July 22, 2010: Page Turners 7 p.m.

Book: Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert

Discussion:

The reaction to this month’s book, Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert, was rather varied. Three group members voted thumbs up, two gave it a thumbs down, five voted thumbs sideways, and one abstained from voting.

One of the main objections to the book was that it was the twelfth book in a series of eighteen. Many readers dislike starting in the middle of a series because they do not feel acquainted with the characters or their histories. One Page Turner, who happens to be an Albert fan, gave the first book in the series, Thyme of Death, a ringing endorsement.

The characters presented a problem for some readers, too. While several group members commented that they found China and McQuaid to be interesting characters and Ruby an original sidekick, others thought they felt a bit stereotypical. Our Albert fan reminded the group that since this was the first China Bayles book for many of us we did not have the opportunity to get to know them over time. Readers of the entire series would probably feel comfortable enough by the twelfth book to be able to focus more on plot than characterization.

We also learned about the character of Brian from this group member. Brian was McQuaid’s son from an earlier marriage. One Page Turner commented that he was mentioned several times in the book, but seemed to have no one to look after him with China and McQuaid involved in investigative pursuits. Apparently, in the first few books of the series Brian lived with his mother, a woman typified as a flake. However, by the time Dilly of a Death takes place he has more or less moved in with China and McQuaid.

Another sticking point was the relationship between Amy and Kate. Some group members felt like the relationship between the two women did not jive, particularly with Amy’s list of former boyfriends. At one point in the book, China did wonder if Amy had embarked upon the relationship for reasons of a non-romantic nature, such as security, convenience and companionship, which could be correct. We would have to read the later books in the series to find out.

As in the novel, we engaged in quite a bit of discussion before talking about the mystery aspect of the story. One Page Turner remarked that it was not until page one hundred and thirty-six that we had a body. It seemed as if this installment in the series focused more on the domestic portions of the characters’ lives than on a crime, which again would not be such a drawback were we reading the entire series.

Many of the elements of a good mystery were present in Dilly of a Death; the celebrity of the victim, an original, yet characterized manner of death, several suspects, some with dubious connections, and romantic affiliations. However, it seemed to me, as if there were not many clues as to the killer’s identity. Once I finished the book, I could not look back and identify any thing I might have picked up on earlier to help me figure out who killed Phoebe Morgan.

There were several things we did enjoy about the book, the foremost being the Texas setting. Many Page Turners have travelled to the Texas Hill Country and enjoyed reading about a recognizable place. We all identified with the rainstorm that pre-empted the Pickle Fest. Quite a few of our group members came to Texas from other states, several from Michigan, but in their time here have come to appreciate the weather, making the deluge in the book no unfamiliar event.

One Page Turner really enjoyed the metaphysical elements of the book and identified with the character of Ruby. As a result, we spent a bit of time discussing various herbs that are known to have medicinal properties and others that are just unique. We all wished we could have sampled some of the tea shop’s lavender scones!

The discussion of herbs led into a talk of health and healthcare which took us to the end of the meeting. We also took suggestions for next year’s reading list. At the August meeting we will distribute an annotated list of selections and a voting ballot. Group members will select the twelve books they are most interested in reading and bring that list with them to the September meeting, after which the votes will be tallied.

We also passed out flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, The Given Day by Dennis Lehane, as the meeting concluded.