Death of a Myth Maker
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"The great strength of Martin's Texana Jones series, now in its fourth installment, remains the vivid depiction of the stark Chihuahuan Desert of Presidio County, Texas, with its vibrant Tex-Mex culture and the unique mentality of its fronterizo inhabitants." - Booklist
When trading post owner Texana Jones and her veterinarian husband Clay take refuge at the Paisano Hotel in Marfa, they again cross paths with danger. Texana is begged by a rancher to help a possible killer escape arrest. In this fourth in the borderland series, murder and its resolution play out amid the mixed Anglo and Hispanic culture of the trading post and the river. As usual the most convincing married pair in mystery are aided by a charming cast of eccentrics.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Border communities in Texas are rife with special words that only a few understand. Mitotero ("myth maker") is one of them, denoting one who's a big talker or a show-off, and in this case, who's asking for trouble. The fourth adventure (after Death of an Evangelista) for Texana Jones, who owns a trading post, starts off on the right foot, with a prologue providing an 1852 description of the mystifying "Marfa Lights." These glowing images of the desert have long fascinated visitors and locals alike, and should be the perfect backdrop for murder and mystery. Unfortunately, Martin abandons them after the early chapters, making the prologue meaningless. Texana's trading post on the Mexican border serves ranchers, marines and drug traffickers. Two traumatic incidents on her property occur within days: the murder of a Mexican photographer and a wild brush fire that drives Texana and husband Clay into the Paisano Hotel in Marfa. Speculation in the small Rio Grande town points at several suspects, including Texana. But she is suspicious of Julian Row, a boaster zoning in on the fortunes of one of the famous Spivey sisters, an eccentric bunch who finish each other's sentences and pride themselves on their sharp shooting. Row's death gets the ball rolling, and the novel attempts to gather the various floating plot lines. But despite witty characters and amusing anecdotes, this story lacks a uniting thread.
