The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose
Susan Wittig Albert


ISBN-10:
0425247767
ISBN-13: 978-0425247761
Publisher: Penguin Group
Line: Berkley
Release Date: Sept 4, 2012
Pages: 304
Retail Price: 24.95




Genre:
Mystery
Rating:

National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the 1930s—and the Darling Dahlias, the ladies of a garden club who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty solving mysteries…

Just in time for the Confederate Day celebration, the Darling Dahlias are ready to plant Confederate roses along the fence of the town cemetery. Of course, Miss Dorothy Rogers, club member and town librarian, would be quick to point out the plant is in fact a hibiscus.

The Confederate rose is not the only thing that is not what it first appears to be in this small Southern town. Earle Scroggins, the county treasurer, has got the sheriff thinking that Scroggins' employee Verna Tidwell (also the Darling Dahlias’ trusted treasurer) is behind a missing $15,000. But Darling Dahlias president Liz Lacy is determined to prove Verna is not a thief.

Meanwhile Miss Rogers has discovered her own mystery—what appears to be a secret code embroidered under the cover of a pillow, the only possession she has from her grandmother. She enlists the help of a local newspaperman, who begins to suspect the family heirloom may have larger significance.

With missing money, secret codes, and the very strange behavior of one resident, Darling, Alabama, on the eve of Confederate Day, is anything but a sleepy little town...

Series: Darling Dahlias Mysteries

Includes Southern-Style Depression-Era Recipes

Review

For fans of: Elizabeth Lynn Casey, Ann Purser

It’s April of 1931, and the members of the Darling Dahlias Garden Club are hard at work growing vegetables to help feed the town and getting their Confederate rose bushes in shape for planting at the town cemetery on Confederate Day.  Club member Verna Tidwell’s mind is elsewhere, though; she’s basically been running both the Cypress County Probate Clerk’s Office and the Cypress County Treasurer’s Office for months now – ever since Treasurer Jasper DeYancy died of alcohol poisoning and Verna’s chronically absent boss, Probate Clerk Earle Scroggins, assumed his duties.  The increased workload is starting to take its toll on Verna, but she’s yet to drop the ball.  Or so she thinks, anyway.  Then someone from the State of Alabama audits the county’s books and discovers that $15,000 has gone missing.  A prolonged investigation would make Scroggins look bad and hurt his chances for reelection, so he does what any desperate and dishonest politician would do in his place:  he points the finger at Verna, who’s promptly placed on leave.  Barred from her office, Verna has no access to the county’s files and therefore no means to prove her own innocence.  Can the Dahlias band together to help Verna track down the money and identify the real thief, or will the next garden Verna gets a chance to tend be the one at the county jail?

The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose is the third of Susan Wittig Albert’s Darling Dahlias Mysteries.  I confess, I'm not a fan of Albert's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter Mysteries; while the writing's good, I find them too precious by half.  And generally speaking, I'm not a fan of historical mysteries; I tend to think they’re boring.  So I was more than a little trepidatious at the prospect of picking up an Albert-penned historical mystery – especially one with the word “darling” in the title.  As it turns out, though, I needn't have feared; “Darling” refers to the book’s locale (Darling, Alabama, y’all), and not only did I like the book, I flat-out loved it.  The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose is a beautifully written, utterly charming, thoroughly engrossing tale.  The mystery is rather gentle in nature with nary a dead body to be found, but it’s thoughtful and intriguing and is sure to keep you guessing.  (Think Nancy Atherton and you’ll get the picture.)  The plot is tight – seamless, even.  And Albert does a wonderful job depicting life in 1930s Alabama. 

The character development in The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose is nothing short of marvelous – an important thing in book featuring a shifting narration and an ensemble cast.  The Darling Dahlias are strong, independent women, one and all, and they care deeply about one another, but that’s where their similarities end.  Each woman has her own unique problems, goals, and motivations, and as such, Albert provides each with her own distinct narrative voice.  This not only serves to help orient you with regard to the story, but helps to further develop and inform each character, as well.

Albert does occasionally go a bit overboard in trying to paint a vivid and historically accurate picture of the world in which her characters live; there are certain scenes that are full-to-bursting with details that, while do help to contextualize key elements of the story, detract a bit from the flow of Albert’s otherwise graceful prose.  That’s a minor complaint, though, and if that’s all I can find to criticize, that’s saying something.

Looking for something fun and unique to read this fall? Check out The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate by Susan Wittig Albert, and prepare to have your socks charmed off.

Reviewed by Kat N.


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