-dyer and textile artist owns most of the town of Indigo, which is enjoying a revival after nearly ghosting itself out of existence, and his plans to sell the mineral rights and halt the current progress has the denizens in an uproar. These are new businesses they have started, in buildings they rehabbed, with money they now can never recover. So when he winds up dead from all initially believe one of his own booby traps, no one sheds a tear.

Add in the mysterious drifter/playwright, the Harley riding Romeo, the sequestered, unaware multi-millionaire, an Impetus journalist, surrounded by an arts and craft festival, and it’s a juicy read with more than one thread to unravel. And the China - Ruby duo manage to weave a thrilling outcome.

Funny how many scenes I recognize from elsewhere: uncle Clancy in his Jeep reminded me a lot of Brad Wesley in his convertible running hired “cooler” Dalton off the road with nonchalant indifference in “Roadhouse“ and in the previous book, “Bloodroot,” the character of “Minerva” from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” is aliased in, but hardly changed.

Was tickled to see my area play a part in the story with local newspapers and Kent State’s sad day of history. As always, love the noted history and usages of the plants titled and resources listed at the end.

[Lizzytish · Rating 3 out of 5]

China and Ruby experience the blues in Indigo, a place where people are dyeing to go. Interesting facts about dyeing with plants along with a murder or two.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

China is dying for a new adventure, so she leaves Pecan Springs and finds trouble in Indigo, TX. Way to much information on making plant dyes - when would ever do that? The only dye I’m interested in is made by Revlon to hide my gray roots!!

Ms Albert always has a cause she is adamant about, this time it is strip mining.
How sad that ALCOA can legally desecrate the land. I admire her stand on environmental issues.

This was one of the better plots with lots going on. The teenage jargon was ridiculous, made Diana and Brian sound like idiots. I wish McQuaid would stop whining, quit his job and return to “his brothers in blue.” Editorial errors, but otherwise I enjoyed another episode of murder and mayhem ala China and Ruby.

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complice anche il fatto che stanotte non riuscivo a dormire, ho letto velocemente questo libro. La storia era buona, praticamente con due puzzle da risolvere e confesso che non sono riuscita a mettere tutti i pezzi al loro posto. Anche per questo mi sento di dare il punteggio pieno perché ormai mi capita raramente di non risolvere il mistero (e che la soluzione abbia un suo senso logico riguardo ai personaggi e la storia del libro). Devo dire che, nonostante che spesso non legga i libri di questa serie in ordine, riesco comunque a godermi China e compagni.

[Amy Parravano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! My sister who loves all sweet mystery books recommend these. The protagonist China is fabulous!

[Novel Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I liked...

* Each chapter being prefaced with an actual (or fictional) excerpt from writings about dying, indigo and folklore surrounding these traditions. These excerpts gave a good setting and mindset to each chapter.
* I was fooled by the author and suspected someone different than the actual murderer. The hints placed by the author towards the wrong suspect had me surprised by the final outcome.
* The relationships portrayed in the novel were realistic and believable. It was refreshing to see relationships portrayed in an authentic fashion that shows ups and downs without being over the top or frustrating.

Things I didn't like...

* China's "intuitions" and being told about "tragic events" before they happen. It made the suspense of the later, foretold events, substantially less and frustrated me as it broke up the flow of the story
* The story being narrated in a style that seemed at some points like it was currently happening and then in others being told after the fact. I did not like how the beginning began with the initial murder and then rewound, making the threat of Casey diminish as you already knew he would be killed

All in all, though, I enjoyed the story, the historical perspectives, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes! The novel made me interested about the indigo plant which I had never really heard anything about before and now hope to look into a bit more with some research. I know there is at least one other novel by this author on the shelf, and I look forward to it.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much better than average cozy mystery. I have not read any of the China Bayles series before, and while there were several references to what I assume were earlier stories, I didn't feel like I was really missing anything by coming in at Book 11. The story is a well plotted "town bully" story with several other subplots thrown in. Casey Ford owns most of the tiny town of Indigo, Texas, and he's as means as a prairie blizzard. When he's killed shortly after announcing his plans to sell the mining rights to his land and essentially wipe the town off the map, there isn't a single resident who can't be considered a suspect. That includes Casey's niece, Ally, who's also China's friend. Ally's got loads of troubles, including a live-in boyfriend who seems to have a wandering eye. China and her ex-cop husband get caught up in the investigation and unravel more than one mystery along the way. In addition, there's lots of fascinating information about making dyes from plants. I have only a few quibbles. First, I did not care for Julia Gibson's narration. She sounds much too young to be China, and I don't care for her inflection. Second, I thought if China mentioned a character's "honey-colored hair" one more time I was going to scream. Finally, when the mystery is fully explained at the end of the book there is either a typo or a continuity error regarding dates that blows the whole thing up. Why, why, why don't people use editors anymore? But, that said, I'm looking forward to going back and starting the series from the beginning.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What makes this book so interesting is not the mystery, although that was good, but rather the herbal dye lore and the herbal dye information. Even if you have no interest in DIY dyeing or spinning fiber, understanding the process goes a long way toward appreciating the effort that these artisans put into their work. China and Ruby are in Indigo, TX to show at a craft fair and for China to teach a dyeing class with an old friend. But things are about to explode in Indigo. The owner of most of the property is selling the mineral rights to a strip mine operation so the town can kiss its revival goodbye. To make matters worse, the owner is the Uncle of China's friend. And this same friend, Allie's, love life is on the rocks. Not the best time for a celebration. When the. Uncle ends up dead, the town is ready to party but death is never that simple and in this case it was far more complex than it first appeared. Enjoyable.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book in the series is darker than most. Albert does her usual excellent story telling. I just found the story a bit too bleak. However, I want to say that having read eleven books in this series, I still admire Albert as a writer and am still interested in the series. The stories are not phoned in like so many authors do with long running series like this. If you like extremely well written mysteries you should check out the China Bayles series of books.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Herb shop owner, China Bayles, and her best friend and New Age business partner, Ruby, head to the small Texas town of Indigo for a workshop and weekend festival to sell their products. When the owner of the majority of the town's property announces he's going to sell his land to a land mining company, the residents are all very angry and upset. When he ends up dead shortly after his big announcement, no one seems to mind at all, and the entire town is suspect.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've realized this, that I've read this in August 05. I forgot to add this to my read book shelf. The title I didn't recognize, but the storyline and characters I did. Nonetheless, this is a great herbal mystery with suspense, drama, intrigue and great facts on dye. A good read.

[Cathy Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

good mystery but rather slow through the middle

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

China Bayles, a lawyer who tossed up one career for ownership of a herbal shop, has joined up with an old college friend in offering workshops in dying — China coming through with the herbs for the dyes and her friend Allie is a weaver. They are looking forward to an upcoming festival in the small town of Indigo, which has been experiencing a revival lately.

But there is trouble afoot in several areas. Casey Ford, the owner of much of the land on which Indigo stands, is planning on selling the mineral rights, which means that the town will be demolished for strip mining. Allie, who is related to Ford in some way, is afraid of losing what has been gained in town including a relationship that is fracturing from lack of openness and trust. And in China's family, her husband's ex-wife seems destined to marry unwisely.

The crisis builds as the community opens a festival that should have been festive. Word has gotten out of Ford's proposed action and the craft people who populate the town are up in arms. And soon, there is a murder to further dampen the festivities. China is right there in the thick of things and with Ruby at her side, she gathers clues and suspects.

Wittig Albert has a deft touch when it comes to this series of cozy mysteries. Readers can learn a lot about herbs and dying, but almost as much about the value of friendship and trust, honesty and truth. For a good quick read, there is little to criticize here. The characters are wonderful, the story interesting, and the conclusion satisfying as always.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some unknown reason I had stopped keeping up with the China Bayles series some time ago. With my acquisition of "Organizing Crime: The Mystery Company's Guide to Series," I decided to start up again and figured out this should be the next on my list. I was not disappointed. One of the things I enjoy about these novels is the fantasy part -- no, nothing paranormal (although there's a bit of psychic intuition in this one)--but the fantasy of making a living by growing herbs and making things out of them, running workshops, etc., all while living in a quaint Texas town and having a great husband and a child who arrives in your life after all the diaper stuff is over! Albert describes China Bayles' life so that you can almost see the photo shoot for Victoria magazine. And I don't mean this in a negative way.
Still, we read mysteries mostly for the mystery, and this one is quite the twisty one. When a man everyone in town has good reason to hate is killed by a shotgun blast, there is no shortage of suspects, and there are other secrets to be exposed. It's a thrilling tale with a wild conclusion.
My only criticism would be the lengthy disquisition in the first part of the book about strip mining in Texas. I don't like it any more than Ms. Albert does, but several paragraphs in a row detailing the problems and responses were a bit too much. Nevertheless, I'd recommend this book and certainly the series books that went before it.

[Becky Tatar · Rating 4 out of 5]

China and Ruby are headed to Indigo, Texas to run a booth in the town's art fair, and China is teaming up with an old college friend, Allie, to teach a workshop on using plants - flowers, stems, bark, roots, seeds - for dyeing material. However, when they arrive at Allie's her uncle, Casey Ford, is planning on selling a local mining company the mining rights to his land. And that land, makes up a good chunk of Indigo. The land will be strip mined, which ruins the land, poisons the water, and displaces those who have to leave. An example locally is how ALCOA is strip mining in the area. The townsfolk are up in arms, and noone is surprised or saddened when Casey appears to be killed by one of his own booby traps in a town building. Plus, the citizens of the town seem to be hindering the investigation, which pulls McQuaid in, since the new sheriff is one of his former criminology students. And China is busy with Allie, who seems to be on the outs with her boyfriend. There is way more going on about Casey Ford than meets the eye.

