China Bayles is the fictional protagonist of a popular and critically acclaimed series written by educator Susan Wittig Albert, formerly a writer of the Carolyn Keene series, Nancy Drew. China is a determined woman who quit being a successful, big city lawyer, and decided to settle into a quiet small-town life as an owner of a herbal shop. But, she soon found the quiet life would not come easily for her. Along with her best friend, Ruby Wilcox, owner of a New Age shop next door, China solves murders using deductive reasoning, legal skills, and expertise based on her knowledge of herbs, which always figure in the titles and poisons used.