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Twice Dead is the second in the Taylor Madison series, and it's a pleasure to write that author Elizabeth Dearl has a solid hit with this tale of murderous doings in small town Perdue, Texas. In her first book, Diamondback (Avid Press), the author introduced readers to amateur sleuth Taylor Madison and to her new hometown, Perdue. The biggest tourist attraction in Perdue is the annual Rattler Festival, an event which makes "colorful" an apt description of the town and its inhabitants. In Twice Dead, the author continues to evolve her protagonist, Taylor Madison, deepening her character by showing the young woman's willingness to risk and tackle life on her own terms‚with a little compromising on the side. Taylor is "going-on" 29 and a mystery writer by choice and an amateur sleuth by avocation. She's moved from big city Houston with pizza delivery service to Perdue where the only restaurant is Lucy's, a sit-down cafÈ on the town's main drag. Taylor has taken the town's characters to her heart, including the town's deputy sheriff Cal Arnette. He is intent on maneuvering Taylor into a union of a closer kind‚known as marriage. Taylor also is very fond of Bonita (Bo) Posey, the elderly owner of Posey's Grocery Store. When a skeleton is found, old timers, including Bo, instantly know who it is. The gleaming gold incisor in the skeleton's skull could only belong to Ralph Posey. Ralph was Bo's husband, and he mysteriously disappeared 35 years ago. Ralph Posey was a bible-thumping preacher. Unfortunately, he also was an abusive husband, a womanizer, and apparently, a crook. Five thousand dollars went missing from the church safe at about the same time as Ralph scooted out of town. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that plenty of folks wanted Ralph permanently out of their lives. Bo quickly becomes the primary suspect, particularly in the mind of Dave Underwood, a rival county commissioner and thoroughly unlikeable fellow. The mystery moves at a lively pace as Taylor explores tangled relationships and ferrets out long ago secret passions. Speaking of ferrets, Taylor has one, a companion/pet named Hazel, who makes a nice foil for the sleuth, especially when she's grumbling about life. Step by step, Taylor follows threads of information that eventually lead her to the hidden pasts of those who wanted Ralph dead. She's able then, to logically deduce why the murder happened, and of course, who dispatched the preacher onto his next life. This is definitely a book for the reader who loves to settle into a comfy armchair, have a cup of something nearby, and read nonstop to find out "who did it?" This series will pick up many fans and loyal readers over the years. Author Elizabeth Dearl also has included in the book a recipe, "Dorothy's Hot Rattlesnake Cider." Dorothy, by the way, is the talkative, see-it-all neighbor of Taylor Madison's, and she provides an extra piquant flavor to the series. Dearl's recent mysteries also include a novella, "Buyer's Remorse," in Blood, Threat and Fears, a novella collection published by Avid Press.
Reviewed by Patricia Harrington, August 2001
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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