What do you think?
Rate this book
Where Gable Slept
Celia Landrey, walking-tour guide and innkeeper, must deal with a mysterious newcomer to her small town—a woman bent on destroying their most famous structure, a house where Clark Gable lived as a young man. Unable to stand idly by, Celia struggles through a maze of secrets and lies, murder and romance, to save Gable House, her town, and her life.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2010
7 people want to read
About the author
Irene Bennett Brown
25 books8 followersI was born in Topeka, Kansas but from the age of nine, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has been home. As a child in one-room schools where I was often the only student in my class, I read, reread, and lived vicariously books like HEIDI, CADDIE WOODLAWN, MAMA’S BANK ACCOUNT, and LITTLE WOMEN. Jo in LITTLE WOMEN and Katrin in MAMA’S BANK ACCOUNT, writing away in their dusky attics, fueled my own dream to be a writer.
Author William Least Heat Moon is surely correct when he says “our passions at age 12 will always be with us and indicate our intended career.”
A writer who can’t not write, I pounded out my first seven books on a manual typewriter borrowed from a neighbor. Payoff for sore arms from throwing the carriage was national publication of my children’s books: in hardcover by Atheneum, E.P. Dutton, Thomas Nelson and David McKay, and in paperback book club editions by Viking Penguin, Scholastic, and Junior Literary Guild. Awards and honors include a Spur Award from Western Writers Of America and nomination for the Mark Twain Award for BEFORE THE LARK, the Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award for significant contribution to children’s literature, and inclusion on several best books’ lists.
THE PLAINSWOMAN, published originally by Ballantine, was my first novel for adults and a Western Writers Of America Spur Award finalist. Other novels include my Women Of Paragon Springs series from Five Star Cengage: LONG ROAD TURNING, BLUE HORIZONS, NO OTHER PLACE, and REAP THE SOUTH WIND. A love story set in Oregon’s Hells Canyon, HAVEN, a single title, was also published by Five Star. My historical novel, THE BARGAIN, was released by my own company, Riveredge Books, in 2007. WHERE GABLE SLEPT, the first book in my Celia Landrey mystery series, followed in 2010 and WHERE DANGER DANCED in 2012. All are now published by Riveredge Books and are also available as Kindle and Nook ebooks.
When not following my favorite pursuits, writing and reading, you’ll find me enjoying travel and exploring historic places with my husband, Bob, a retired research chemist, and spending time with our growing and busy family.
Author William Least Heat Moon is surely correct when he says “our passions at age 12 will always be with us and indicate our intended career.”
A writer who can’t not write, I pounded out my first seven books on a manual typewriter borrowed from a neighbor. Payoff for sore arms from throwing the carriage was national publication of my children’s books: in hardcover by Atheneum, E.P. Dutton, Thomas Nelson and David McKay, and in paperback book club editions by Viking Penguin, Scholastic, and Junior Literary Guild. Awards and honors include a Spur Award from Western Writers Of America and nomination for the Mark Twain Award for BEFORE THE LARK, the Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award for significant contribution to children’s literature, and inclusion on several best books’ lists.
THE PLAINSWOMAN, published originally by Ballantine, was my first novel for adults and a Western Writers Of America Spur Award finalist. Other novels include my Women Of Paragon Springs series from Five Star Cengage: LONG ROAD TURNING, BLUE HORIZONS, NO OTHER PLACE, and REAP THE SOUTH WIND. A love story set in Oregon’s Hells Canyon, HAVEN, a single title, was also published by Five Star. My historical novel, THE BARGAIN, was released by my own company, Riveredge Books, in 2007. WHERE GABLE SLEPT, the first book in my Celia Landrey mystery series, followed in 2010 and WHERE DANGER DANCED in 2012. All are now published by Riveredge Books and are also available as Kindle and Nook ebooks.
When not following my favorite pursuits, writing and reading, you’ll find me enjoying travel and exploring historic places with my husband, Bob, a retired research chemist, and spending time with our growing and busy family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 31, 2011
WHERE GABLE SLEPT written by Irene Bennett Brown
07/10 - Riveredge Books - Paperback, 232 pages
Preserving History and Solving Crimes is all in a day’s work, right?
Celia Landrey is a widow trying to organize a life for herself after 25 years of wonderful marriage. She and her husband had lived a full life in the small town of Pass Creek and she loved the history and ambiance of the eclectic houses and people. Celia had a particular passion for the house Clark Gable had once owned and lived in with Carole Lombard and she took pride in the tours she gave.
When the owner of the house’s death is deemed a murder and a strange woman comes to town wanting to burn the house to the ground Celia fires up all her burners to figure out what is going on and what this woman is doing here in this town? She has lots of help from the residents of the town who like the way things are and the new real estate broker who is reminding her that being a widow does not mean forever living alone.
Celia finds herself in a bit of trouble on and off but nothing she cannot handle if everyone and his or her dang secrets would come out in the daylight. Celia wants to stir things up and get answers but not push someone to arson and that is when the madness really moves to the forefront.
This story had only one drawback for me and that was the lack of more romance between Jake and Celia, but that is the only problem. There is a murder mystery to solve, lots of secrets to unfold and quite a mess to unravel with lots of suspects and not enough answers.
07/10 - Riveredge Books - Paperback, 232 pages
Preserving History and Solving Crimes is all in a day’s work, right?
Celia Landrey is a widow trying to organize a life for herself after 25 years of wonderful marriage. She and her husband had lived a full life in the small town of Pass Creek and she loved the history and ambiance of the eclectic houses and people. Celia had a particular passion for the house Clark Gable had once owned and lived in with Carole Lombard and she took pride in the tours she gave.
When the owner of the house’s death is deemed a murder and a strange woman comes to town wanting to burn the house to the ground Celia fires up all her burners to figure out what is going on and what this woman is doing here in this town? She has lots of help from the residents of the town who like the way things are and the new real estate broker who is reminding her that being a widow does not mean forever living alone.
Celia finds herself in a bit of trouble on and off but nothing she cannot handle if everyone and his or her dang secrets would come out in the daylight. Celia wants to stir things up and get answers but not push someone to arson and that is when the madness really moves to the forefront.
This story had only one drawback for me and that was the lack of more romance between Jake and Celia, but that is the only problem. There is a murder mystery to solve, lots of secrets to unfold and quite a mess to unravel with lots of suspects and not enough answers.
July 15, 2013
I am always on the lookout for a new cozy mystery. Where Gable Slept fits the bill perfectly.
Celia Landrey is a middle aged widow living in a small town in Oregon. Following the death of its current owner, the historic home of Clark Gable looks like it will be destroyed by the new owner. After it turns out that the former owner was murdered the mysteries begin to mount and Celia finds herself to be the sleuth in residence.
A well developed plot and likeable characters make this a perfect addition to the cozy mystery genre. The larger print in the edition that I read will also make it a good book for our outreach librarian to take to the home bound patrons. I hope the series will continue to grow.
Celia Landrey is a middle aged widow living in a small town in Oregon. Following the death of its current owner, the historic home of Clark Gable looks like it will be destroyed by the new owner. After it turns out that the former owner was murdered the mysteries begin to mount and Celia finds herself to be the sleuth in residence.
A well developed plot and likeable characters make this a perfect addition to the cozy mystery genre. The larger print in the edition that I read will also make it a good book for our outreach librarian to take to the home bound patrons. I hope the series will continue to grow.
December 21, 2010
Where Gable Slept is an entertaining, fast-paced mystery with a blossoming romance. Celia Landrey leads tours through a historic mansion, where Clark Gable reportedly stayed, to attract tourism to her struggling community. The owner's death and the shadow of murder threatens to spoil its appeal. Then a mystery woman appears and buys the property out from under the town's preservation group, with plans to burn it down.
Celia is a well-characterized and sympathetic middle-aged sleuth, the storyline kept me turning pages, I enjoyed the story very much, and I highly recommend it.
Celia is a well-characterized and sympathetic middle-aged sleuth, the storyline kept me turning pages, I enjoyed the story very much, and I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews