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Tis The Season For Murder
Silent Night
Nothing quite lights up a Christmas party like finding a corpse in the ladies' room, and Jolie Wyatt has the dubious honor of stumbling over the dead woman in Barbara Burnett Smith's "Mistletoe From Purple Sage." Now Jolie's spending the season in her old stomping ground--Rose Sterling Advertising--to find out who killed the young copywriter and why
Nothing quite lights up a Christmas party like finding a corpse in the ladies' room, and Jolie Wyatt has the dubious honor of stumbling over the dead woman in Barbara Burnett Smith's "Mistletoe From Purple Sage." Now Jolie's spending the season in her old stomping ground--Rose Sterling Advertising--to find out who killed the young copywriter and why
508 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1998
25 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Burnett Smith
10 books9 followersThe late Austin (TX) author Barbara Burnett Smith is best known for her novels set in the fictional Texas town of Purple Sage. She wrote cozies. Titles of her books were taken from Zane Grey book titles and slightly modified.
A friend of hers, Jan Grape, says, "You don't want to make someone sound absolutely perfect, but Barbara was." She is greatly missed by the mystery writers community and her friends.
On February 19, 2005, Barbara and her husband, Gary Petry, drove to San Antonio to rescue an Airedale terrier. On the way back, they stopped at a local mystery bookstore and the dog jumped out of the car. But they had difficulty coaxing him back. It was dark and raining, and Smith, who was wearing dark clothing, stepped into the street. She was hit by a car and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced brain-dead. On Sunday, in accordance with her wishes, her organs were donated to others.
Smith wrote mysteries, taught mystery writing, and worked as voice-over talent on Austin radio commercials. She also owned Catalyst Training & Development, a company that ran communication training classes and workshops. She was a former president of the international Sisters In Crime literary group.
Cooper, author of the Texas-based E. J. Pugh and Kimmey Kruse series of mysteries, who first became friends with Smith in 1989, remembers that she had a powerful effect on the Black Shoes. "One thing Barbara said going in was that she didn't want to do this group unless anything negative that was said, something positive had to be said to balance it out. And she was absolutely right. It was the most successful group I've ever been in. We were able to concentrate not just on the negative, as so often happens in writing groups, but on what was working, too."
Smith, whose real name was Barbara Jo Petry, is survived by her husband Gary, her son W.D., three stepdaughters, nine grandchildren and step-grandchildren and her brother, Bruce.
A friend of hers, Jan Grape, says, "You don't want to make someone sound absolutely perfect, but Barbara was." She is greatly missed by the mystery writers community and her friends.
On February 19, 2005, Barbara and her husband, Gary Petry, drove to San Antonio to rescue an Airedale terrier. On the way back, they stopped at a local mystery bookstore and the dog jumped out of the car. But they had difficulty coaxing him back. It was dark and raining, and Smith, who was wearing dark clothing, stepped into the street. She was hit by a car and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced brain-dead. On Sunday, in accordance with her wishes, her organs were donated to others.
Smith wrote mysteries, taught mystery writing, and worked as voice-over talent on Austin radio commercials. She also owned Catalyst Training & Development, a company that ran communication training classes and workshops. She was a former president of the international Sisters In Crime literary group.
Cooper, author of the Texas-based E. J. Pugh and Kimmey Kruse series of mysteries, who first became friends with Smith in 1989, remembers that she had a powerful effect on the Black Shoes. "One thing Barbara said going in was that she didn't want to do this group unless anything negative that was said, something positive had to be said to balance it out. And she was absolutely right. It was the most successful group I've ever been in. We were able to concentrate not just on the negative, as so often happens in writing groups, but on what was working, too."
Smith, whose real name was Barbara Jo Petry, is survived by her husband Gary, her son W.D., three stepdaughters, nine grandchildren and step-grandchildren and her brother, Bruce.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 30, 2015
Tis The Season for Murder was an ornament of a book! It would not have taken me as long to read had it not been for the rush of the holidays and all the madness that comes with it. These were the first stories I have read by both authors. I should actually say 3 authors because there is a short bonus story at the end. My favorite story of them all was Ransom for a Holiday. These are thoughts on both of the mysteries contained in this book though.
Mistletoe From Purple Sage ****4 STARS****- It took me a minute to really dive into the story line and get into the story, but once I did I really enjoyed it. It was a cute cozy Christmastime mystery just like I love!
Ransom for a Holiday*****5 STARS*****- My favorite of the 3 stories in the book. I read this one at a much faster pace because I enjoyed it a lot. There was a lot of suspense and I thought I knew who the murderer was but I was shocked when I discovered I was wrong!
Pick this book at your bookstore if you're in the mood for Christmas- time mysteries. You might want to have a cozy blanket and read this by the fireplace with a nice warm hot chocolate and some marshmallows. :)
Mistletoe From Purple Sage ****4 STARS****- It took me a minute to really dive into the story line and get into the story, but once I did I really enjoyed it. It was a cute cozy Christmastime mystery just like I love!
Ransom for a Holiday*****5 STARS*****- My favorite of the 3 stories in the book. I read this one at a much faster pace because I enjoyed it a lot. There was a lot of suspense and I thought I knew who the murderer was but I was shocked when I discovered I was wrong!
Pick this book at your bookstore if you're in the mood for Christmas- time mysteries. You might want to have a cozy blanket and read this by the fireplace with a nice warm hot chocolate and some marshmallows. :)
December 27, 2018
Mistletoe from Purple Sage: Okay read. Better than homework. Main character is dull, and the ending lacked resolution for her actions, which left a bad taste in my mouth 3/5 stars
Ransom For a Holiday. More entertaining than the other one. I love Emily's character and her and Ransom's relationship. Fun dynamic and the mystery was entertaining as well. 4/5 stars
Beneath the Sighs: Compact short story. Quick read, not much to say about it, really. Not much of a mystery as it moves so fast and has so few characters it doesn't leave you much to think about. But I liked the writing style, though I'm not sure how to describe it 3.5/5
Ransom For a Holiday. More entertaining than the other one. I love Emily's character and her and Ransom's relationship. Fun dynamic and the mystery was entertaining as well. 4/5 stars
Beneath the Sighs: Compact short story. Quick read, not much to say about it, really. Not much of a mystery as it moves so fast and has so few characters it doesn't leave you much to think about. But I liked the writing style, though I'm not sure how to describe it 3.5/5
November 6, 2015
Mistletoe from Purple Sage by Barbara Burnett Smith - 5/10
Ransom for a Holiday by Fred Hunter - 7/10
Beneath the Sighs by Walter Satterthwait - 5/10
Ransom for a Holiday by Fred Hunter - 7/10
Beneath the Sighs by Walter Satterthwait - 5/10
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews