Three Seconds To Thunder

China Bohannon #3

by C.K. Crigger

China Bohannon is a modern 1890’s career woman, but the Doyle & Howe Detective Agency hasn’t turned her loose on a case of her own just yet. China is champing at the bit and when a call for help comes in, a trip into the mountains above the St. Joe country sounds just the thing to prove her worth and assist a friend at the same time. Porter Anderson’s uncle has disappeared and a Johnny-come-lately timber baron has claimed the family homestead. What’s more, he has a bill of sale for it that Porter knows his uncle didn’t sign. The problem is proving it—or so it would seem. Porter doesn’t believe his uncle sold out and left the country without telling anybody. He’s afraid old Lionel Hooker might be dead—murdered.

Declaring the case unsuitable for a lady like China, Monk takes it on, but now no one has heard from him in days. China sets out to discover his whereabouts as the dry lightning of summer sets the woods ablaze.

What she finds is a trail of lies, theft, and murder, with her uncle Monk likely the next victim. Then, just when the problem appears solved, trouble breaks out again. This time, Monk's partner Gratton Doyle is the one in danger and it’s China who must bail him out.

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 29, 2012

About the author

C.K.Crigger, a native of the Inland Northwest, lives in Spokane, Washington with her husband, dog, and reclusive cat. She is the author of eight published novels, some of which cross genres. Her short fiction story, Aldy Neals Ghost, was a 2007 Spur Award finalist, presented by Western Writers of America. BLACK CROSSING,a novel of the American West published by Amber Quill Press, is her newest work. It is the recipient of the 2008 Eppie Award in the Historical/Western category."

Reviews

[Belinda Earl Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing Persons!

China Bohannon finds herself going dancing with the secret love of her life and Doyle and Howe partner, Gratton Doyle! But it’s not romance;they’re on the job after a philandering husband!
The detectives aren’t fond of that type of case, but a job is a job and helps bring in cash!
At the dance they run into their friend, Porter Anderson, and after the dance he gives them two assignments. The first is to recover his sweetheart who has been spirited away, and the second is to check on his aging uncle, Lionel Hooker. He missed a family gathering which he had always attended in the past. Anderson can’t go himself.
Gratton sets out in search of Anderson’s sweetheart and Uncle Monk goes upcountry to see about the old uncle. They leave China in charge of the office, struggling to master the art of typing with accuracy.
Grat and Monk both told China that they’d only be gone two or three days. But the allotted time expires with no sign of either of them! China waits an extra day or two, and when there is still no sign and no message, she sets out to find her Uncle Monk! Will she find him alive or is he dead and buried? Did Grat find Anderson’s missing girlfriend? Read Three Seconds to Thunder and discover the answers!
♥️✝️🐑✡️♥️

[Janet Denise Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS, 1890'S DETECTIVE STORY, ACTION

5 STARS C.K. Crigger receives for this well written fast paced action driven 3rd Book in the Series: A China Bohannon Novel. As usual a great BLURB is provided. Wonderful characters some we have met in earlier books in this series; however, I think one could definitely read this one as a stand alone novel.

China a young 21 years old woman who has been forced to move to Spokane, Washington to stay with her Uncle Monk loves it there. So China has decided to stay & has begged a job with her Uncle Monk & his partner Graffton. They only expect her to do bookkeeping, sit in the office plus answer the phone and take care of paperwork. Yet as one can guess the intriguing detective bug has bitten her also & she keeps getting mixed up in their cases.

China unfortunately has a tendency to not follow orders to stay put. She often wears bruises on her face or other body parts & is often lucky to still be alive. Yes, many attempts are made on her life.

It is an awesome & interesting read. It's addicting also & almost impossible to stop mid story & sit it down until later. Well enough about Book 3 for me & on to the next.

RECOMMEND

[Linda L. Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

China Bohannon solves murder and several mysteries!

China survives life threatening situations. She, her uncle, and another detective were in grave danger. There are several surprises before the bad people are brought down. Well done.

[Beverly Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of these books in this series gets better!

What a great storyline! You can't help but wonder what can happen next to China and each book is full of accidents! I loved the hat pin!

[Jess Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series and so far C.K. Crigger's best about private investagator wannabee, China Bohannon. She is a head-strong, quirky and spunky twenty-one-year old young woman who thinks she can be just as good an investigator as her Uncle Monk and his partner Gratton Doyle. Unfortunately, she is only the office manager for their PI agency. The two have done nearly everything they can think of to keep her out of their line of business. After all, this is Spokane in the '90s, 1890's that is. Private Investagion work is a man's business and considered scandalous for a prim, single young woman to be involved in this sordid line of work. That hasn't stopped China for a minute.

Once more China gets in over her head. It starts with Gratton taking China to a dance because he needs a partner and cover while he is following a married woman, whose husband believes is cheating on him, the usual PI stuff that pays most of the bills. She supposedly hangs out at the local dance pavilion and so that's where China and Gratton go. Actually, China likes it because she is sweet on Gratton, but he is all business. From dance onward, things get dicey as the husband, who is a powerful land baron, has actually forced his wife into an unwanted marriage. This only the tip of the iceburg.

China follows a path of murder, kidnapping, and homestead swindals, and in the midst of it all she is caught in a horrendous forest fire as she tries to rescue Monk and Gratton almost at the same time from horrible deaths.

The writing is tight and fast moving. The descriptions are vivid and you feel you are in old Spokane and in the middle of the fire, you almost feel the heat of the flames and your hair singing.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes mystery and adventure that is set in turn of the twentieth century USA.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a Victorian mystery with a twist; instead of being set in a city, the action takes place on the northwestern inland frontier around Spokane, Washington. China Bohannan, office manager to the private detective firm of Doyle and Howe, can handle a gun better than her typewriter, and would rather be out in the field than writing reports. When her Uncle Monk fails to report in while investigating the disappearance of a homesteader, China sets out with her terrier Nimble to search for him. The rough lumber towns and homesteads are no place for a woman on her own, but China is not afraid to mix it up with the bad buys to rescue her uncle. Big lumber interests are buying up homesteads in the area, and if the homesteaders don’t want to sell, they are coerced or disappear. China is also attracted to her boss, Gratton Doyle, who only seems interested in her ability to master the new typewriter. Readers who enjoy the historical mysteries of Miriam Grace Monfredo and Laurie King may enjoy the independent, spirited China, who puts fear into her opponents when she wields her hat pin.