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

China Bayles and Ruby Wilcox are teaching a class on dyeing using natural ingredients followed by two days of working a booth at the Indigo Arts and Crafts Festival. Upon arriving they are told that the tiny town of Indigo will soon become a victim of the strip mining shovels. The most hated man in town, Casey Ford, plans to sell the mineral rights to Sandow Mine. All 37 of the town's residents will be forced to relocate very soon. But Casey is killed by a shotgun blast to the chest in the middle of the festival. There are thirty-seven murder suspects because everyone in Indigo wanted him dead.
McQuaid is on the scene and assists in the investigation. He has been showing signs of discontent with his teaching job at CTSU. Perhaps it is time for another career change for him. Great story!

[Muffin Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love me some China. This one had a little less of a flow than the rest though. Loved the story but it came to an abrupt ending and was wrapped up in one hot second.

Still a fun read about some cute little fictional Texas towns and the very identifiable characters that become your best friends midway through the story.

China travels to Indigo, Texas on a mission to attend a festival and run a dye workshop and winds up solving two murders while she's there. Oh, the town of Indigo is also saved from strip mine destruction and a happy-ish ending ensues for all but the dead people.

[Lorri Coburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I loved Albert's books, The General's Women and Loving Eleanor. This is a light mystery that got more interesting as it went along, starting slowly. I learned about towns that are threatened with demise due to mining. Also, I did not know that indigo was highly prized in the trading world until indigo dye was synthesized in the late 1800s. It was one of the treasures Britain sought from India. In some native cultures, women guarded the secrets of processing indigo dyes. Shrouds were dyed with indigo, hence one possible origin of "having the blues."

[Bonnijean Marley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the complex and interwoven mystery.

I was not a fan of starting with the murder scene then backing up to the week prior to the event.

The initial section about mining rights was tedious. The essential information could have been incorporated into the story instead of a lengthy monolog. Likewise, some of the sections about dying and the processes involved were unexciting filler and seemed to exist only for the educational value.

China and Ruby are a good team, but this story is not one of their best.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoy every China Bayles mystery, the town of Indigo was sad and the murder confusing. I was rooting for all the the villagers of Indigo to save their town, eliminate the bully and stop the strip mining. Part of the fascination with each novel is the history and facts about the herb and plants that are the focus for that book.
While there for a weekend workshop on using natural dyes and a festival, China and Ruby find themselves in involved in a strained relationship of their host, a murder-then two, and a mystery that goes back decades.

[Emily Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

China Bayles heads to the tiny town of Indigo, Texas to teach a fabric dye workshop. The town is experiencing a revival with everyone on board except Casey Ford, who has decided to sell his mining rights, which will destroy the town. But when Ford winds up dead, China and her best friend Ruby start their own investigation. I really enjoy the China Bayles mystery series. China is a strong and independent heroine still adjusting to married life. The characters are great and so are the mysteries!

[Lydia Sadler]

I like this series; amateur sleuths are interesting characters, mainly because they are both nosy and intuitive like cops, except for the nosy part. China Bayles is an attorney turned small business woman, married to a former cop turned professor. Her sidekick, Ruby Wilcox, is also her business partner who is psychic (?) or not. Together they run an herb shop, a tea shop and a new age shop. How do they find the time to solve crimes? Well, I did say they were nosy.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I rapidly wip through the series, good thing I'm only half way through the 28 books available. This took an interesting turn with the story line. Instead of herbs we got a lesson in history on the rituals and bloody acquistions of the plant Indigo. There are also recipes if you are looking for new things to try.

I like the books because the story lines are complicated and touch on things that other authors don't.
The dyslexia story line is rarely told, she did a good job.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining story, with believable characters and a compelling mystery that kept me picking the book up over and over to read a little more. It was my first China Bayles and I'm sure I'll read more of them, since I like the herbal aspect as well as the mystery! Coming into the middle of the series wasn't a problem at all, and I won't hesitate to pick up another one out of sequence.

[Kyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting blend of small towns, the effort to revive one being threatened by strip mining, arts and crafts festivals, dyeing wool, and abusive relationships. These books often feel like a weekend away with old friends and catching up with everything that's happened in the past few weeks. There's also a lot about the history of indigo.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

China and Ruby get involved in the murder to a small town bully, an abused step-daughter, a friend with romance problems, child abuse all while at a festival to sell their products. McQuaid and Brian are on a fishing weekend in the same small town and get caught up in aiding the local sheriff in solving the murder.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a little more fast-paced. Albert always adds interesting factual and historical information but sometimes it can make the book a bit of a slog. I skipped the “dye” facts and I think that helped. I’m hoping to finish the whole series but sometimes a book will not be up to par so I’ll take a break but this one was interesting.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn if I want to continue the series. I have a completion gene that pushes me through each of these but they aren't my favorite. I love the supporting characters more than China. This was a nice setting; but since I'm not interested in the gardening/herb lore it's a lot of filler for me to get through.

