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Charlie Moon #12
Three Sisters
Colorado rancher and tribal investigator Charlie Moon is taking a night off to play some poker with his best friend, Scott Parris, Granite Creek’s chief of police, when Scott’s dispatcher cuts in with an emergency call. It seems a man was on the phone with his wife when their call was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream and the most gruesome noises he’d ever heard. Would they mind checking it out?
Arriving on scene, they discover that the man’s wife, one of three daughters of a wealthy and powerful rancher, has been mauled beyond recognition.
Even after her two sisters---one of whom is a popular TV psychic who on that very night’s show reported “seeing” the real-time murder of one of her fans---turn up at the DA’s office, demanding answers, the smart money and forensic experts are still laying blame on a hungry bear. But once the wheels of justice are turning and the ratings for Cassandra Sees are going through the roof, the surviving sisters are awfully quick to move on in all kinds of ways.
With eyebrows and suspicions raised, Charlie and his irascible aunt Daisy, a Ute shaman whose investigative talents rely heavily on help from the spirit world, set out to track down a killer.
A tight plot, quick wit, and clever crimes make Three Sisters, the twelfth installment in the popular Charlie Moon series, the newest must-have from James D. Doss.
Arriving on scene, they discover that the man’s wife, one of three daughters of a wealthy and powerful rancher, has been mauled beyond recognition.
Even after her two sisters---one of whom is a popular TV psychic who on that very night’s show reported “seeing” the real-time murder of one of her fans---turn up at the DA’s office, demanding answers, the smart money and forensic experts are still laying blame on a hungry bear. But once the wheels of justice are turning and the ratings for Cassandra Sees are going through the roof, the surviving sisters are awfully quick to move on in all kinds of ways.
With eyebrows and suspicions raised, Charlie and his irascible aunt Daisy, a Ute shaman whose investigative talents rely heavily on help from the spirit world, set out to track down a killer.
A tight plot, quick wit, and clever crimes make Three Sisters, the twelfth installment in the popular Charlie Moon series, the newest must-have from James D. Doss.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2007
20 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
James D. Doss
24 books119 followersJames D. Doss (1939, Kentucky, -17 May 2012) was a noted American mystery novel author. He was the creator of the popular fictional Ute detective/rancher Charlie Moon, of whom he wrote 17 mystery novels. James "Danny" Doss was born and raised in Kentucky and died in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He was also an electrical engineer who worked on particle accelerators and biomedical technology for the University of California's Los Alamos National Laboratory, while writing his novels. After retirement from Los Alamos National Laboratory, he continued to write his popular novels while living in Taos, New Mexico and Los Alamos, New Mexico.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Doss
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Doss
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
August 29, 2020
pretty good story nearly destroyed by author's attempts at "sly" humor - his relentless, unfortunate attempts to be clever sand-bagged this entry... hope he got it out of his system because I really like the series and characters... we'll see.
March 9, 2025
One sister ends up dead. The other two are dangerous women…or are they next?
I’m invested in the characters and therefore the series but his writing style annoys me. Too many asides and inside jokes that just waste time. And the story seems to never end.
I’m invested in the characters and therefore the series but his writing style annoys me. Too many asides and inside jokes that just waste time. And the story seems to never end.
October 28, 2017
I'm not sure what to say about Three Sisters by James D. Doss, a detective mystery featuring Charlie Moon and his Aunt Daisy. They are members of the Ute tribe in Colorado where Charlie is a part-time officer on the tribal police force and a rancher. Daisy is a tribal elder known for her abilities as a shaman.
The plot was both intriguing and improbable. The three Spencer sisters are plagued by unfortunate accidents, which is how Charlie gets involved. One sister can see into the future and has successfully forecast some gruesome events, which is where Daisy enters the story. Weaving all this together into a coherent story with sufficient mystery and action to keep the reader intrigued results in some hilarious situations and dialog, as well as rather contrived circumstances.
