Susan Wittig Albert - The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush

Susan Wittig Albert - The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush

The fifth book in the Darling Dahlias series, published September 2, 2014.
Genre: historical cozy mystery with depression-era Southern-style recipes
Cover: fits the series



National best-selling author Susan Wittig Albert takes readers back to Darling, Alabama, in the spring of 1933 where the women of the Darling Dahlias' garden club are betting their bottom dollar there's going to be trouble.
When the local bank suddenly closes, the small town of Darling is caught short on cash. To avoid disaster, town leaders hatch a plan to print Darling Dollars. The "funny money" can serve as temporary currency so the town can function. But when the first printing of the scrip disappears, the Darling Dahlias set out to discover who made an unauthorized withdrawal.
Meanwhile County Treasurer Verna Tidwell questions whether she can trust the bank's new vice president, Alvin Duffy - or the feelings he stirs up inside her. And Liz Lacy learns her longtime beau may be forced into a shotgun wedding. Seems other troubles don't just go away when there's a crisis. There'll be no pennies from heaven, but if anyone can balance things out, folks can bank on the Darling Dahlias.


I love this series. Susan Wittig Albert has such a vivid writing voice, I can picture myself walking in this quiet village, and be friends with the women of the Darling Dahlias Garden Club. When the depression hits, they no long just grow flowers, they start a community garden and all kinds of projects to help the poorest among them survive. I love the tips and recipes in this book (although I will never make anything). And I have never before read anything about villages making their own money when the banks have closed down.
Of course, if no one gets paid, no one can buy anything, and if the grocery store can't buy or order new food, there will be nothing left to buy anyway. The whole village would die. So it was very interesting to read about this all.

If you like reading about this era, or just historical cozy mysteries, you really need to add this one to your wishlist. It is well worth your precious reading time.

9 stars.

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian