Deadly Omen, newly edited and new cover!
Discovered this one is now available too with its new cover and freshly edited.
Needless to say, I am thrilled!
Book
Review: Deadly Omen by Marilyn Meredith
The
Madera Tribune
By Lee McKay
A teenage woman is murdered minutes before she is to be crowned Princess of the Pow Wow. The autopsy reveals that she was pregnant.
In this Native American setting, Tempe Crabtree, the resident deputy of a small community in the southern Sierras, moves full speed toward finding out who killed the girl, until her sergeant and two detectives from the Dennison sub-station order her out of the investigation.
She becomes the unauthorized sleuth. In the tradition of Miss Marple and Agatha Christie, she returns to the case because she knows the detectives in charge are asking the wrong questions and that the real killer is about to go free.
The story is alive with characters such as wannabe Yanduchi stage mother dressed in moccasins and buckskin, two hormonal young Indian warriors with hidden agendas and a cranky old codger carrying a 45-caliber handgun in the pocket of his coveralls.
Like the intriguing pattern in an Indian basket, suspense is cleverly woven through clearly written scenarios of Native American regalia and traditions into a story that holds the readers attention until the end.
While Deputy Tempe, who is part Yanducchi, is solving crime, she is also learning about her heritage. Newly married to the pastor of the local church, she struggles to find enough time for him and her 18-year-old son.
The author, who lives with her husband in a foothill community much like the small community of Bear Creek, has written 13 novels and makes appearances at many book events. Her website is http//fictionforyou.com/.
After reading Deadly Omen, should you want to re-visit Bear Creek, you can do so in other Tempe Crabtree stories.
A teenage woman is murdered minutes before she is to be crowned Princess of the Pow Wow. The autopsy reveals that she was pregnant.
In this Native American setting, Tempe Crabtree, the resident deputy of a small community in the southern Sierras, moves full speed toward finding out who killed the girl, until her sergeant and two detectives from the Dennison sub-station order her out of the investigation.
She becomes the unauthorized sleuth. In the tradition of Miss Marple and Agatha Christie, she returns to the case because she knows the detectives in charge are asking the wrong questions and that the real killer is about to go free.
The story is alive with characters such as wannabe Yanduchi stage mother dressed in moccasins and buckskin, two hormonal young Indian warriors with hidden agendas and a cranky old codger carrying a 45-caliber handgun in the pocket of his coveralls.
Like the intriguing pattern in an Indian basket, suspense is cleverly woven through clearly written scenarios of Native American regalia and traditions into a story that holds the readers attention until the end.
While Deputy Tempe, who is part Yanducchi, is solving crime, she is also learning about her heritage. Newly married to the pastor of the local church, she struggles to find enough time for him and her 18-year-old son.
The author, who lives with her husband in a foothill community much like the small community of Bear Creek, has written 13 novels and makes appearances at many book events. Her website is http//fictionforyou.com/.
After reading Deadly Omen, should you want to re-visit Bear Creek, you can do so in other Tempe Crabtree stories.
Reviews:
M. Richardson
"Lisa Richardson" (Salem, OR
I read Deadly Omen overnight, and loved it. The author
writes with a real sense of the personal relationships between her
characters, and I enjoyed the cultural information and differences that are
still very real today. I was kept in suspense until the very end, and am
looking forward to Ms. Meredith's other books!
phillip tomasso III (rochester, new york
United States)
Deadly Omen is the second
in a series of Tempe Crabtree mysteries written by the talented Marilyn
Meredith. With a cast of 3-D characters, and a back-woods setting, Meredith
proportionately incorporates Native American culture to plots of murder and
intrigue.
Tempe Crabtree, the deputy
of Bear Creek, is part Yanduchi. In this tale, she has recently married
Hutch, the town's Christian pastor. Despite working in law enforcement and
being newly married, Crabtree also is raising her teenage son, Blair. That's
just background.
Assigned to keep peace and
order at a Native American Pow Wow, Crabtree finds herself dragged into a
murder mystery when the body of a candidate for princess turns up along the
outskirts of the fairgrounds. The deceased was more than likely going to win
the crown and responsibilities associated with being a Pow Wow princess.
Who would want to kill a young girl, and why? Though only a deputy, Crabtree can not help but investigate the circumstances behind the heinous crime committed while she was on duty, despite the warnings she receives to back off from the male detectives assigned to solve the case. Most of the evidence points toward a rowdy young Native American. The detectives think the case is as simple as open and shut. So how can Crabtree not get involved when clearly the detectives seem closed minded? She knows they are not asking the right questions, or talking to the right people. Sure, Daniel Redwing was drunk at the Pow Wow, and sure, he had an amazing crush on the victim, but would that be enough to motivate him to murder? And what about the pushy stage-mother of the other princess candidate, did she want her own daughter to win badly enough to kill? After all, she warned people someone was going to die that day. How about the crazy old man always feuding with the Native Americans, does it seem likely that he was carrying around a gun during the Pow Wow, but it lost before shooting took place ... and his lost weapon just happens to be the murder weapon? And what about the victim's boyfriend? Everyone thought they were destined to get married. How many people knew she had broken off their relationship? And what about the victim herself, what skeletons did she have locked away in a closet? Engrossing from start to finish. Like Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen is a character-driven mystery with enough edge to keep it suspenseful and intriguing. Fast-paced and beautifully written, the reader quickly sympathizes and relates to Crabtree and the rest of her family. It can't easy working as a police officer, so having a newly formed family must only make things more complicated. I am anxious to start the third in the series, Unequally Yoked. --Phillip Tomasso III, author of Johnny Blade
By A Customer
Marilyn Meredith writes a page turner that holds your
interest. The main character, Tempe Crabtree becomes a friend you hope to
revisit. I am looking forward to the other books that follow Deadly Omen.
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Omen for a Good Read,
By A Customer
You'll find yourself getting pulled into this book,
eagerly reading "just one more chapter" to find out what's going to
happen next. Meredith's finely crafted detective story is compelling on
several levels, from her insights on conflicts between Native American and
Anglo culture to the loving but very human conflicts within Tempe Crabtree's
(the story's detective) own marriage. This story will remind you of Tony
Hillerman, but Meredith explores her own unique territory of the American
West -- and of the potential for love as well as evil within the human heart.
I look forward to the next title in this new detective series.
4.0 out of 5 stars A Deadly Interest, January 4,
2000
By
Susan Willhide (Porterville, CA)
I really
enjoyed this book. I love a good mystery, one that keeps me up reading all
night because I can't put it down. This book did that for me. I had to know
who the murderer was, and what would happen next! I started this book with no
knowledge of Native American traditions or lifestyles. I now want to know
more. The main character is learning at the same time as the reader is
learning. This makes it very easy for any reader to follow along. The characters
in this book were described very well by the author. She makes you care about
the characters. You feel their emotions. As the reader, you get to look into
the relationships of parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and
sisters, and young lovers. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to
be kept on the edge of the seat. Very well written.
5.0 out of 5 stars review of DEADLY OMEN
I enjoyed reading Deadly Omen. It's a great mystery and
you feel like you know the characters from the beginning of the story. I'm
looking forward to the next book the in the series!
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