The technique chosen by Doss to tell the convoluted story involves a narrator who is unidentified and hazy. This voice inserts itself into the story to offer commentary on the reader's thinking, give observations of local settings, and help set up some of the odd circumstances through which the book's characters pass. I found this style annoying and disruptive. What it a good read? I'd say it is a definite maybe.
The plot was both intriguing and improbable. The three Spencer sisters are plagued by unfortunate accidents, which is how Charlie gets involved. One sister can see into the future and has successfully forecast some gruesome events, which is where Daisy enters the story. Weaving all this together into a coherent story with sufficient mystery and action to keep the reader intrigued results in some hilarious situations and dialog, as well as rather contrived circumstances.
The technique chosen by Doss to tell the convoluted story involves a narrator who is unidentified and hazy. This voice inserts itself into the story to offer commentary on the reader's thinking, give observations of local settings, and help set up some of the odd circumstances through which the book's characters pass. I found this style annoying and disruptive. What it a good read? I'd say it is a definite maybe.
August 22, 2010
This was not one of Doss' better books. Unfortunately I felt that it was quite contrived and his characters that have been crafted over so many books became caricatures of themselves. I found the style was taken to a point where rather than be clever and entertaining became annoying. I truly hope that this is not the direction these books are going.
April 7, 2010
Lots of tongue-in-cheek humor. Charlie Moon and his aunt Daisy are memorable characters that I am very familiar with from Doss's previous books - he keeps them in character so well! Am enjoying the southwest flavor of these novels - a great genre for me to read - makes me think of New Mexico.
November 3, 2008
Not one of Doss' better efforts. Labored and way too many devices trying to increase suspense.
March 12, 2017
Did not like this style of writing, read like a juvenile novel written by someone trying overly hard to be expressive. Read 48 pages and gave up.
November 12, 2022
I picked this up based on a blurb that said Doss's Charlie Moon series has done for the Ute what Tony Hillerman did for the Navajo. Perhaps that quote was in reference to earlier entries in this series. I know little more about the Ute than I did before I started reading.
Put bluntly, this book was awful. The plot was ridiculous, the tone of the narrator - often tongue-in-cheek, folksy and joking - was completely out of place given the gruesome crimes that are its subject, and on top of that, was not all that funny, ever. Someone ought to tell the author that it is okay to use subject pronouns - particularly "he," "she" - when the referent will be crystal clear. That would save a bit of ink and time on his part, instead of having to come up with other ways to refer to the characters, some of which seem to be intended to be witty.
Most of the characters were thinly drawn caricatures (much of the personality of the "aged shaman," Aunt Daisy, seemed to have been inspired by Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies, another wily, scheming, ornery old woman not quite as clever as she believes). For much of the book, I thought that Charlie Moon was its redeeming feature until the end .
Several reviews have indicated that this book is a low point in the series. I'm not sure I want to give it another try, but I suggest that only die-hard fans of Charlie Moon pick this book up.
Put bluntly, this book was awful. The plot was ridiculous, the tone of the narrator - often tongue-in-cheek, folksy and joking - was completely out of place given the gruesome crimes that are its subject, and on top of that, was not all that funny, ever. Someone ought to tell the author that it is okay to use subject pronouns - particularly "he," "she" - when the referent will be crystal clear. That would save a bit of ink and time on his part, instead of having to come up with other ways to refer to the characters, some of which seem to be intended to be witty.
Most of the characters were thinly drawn caricatures (much of the personality of the "aged shaman," Aunt Daisy, seemed to have been inspired by Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies, another wily, scheming, ornery old woman not quite as clever as she believes). For much of the book, I thought that Charlie Moon was its redeeming feature until the end .
Several reviews have indicated that this book is a low point in the series. I'm not sure I want to give it another try, but I suggest that only die-hard fans of Charlie Moon pick this book up.