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the most enjoyable of the seeries thus far, even though i read it out of sequence. China hasn't changed her last name, but...her relationship has apparently been through much turmoil-I knew Mike Mcquaid had taken a buleet somewhere in the intervening novels but apparently he was compromised in other ways. I look forward to catching up on all of that when I fill in the interveneing novels. The public library is my source of these cozy mysteries because I retain shelf space for books of more seerious content, although I can see myself revisiting these, at the the library. But they don't have all of her work nor is it consistently available on shelf, so I will content myself with what is available. Right now I find it hard not to be without a China Bayles book on the bedside, so addictive.

I loved this one because it was about fiber artists, dyers and spinners, handweavers and shepherds. It was also about recapitulating the pioneer struggle, to reestablish the town of Indigo after the Depression and the advent of the automobile changed its fate. So the substance Indigo is given a good historical and ethic overview. I loved attending Allie's workshop in this novel, and was curious about the "universal dyers code" Albert mentions for the coding of the mordant-soaked trial hanks. I thught I knew something about dying and I have never heard of the this system, but then I was also corrected in my understanding of how mordants are used. Mordants prepare fiber for dye and effect he way the dye settles on the fiber. I thought a mordant was something you threw in the dye pot or the pot itself which influenced the outcome, probably because using an aluminum pot was one way I got varied results. It's been awhile since I have thought about much of that, because it was so much a part of the 1990s feminism, which is rife throughout the early China books. For me it is an interesting revisiting of somewhat familiar turf. The commentator I encountered surfing the internet also mentioned the rise of spiritualism and Wicca during these years, and I have to admit this is an aspect of the feminist community I wvoided after my teenage years. Of course as a toasty lady now I will tell you that many weavers in foreign countries do not know the "universal dyers code" any more than I do. Yet it was interesting that Albert included the mythos of the blue dye from a variety of cultures in a really instructive way.
The book touches on Ruby's inherent pyschic gifts which leads to the discovery of a second murder, more grisley than I recall former corpses in the series. Ruby appears to be like a dowser, and under the control of otherness when China follows her in to a church basement to discover a pretty young woman beaten to death. Both of them are wigged out by their blind faith in intuition but it doesn't stop them from pursing a fugitive in a high speed car chase shortly after. But the whole fascination with the occult, the New Age shop Ruby runs, her seemingly labile philosophy, and the possibly anorexic daughter of the Indigo Emporium owners, Stella, also a budding witch point at this phenomena. Stella was an interesting foil for Shirley, another dependent 'daughter.'
Casey Ford, Allison Selbie's uncle, owns most of Indogo and rents it to artists bent on restoring it. But in a cruel twist he informs the town counsel that he has included demolition clauses on all their leases which enables him to sell the town to Alcoa (or someone) for stripmining. Their investments are null and void as well as the heartbreaking loss of Indigo. Allie has no sway over Casey even to the point where she cannot aid Shirley, a sort of relative who has a speech impediment and literacy deficits. Shirley is battered by Casey who keeps her in sort of a house arrest because she has been imprsionsed and cannot function without supervision. The Whiz gets involved in Shirley's liberation after Casey gets himself shot to death. As the twon bully the number of suspects, including Allie, Shrley, Shirley's biker boyfriend, and all the twonsfolk are truely staggering. A second murder clarifies the situation tragically. A very good read, but somehow the character of Stella strikes me as an unresolved twin to the winning character, Shirley.
One of the best aspects of the book is China mulling over her potential blindness in considering Allie to be a murderess. China perfers open sorts like Ruby, and seems suspicious of introverts like rosemary and Allie. She's known Allie since college and got some really great relationship advice when she was involved with an older man of limited availability. Allie tells her to stay until she understands the relationship and can leave on her own terms. This is what both of the hope for Shirley, who seems to take the lesson in stride despite her linguistic issues. Another indication that Shirley is smarter than anyone anticipated, or perhaps heart smart in a way that the intellectual China, a black and white thinker, is not. I really appreciated this articulation by Allie, who also finds it problematic to let go of the slippery Derek, because she has let him in. And he's a chameleon character well worth focusing on, and yet the story is told through the eyes of the women he has affected. Like this book.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superior writing- a solid mystery with characters that come alive with solid personality development and settings that breath. I appreciate this book not only for the story but also for the lesson in expertly handled writing technique.