Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews
Page Three of FiveDeath of an Evangelista by Allana Martin
St. Martin's Press, March 1999.Hardcover, 260 pages.
ISBN: 0312198531.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Trading post owner Texana Jones is back in this latest
installment of this excellent regional mystery series
set in La Frontera -- the borderland between Texas
and Mexico in Presidio County, Texas. When Texana
mistakenly enters a Mexican taxi carrying a murdered passenger,
things go from bad (being caught in Mexico near a
crime scene) to worse (being hauled off
to the local jail for questioning). After her release,
Texana is plunged into several other, seemingly
unrelated mysteries such as the increasing tensions
in the town between the Catholics and a mysterious
female evangelist, and a missing fortune in relics
stolen from Mexican churches. With the help of her
veterinarian husband and her myriad
local friends, Texana is sure to find answers -- though
they may not be to her liking.
This latest Texana Jones story digs even deeper into the unique culture which exists on both sides of the Rio Grande. With layers of complexity, it is a society full of contradictions -- both religious and political. Allana Martin has a likeable, friendly style, with a hint of menace lurking just under the surface, which makes for compelling reading -- whether the subject matter is the town's annual Christmas Posada or murder. Regional fans shouldn't let this one get away.
East of A by Russell Atwood
Ballantine, Feb., 1999.Hardcover, 211 pages.
ISBN: 0345427769.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
In the Lower East Side of New York is
Alphabet City -- peopled by hustlers,
private eyes, hookers and lots of
shady characters. P.I. Payton Sherwood was just
stepping out to get some milk and cereal when
he happens on some guys beating up a young
girl. He intervenes, gets beaten up himself -- and
then has his Rolex watch stolen by the damsel
in distress herself. Determined to find his watch
and the girl, he sets out on a trail which will lead him
through dance clubs, tenements and homeless hangouts
and embroil him in drug dealing and murder -- just for
starters. Still, a case is a case, and Payton is determined
to see it through to the end, even if his client is himself.
East of A is a marvelous noir urban thriller that will delight both hardboiled and medium-boiled detective story fans. First-time author Russell Atwood knows his stuff; he was the managing editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Atwood takes a genre that has gone stale and infused it with life and edgy excitement. The author clearly loves New York and it shows in his inspired, evocative descriptions. Payton Sherwood is a classic p.i. loner, mourning a lost love -- so why does the character feel so new? This is one p.i. we hope to see a lot of in the future. Highly recommended.
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