Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding Hearts is a mid-series China Bayles novel where Susan Wittig Albert leans into her own academic background. The community college English department in Pecan Springs is in upheaval over a contested manuscript by a deceased professor. A house fire claims an instructor's life. China, in her capacity as herbal expert and small-town presence, gets pulled in.

Academic mysteries are difficult to write because the stakes look low from the outside. Albert solves the problem by treating departmental politics with appropriate seriousness without losing perspective. The fire scenes are well-handled. The herbal lore on the bleeding-heart plant of the title is woven in with care.

Four stars. A confident mid-series entry, with Albert at the level of polish the books reached by their second decade. Read after at least a few earlier China Bayles novels for full effect.