It is 1934. FDR is in the White House, the New Deal is in full swing, and Prohibition has finally been repealed. Bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to Darling, Alabama, where the ladies of the local garden club aren’t afraid to dig a little dirt if that’s what it takes to cultivate a mystery . . .When the Lucky Four Clovers run into a string of bad luck, it looks like the music may … music may have ended for Darling’s favorite barbershop quartet—just when the Dixie Regional Barbershop Competition is about to take place. To complicate things, there’s a serious foul-up in Darling’s telephone system—and Myra May and Violet don’t have a penny for repairs. The town’s party lines may have to go out of business, which would be bad news for the gossips.
And it doesn’t help that newspaper editor/publisher Charlie Dickens is facing a crisis of confidence in his new wife, Fannie. Or that Liz Lacy (the Dahlias’ president) has to decide whether she’s ready for a do-over in her ill-fated romance with Grady Alexander. And what’s that secret her old friend Fremon is keeping? What does he know about what happened to the unlucky Clover on that dark night on the Jericho Road?
While liquor is legal again, moonshine isn’t, and as Sheriff Buddy Norris discovers when he goes into Briar Swamp to confront Cypress County’s most notorious bootlegger, it helps to have a little luck. But whatever the challenge, the Dahlias know that pie fixes everything. And you will, too, when you hear what they’re baking for Darling’s pie supper.
Once again, author Susan Wittig Albert has brought us a charming story of richly human characters who face the Great Depression with courage and grace. She reminds us that friends offer the best of themselves to each other, community is what holds us together, and luck is what you make of it.
Traditional Southern pie recipes (and a little cookery history) included!
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The Darling Dahlias And The Unlucky Clover is the seventh book in the Darling Dahlias series.
I’ve read all of the Susan Wittig Alberts mystery series books and the series written as Robin Page and wonderful books they all are. Albert is one of the truly great wordsmith writing today. All of her books are all very well-plotted and all have a well-developed cast of believable characters.
I’m so glad that this series found a new home and that there will be more to come. This series just makes it into my criteria for a historical series, being that it takes place before I was born. Granted it is only ten years. Albert’s descriptive writing in this series is probably the thing that I like the most. As I read this book, I feel that I am transported back to the 1930’s and walking through the interesting community of Darling, Alabama. The story has been well researched and I particularly enjoy reading the prices of food items, listening to residents provide the views on prohibitions and moonshiners. Albert even provides some political views of residents as to how the upcoming election of FDR and Huey Long.
It’s 1934 and the Darling Dahlias are busy canning and baking pumpkin pies for the Darling Blessing Box and the Dixie Regional Barbershop Quartet competition. The Lucky Four Clovers get some bad news when the lead singer is ordered by his doctor to not sing for a while. A replacement, Mr. Whitney Whitworth, is found things look good for the Lucky Four Clovers. Liz Lacy’s gets a phone call from Benton Mosely, asking her to go over the Regina Whitworth’s and see why she is in such a panic-stricken state. Liz soon finds out that Whitney hadn’t come home last night. At about the time that Liz is heading to see Regina, Charlie Dickens, editor of the Darling Dispatch gets a phone call and rushes to the scene of a car wreck on a narrow county road. The body in the car is identified at Whitney Whitworth. Dickens is making notes at the scene of the accident scene and notices some damage to the car that appears that it was no accident. Dickens then provides Sheriff Norris. Sheriff Norris with the help of several residents begins to investigate and soon discover that Mrs. Whitworth was planning on filing for divorce and three businesses that Whitney was a “silent partner” in, had gone to him for additional capital and he had turned them down. Could one of them have gotten even, rather than getting madder?
Delicious sounding recipes are also included with the book.
I’m hoping that there will be more books coming in this series. I so look forward visiting Darling and learning what the colorful residents have been up to since the last visit.
The Dahlias are a force of nature in their hometown. I do recommend starting with the first book, so that you have an opportunity to get to know these ladies.
I’ve read another series by this author which I enjoy immensely but this was my first foray into this one and I was very pleased with it. I love period mysteries and this one didn’t disappoint. Set in the 1930’s during the great depression you are introduced to a group of ladies in a gardening club who make the most of life no matter the times. Follow along as they deal with one piece of bad news after another. Even though times are hard they always find a way. This was a truly fun read, it was great to see how a mystery could be solved in a time without cellphones, and the internet. I loved the southern setting and the sayings, being from the south I always get excited when hearing another person perspective of it. I look forward to going back to the beginning and catching up on everyone before the author comes out with another book. The characters were a treat to get to know.
I love all of Susan’s books. Great style of writing and always neat characters that you get to know during the story. Always well researched and informative too!
Ms. Albert never disappoints. The characters in this novel come alive and speak to the reader. A joy to read
I love this series.
I have given up on this series. I have read them all, but I will not read any more of them.