Diamondback, Book One in the Taylor Madison Mystery Series

by Elizabeth Dearl

When novelist Taylor Madison discovers a mysterious letter among her late mother's effects, she heads for West Texas in search of her father's identity. But small, sleepy towns don't appreciate rude awakenings and Taylor soon finds herself up to her neck in rattlesnakes and long-kept secrets--a deadly combination.

Genres: Mystery

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2005

About the author

Before finally getting around to writing full-time, Elizabeth Dearl worked as a security guard, an employment counselor, a secretary, a police dispatcher, a county sheriff's department reserve deputy, a police officer, and a bookstore owner/operator. Writing, though, was her first love, and she decided at an early age that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up.

Elizabeth is a native Texan, born and raised in West Texas--but she's lived in the Houston area for a long time. She's been married for 26 years to a wonderful guy named Joe, who is a detective with the Sugar Land Police Department. Their only child is a "fur child" of the canine variety.

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this story and really enjoyed the experience. I read a review that complained about the lack of quote marks, which I think would have driven me crazy, so I'm glad I listened to the book. The narration worked for me, and I enjoyed the accents that were not overdone. I really loved the main character, who ends up Texas to inform her estranged aunt about the death of her sister, but stays there for a multitude of complicated reasons. The cozy mystery was not super complicated, or at least I was able to figure it out, but I had a lot of fun doing so. There were several mysteries surrounding Taylor's life that you could figure out using clues laid out by the author, and while some might call it "predictable", I had fun working it out along with Taylor. I would be interested in listening to the second book, especially if the same narrator is narrating it.

[Rosemary Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend Diamond Back to fans of Who Done It fiction. To put it mildly, I’m not a fan of snakes. I thought the Diamondback Rattler Festival in the small town of Perdue, Texas would make me lose interest. To the contrary, this is one of the best novels I’ve read this year. After her mother’s death, novelist Taylor Maddison goes to Perdue. Accompanied by her delightful ferret, to find answers to questions after her mother’s death. Apart from the rattlesnakes, which forthright, witty but vulnerable Taylor dislikes, there are several mysteries which add up. I look forward to reading Book 2 in the series

[Renee Duke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a big-city mystery writer turned small-town deputy sheriff. The heroine, goes to the town seeking answers rather than a job, but winds up with both. And her pet ferret makes for an interesting addition to the story. (So much cooler than the usual dog or cat.) Definitely a good read.

[BookAddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madison Taylor writes mystery stories and heads to Purdue, Texas to solve her own personal mystery. This book made me a little crazy because there is no punctuation to indicate dialogue, which made it difficult in some places to separate narrative from speech. I never really got used to it. Maybe it's something about the Kindle edition but there are no quotation marks anywhere in this book... The story was a pretty good one though and the mystery solid, although I figured out why Madison's Aunt Tessa hated her so much from the moment she slammed the door in her face. The characters are fun and the town is winningly quirky. This was a great quick read and I will be reading the next one.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor Madison, a resident of Houston, finds a letter addressed to her late mother. She goes to a tiny town in West Texas to find out her father's name. She finds herself involved with the friendly people of Purdue, Texas. Like the sign outide Stanton, Texas, the town has a "few soreheads." I loved this book! It embodies that personalities and culture of small town Texas. Don't read it if you have a phobia about snakes. These reptiles are a big part of the story.

[Paty Jager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and will be reading more.