Purchased from the local secondhand book store. This is a copy of a past library read, so it's available now. Even though Ms. Albert has spoken out against BookCrossing in interviews, I still enjoy her writing, and I appreciate her activism on behalf of new writers.

This book is third in the China Bayles series, following Witches' Bane and Thyme of Death.

Description from inside cover:
"Fur is flying in Pecan Springs, Texas, as lawyer-turned herbalist China Bayles finds herself snarled in a deadly animal rights dispute.

Dottie Riddle, biology professor at Central Texas State University and the notorious Cat Lady of Pecan Springs, runs the ritziest cat rescue operation in Texas. But Dottie's generous concern for strays has earned her the hatred of neighbor and fellow biology professor Miles Harwick, and her active opposition to the biology department's animal experimentation program has brought her more academic enemies than she can count. So when Harwick is found dead with his neck in a noose, police chief Bubba Harris charges Dottie with murder.

Dottie assures her good friend China that, although she hated the man, she is not a killer. As China begins to unravel the knotted threads of the dead man's life, she discovers that Dottie isn't the only one who may have wanted him dead. There's the lab assistant who knows that animals weren't the dead man's only victims. There's the student animal rights activist who pulls China's best friend, Ruby Wilcox, into the turmoil. And there's the biology chairman who shared with the dead man a festering secret that threatens the entire department. Which of them fastened the noose around the dead man's neck? Or was it, in fact, a vengeful suicide?

Ably assisted by the tall, flaming-haired Ruby Wilcox, law school nemesis Justine Wyzinski ("The Whiz") and stunning Sheila ("Smart Cookie") Dawson, Chief of Security at CTSU, China digs for the root of evil deep in the hearts of people who had a motive for murder.

But meanwhile she must also dig deep into her own heart to discover how she feels about sexy cop Mike McQuaid, who gives her a final ultimatum about their relationship."

Commentary:

Albert continues this series with another strong offering. Her characters and their relationships are developing nicely, the plot moves along at an agreeable pace for a mystery, and her research skills clearly demonstrate her passion for the subject.

I enjoy several things about this series that are always in the background of the stories:
China's escape from the rat race,
Albert's treatment of small-town life and attitude toward independent businesses,
Her respect for and loyalty to Ruby despite the variance in their belief systems.