Setting - Sierra Mountain Foothills
Publisher: Elk Grove Publications
Publication Date: December 9, 2023
Paperback page count: 262 pages
ISBN-10: 1940781310 / ISBN-13: 978-4294245132
Digital ASIN: B0CPWJH4FC
The legendary Native American Spirit Woman and her mountain lion companion, said to appear in times of trouble, are once again sighted near Lockleer Mountain. And there is trouble aplenty.Twenty-four hours after Joe and his brother, Cyrus, quarrel over the ownership of a winning million dollar lottery ticket, Cyrus’s mutilated body is found in the mountains, ravaged by the local wildlife. Sheriff Peabody and Deputy Nate Darling are soon puzzled by stolen VA hospital drugs found in Cyrus’s bedroom. It seems likely the suspected homicide is either connected to the contested lottery ticket or the drugs.
Hearing of the crowds that inevitably follow such a disturbing event, Rosita Ramirez, a transient with two children, comes to Lockleer Mountain to sell homemade tamales. She is befriended by Nate’s fiancé, Lou Shoemaker, owner of the Pooper Scooper sewer disposal truck. Rosita parks her old motorhome at the First Baptist Church and Lou aids her in acquiring employment at the local diner.
Soon, malicious gossip erupts about Rosita and the pastor. The church deacons are divided between ignoring unproven gossip, versus concern the gossip will divide the congregation and affect the future of the church.
In addition to finding a killer, Sheriff Peabody and his deputies are now tasked with exposing the perpetrator of the gossip, or the pastor will be forced to leave. How can the Spirit Woman and her companions bring about a solution to the troubles that plague the rural community?
Excitement stirs things up in a small California mountain town and leads to murder!
Spirit Woman Legends and Lies is the second novel in veteran author Elaine Faber’s new mystical cozy series, the Spirit Woman Mystery Adventures, but it can easily be enjoyed without reading the previous book. There’s a lot to appreciate: a charming small town in the Sierra Mountains Foothills, an interesting community of nice people (for the most part), and a delightful couple as main characters, which all combined to make this book an extremely comfortable yet compelling story about a murder.
Lou Shoemaker, a widow of three years, is the owner and operator of The Pooper Scooper, the local septic tank disposal service, earning her a shot at the title of “Character with the Most Off-beat Profession in a Cozy Mystery.” She’s recently become engaged to Deputy Sheriff Nate Darling, the law enforcement half of their detecting couple equation. These characters are so compatible; I had no trouble at all seeing them as a couple, and they are probably some of the nicest fictional people ever. I was surprised by their compassion as well as their restraint in dealing with some of the hotheaded crazies in the story.
The murder occurs off the page, but the results (when the victim’s body is found) are gruesome. The corpse, exposed to the elements and subjected to predation, makes finding solid clues to what happened and who did it a big problem. A major plot twist or two kept things very interesting, especially as the spoiled crime scene and lack of evidence initially left few viable suspects on the ground. Nate takes the lead, and eventually, there are some timely leads in the case and appearances by the Spirit Woman and her animal companions that keep the pace up and the investigation moving forward. There is a side story involving Lou’s volunteer work at the newly-opened veterans’ hospital, which really twisted my heart.
I recommend SPIRIT WOMAN LEGEND AND LIES to cozy mystery
readers who enjoy a touch of the paranormal in the stories.
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1 comment:
Thanks for a lovely review, Paula. Hope you will post it up on Amazon. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Looking forward to your subscribers reading a 'different' type of cozy mystery.
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