Salutations! I hope you are enjoying your Friday. We are lucky enough to have some cooler weather and it is just delightful. I am loving it. Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton and Cat Got Your Cash by Julie Chase will be out on Tuesday. I will be reviewing both books before they are released.
The Last Chance Olive Ranch by Susan Wittig Albert is the twenty-fifth book in The China Bayles Mystery series. Mike
McQuaid and China Bayles are awakened early by the phone ringing. The call is for McQuaid to let him know that
Max Mantel, a convict he put away in prison, has broken out of Huntsville
prison. Mantel has already killed Paul
Watkins, the prosecutor at his trial.
McQuaid is glad that China is going out of town for the weekend to teach
a conference. China, though, would
rather stay in town and make sure that McQuaid is safe. McQuaid is not going to risk China’s life, so
he ensures that she is off with Ruby.
China agreed to teach a workshop at Maddie Haskell’s Last Chance Olive
Ranch. After teaching on Saturday, they
will have the rest of the weekend to relax.
It turns out that Maddie has a little problem. She inherited the ranch from Eliza Butler and
Eliza’s nephew, Billy Butler is less than thrilled. Billy is contesting the will and has the
probate judge in his pocket. The
weekend is not going to be as restful as China was hoping nor as safe as
McQuaid was expecting. Meanwhile,
McQuaid is setting a trap to capture escaped Max Mantel. The plan goes awry when Sally, McQuaid’s
crazy ex-wife shows up in town. Sally
ends up getting kidnapped by Mantel who believes he has China. Mantel wants McQuaid to turn himself over in exchange
for Sally. McQuaid sets out to capture
Mantel and reluctantly save Sally (she is one nutty lady). China and McQuaid are in for a rough
weekend.
The Last Chance Olive Ranch is
nicely written and has some interesting information about olives and olive oil. I did not know olives could grow in the
United States. I found the pace to be a
little slow at times especially during the McQuaid sections (it did help me
fall asleep one night). The story is told
from two different perspectives: China and McQuaid. I would have preferred third person to make
the story more cohesive and logical (instead of switching back and forth every
other chapter). Personally, I wish the
author had only done one storyline. The
McQuaid sections are not the type normally included in cozy mysteries. I keep hoping the author will find a way for
McQuaid and China to solve cases together (cozy mystery cases). Actually, I was a little bored with no
mystery to solve. The revelation
regarding Maddie was no surprise. I am
sure that the majority of readers will figure it out long before the secret is
revealed. I give The Last Chance Olive Ranch 3 out of 5 stars. I did not find
this novel to have any suspense (and it was supposed to). The writing is descriptive (overly so), and I
never was able to get into the story.
This is one of those books that I just read. I love it when a book fully engages my
attention and draws me in. While reading
the McQuaid storyline, I kept hoping that McQuaid would capture Max and Sally
would get hit by a stray bullet (and then bite the bullet if you get my
meaning). I found Sally to be a very
unlikeable character and an unwelcome addition to the book (I do not understand
why she is not in a mental health facility). While The Last Chance Olive Ranch
is the twenty-fifth book in the series, it can be read alone. The author provides all the necessary
background details on China, McQuaid and the family (including Sally). I preferred the early books in The China Bayles Mystery series. I did appreciate
the ending of The Last Chance Olive Ranch.
It is sweet and nicely wraps up the storylines. You can find the full list of The China Bayles Mystery series by clicking here! Susan Wittig Albert also writing the Darling Dahlias series.
Thank you for your visit. May you have a lovely day. I will be back tomorrow to review Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell. I am off to work around the house (lucky me) and, hopefully, get in some reading. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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