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Mama Rosalee Stinson Bauer Cummings Burton Deveraux wants one more shot at bonding with her daughters before she marries Sal "Sally" Provenza. She particularly wants Mace to go along, since they are, after all, the last two single women in the family. So Mace, Maddie, and Marty all find horses and camping gear and head out with Mama. One of the first stops is at the Bramble place, where Lawton Bramble has served chili to the Cracker Trail riders for years and years. This year it's not gonna happen, because Lawton Bramble is dead. Mama and Mace are involved because they are the last people (apart from the killer) to see Lawton alive. Mama is trying to set Mace up with any available man, no matter how unsuitable, since Detective Carlos Martinez went back to Miami to settle some unfinished business. The only real possibility so far on this trip is Trey Bramble, Lawton's son. Trey was the golden boy when Mace was in high school, so her reactions to him are colored by what he used to be. Now, no matter how one looks at him, he's a drunk. Still, he and Carlos take turns messing with Mace's head all along the Trail. Throw Trey's sister Belle, his stepmother Wynonna, and his ex-fiancée Austin into the mix and life becomes highly confusing. All kinds of unpleasant things happen to Mace and her family as the Trail ride continues. Is someone unhappy that Mace is assumed to be solving the crime? Is it a jealous woman? There are plenty to choose from. Or is it all just a series of unfortunate coincidences? Mace spends a lot of MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN second-guessing herself, both as a detective and as a woman. I found this to be a little annoying, since my impression of Mace is of a woman who is pretty sure of herself. But then I am reminded that family dynamics in close quarters bring the old scripts to the forefront, and nobody is a much a kid as when their Mom is on their case. I also don't think that Mace does as much detecting in SHOTGUN as she did in TIME. She spends a lot of time chasing one theory and then another, so that the killer finally threatens Mace directly, which comes as a real surprise to Mace. It's still a good story. MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN has much less to do with Mama than did MAMA DOES TIME, but Mama is still a major force in Mace's life. Mace's sisters continue to be their own selves, but the changes that readers saw in TIME are still present. MAMA RIDES SHOTGUN is sure to please readers who enjoyed TIME, as Mace is a character to care about.
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, March 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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