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a Taylor Madison mystery
Triplets, a tornado, and twisted lies add up to trouble for Taylor Madison as Perdue’s townfolk gather for Hank Barton’s funeral. Why do the three identical sisters dislike each other so much? Why did Hank put such an odd codicil in his will? Throw in swaggering new deputy, a citizen’s police academy, and an amateur tornado hunter, and Taylor finds herself longing for the comparative peace of big city life!
What people are saying about Triple Threat . . .
In this, Elizabeth Dearl’s third Taylor Madison mystery, we find ourselves pulled even deeper into the lives and loves of the inhabitants of the small town of Perdue, Texas. All our favorite characters are still there, continuing to tickle us with their unique quirks and charms, but new characters take center stage bringing with them personal histories and experiences that pull us immediately into a hotbed of mystery and intrigue. A dead father’s simple wish to reunite his triplet daughters becomes increasingly more complex until Taylor, her handsome sheriff lover, Cal, and the town in general, find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery as frightening and unpredictable as the tornado that pays Perdue a destructive visit.
To add to the total enjoyment of this novel, the publisher has included a short novella written by Dearl entitled Buyer’s Remorse. This gem of a read finds Taylor helping a friend move into a newly purchased, dilapidated house. There’s mystery and excitement aplenty, with ghostly visits and even a treasure. Taylor’s side-kick, her pet ferret named Hazel, plays an integral role in the solution of this engrossing short mystery.
Triple Threat, like Dearl’s previous Taylor Madison mysteries, Diamondback and Twice Dead, is completely absorbing. I cannot praise the characterization and writing style enough. The author blends her personal expertise in forensics, investigative procedures and police work with a uniquely witty dialogue and description to produce a tantalizing blend of intrigue, romance and excitement that’s truly unforgettable. If you haven’t yet read a Taylor Madison mystery, do yourself a favor and pick one up now.
Maureen McMahon, author of Shadows in the Mist
Prepare to be thrilled, chilled and charmed to the teeth when Elizabeth Dearl's witty and outrageously attractive sleuth, Taylor Madison, tackles not one but two more of the fascinating puzzles that keep popping up in her adopted hometown of Perdue, Texas.
Jude Morris, author of the Indian Creek mystery series
Taylor Madison
first came to Perdue from Houston in search of her natural father. She found
him, got to know him, and lost him shortly thereafter. She found much more than
a father, however; she found a home, a lover in Sheriff Cal Arnette, and made
good friends in this quirky West Texas community. In BUYER'S REMORSE, the
novella that precedes the full length TRIPLE THREAT, Taylor is called upon to
help her friend Paula Forman with a little problem. Paula, the secretary and
dispatcher in the Derrick County sheriff's office, seeks to leave her old life
behind after the death of her abusive husband, so sells their house and buys
another outside of town. She bought the house as-is at a state auction and it
needs a lot of tender loving care, but its biggest problem is the ghost of the
former owner. He keeps hanging around. Or so it appears.
In TRIPLE THREAT, we see Taylor fast becoming a real Perduite; she even swallows
the rattlesnake meat in her chili with nary a qualm. (DIAMONDBACK, the first
novel in the series, chronicles Taylor's arrival in Perdue and its annual
rattlesnake festival.) Taylor's pet ferret Hazel is thriving; the relationship
between Taylor and Cal has deepened, and a new real life mystery presents itself
involving feuding identical triplets. Lily, Rose, and Iris (who suddenly left
town five years earlier), are forced to live together for one year if they want
to inherit their late father's estate. Previously unaware of the third triplet,
Taylor senses a secret and sets about learning all she can. As gossip is a way
of life in Perdue, this is not difficult. But when a note is found telling Iris
to get out of town, and Cal and others treat it as a prank, Taylor's
mystery-writer's imagination takes over.
While all this is going on, Taylor becomes involved in a scheme of Billy
Jackson's, Cal's newest deputy. With a brand new diploma from the police academy
in Lubbock and boundless enthusiasm, he talked County Commissioner Bo Posey
(whom Taylor cleared of murder in TWICE DEAD) into okaying the formation of a
Civilian Police Academy to acquaint citizens with police procedures. There isn't
much to do in Perdue, so any gathering quickly becomes a social event, and the
whole town turns out for the classes. Then, one of the practice crime scene
scenarios written by Taylor becomes all too true to life.
Using Taylor as narrator, but with plenty of dialogue so that one quickly
forgets the first person point of view dominates, Elizabeth Dearl writes with an
easy tone and dry humor about a town full of life-like characters. In fact, the
town could almost be considered a character in itself. As an ex-police officer,
Ms. Dearl is comfortable with procedural matters, but she also puts her
observant eye and ear to good use when creating the various personalities who
inhabit Perdue.
The plots in both these stories are many layered. It doesn't matter whether or
not you guess the solution to the mysteries, though you may change your mind
several times. The enjoyment of them lies in who, how, and why, rather than in
what.
TRIPLE THREAT offers two entertaining cozy mysteries in one. Why not take
advantage of this good deal? And if you haven't read the earlier novels, I
highly recommend them as well.
Jane Bowers, Romance Reviews Today
Ms. Dearl offers a double dose of engaging mystery in "Triple Threat". In Buyer's Remorse, Taylor Madison charges to the rescue when her friend gets a steal of a deal as she buys a house at auction. Stealthy footsteps and a mournful ghost soon convince them that the deal is too good to be true. An elusive armadillo haunts the garden, a curious ferret romps through the house, and Taylor learns that it's not easy to trot on tiptoe. Her significant other, Sheriff Cal nails the situation in a flash: 'Y'all are goin' a tad nutso, here."
Triple Threat revolves around a man's dying wish to reconcile his grown triplets: Lily, Rose, and Iris. A simple provision in his Will sparks a complicated dance of personalities and intrigues as old secrets threaten the sisters' bequests. At the same time, Taylor entangles herself in a deputy sheriff's bright idea: The Perdue Citizens' Police Academy. When the two situations collide, Taylor's meddlesome curiosity rivals that of her pet ferret.
Triple Threat offers many a chuckle on its blithe trip through the cobwebs of human behavior. I had some difficulty putting the book down, but no matter. I'll get the laundry done another day. For readers in search of light entertainment, both intriguing and amusing, Triple Threat is a winner.
Jeanette Cottrell, Reviewer
eBook Reviews Weekly