April 6, 2024
I really liked the twisted plot but, unfortunately, the author overdid it at times with the tongue-in-cheek humor and explanations to the point that it took away from the story. As always I very much enjoyed the main characters of Charlie Moon, his shaman aunt Daisy Perika and chief of Police Scott Parris. And as with another book I've read of this series, there were quite a few pages that made me laugh out loud, including the epilogue.
January 19, 2022
I like the series. I like the humor. I like the sidebar italicized thoughts of the characters. In this book, I think he went overboard. While I enjoyed it, I found it a bit strained and overdone when compared to previous books in the series. Read it if you liked the series. I am reading the series from the beginning and hope that this book is a 'one-off' for the series.
May 26, 2022
Three Sisrers
I have e joyed this series for several reasons. Great characters, great plots and great scenery. Thank you to the author and I hope for more. Dark
Enjoy this series.chacters, plots and scenery well drawn.
I have e joyed this series for several reasons. Great characters, great plots and great scenery. Thank you to the author and I hope for more. Dark
Enjoy this series.chacters, plots and scenery well drawn.
May 7, 2018
Charlie Moon is a very laid back detective. And his aunt is hilarious. Will probably read more by this author. Good book.
December 8, 2018
A good read in an interesting series.
January 25, 2019
Couldn’t finish. And that’s rare for me.
September 22, 2019
“Sisters don’t always get along as good as they should. And if they’re mad about something, they can be lots meaner to each other than brothers would.”
December 20, 2020
I don't know how Doss manages it but he keeps the humor going through all kinds of grotesque and horrible murders.
July 27, 2021
Fairly zany plot. Aunt Daisy is her usual wily self.
August 14, 2021
Fun read and all the Charlie Moon regulars are quickly becoming like old friends since being re-discovered.
April 3, 2022
I love this series! This one is a little "over the top," but I absolutely could not put it down. Wish there were 100 more books in this series, instead of only a few.
February 15, 2024
This book was a completely different style of writing that I am used to - little strange but funny.
March 10, 2011
Three Sisters was another page-turning, laugh-out-loud winner by James Doss. The "opinionated narrator" point-of-view is much more prominent in this novel than the first Charlie Moon mystery I read, and can (at times) be somewhat heavy-handed. The droll, tongue-in-cheek humor instilled by the witty omniscent narrator with phrases such as 'our brave hero' and 'the lovely damsel' etc., is well worth wading through the first quarter of the novel in which the majority of the drama in focused around the suspects and the victims rather than Charlie Moon and his colorful compatriots.
The plot revolves around the wealthy Spencer sisters: Astrid, Beatrice, and Cassandra--psychic TV sensation of "Cassandra Sees." When Astrid is brutally mauled by an apparent bear-attack, Charlie Moon is inevitably swept into the zany aftermath. He and best friend Chief of Police Scott Parris are called to the scene too late to do anything but summon the coroner--but was the lday killed by a bear, or something more sinister? Throw in a nutty eyewitness account about a Bigfoot sighting, speculation about levitating witches, and add a dash of spunky aunt Daisy Perika, and you've got yourself a wild ride.
Scandal ensues among the cast of suspects when the surviving sisters compete for Astrid's handsome husband Andrew Turner. Meanwhile, Cassandra's "visions" are becoming increasingly more dangerous as the lady psychic begins to "see" murders on air. When a reluctant ghosts proves shy, Cassie seeks the expert help of Daisy Perika to guest-star on her show, which touches off a chain reactions of incredibly hilarous events.
Good luck to any reader in untangling the multuple threads of this mystery. The spectacle of improbable events and Daisy's shenanigans are almost too entertaining to recall what you're supposed to be remembering and when.
Readers preferring hard-boiled mysteries may be disappointed by the zany, laugh-out-loud situational humor that abounds in a Charlie Moon novel, which may account for the mixed reviews. This series is often compared with Tony Hillerman, though the writing styles are markedly different. Hillerman's novels are much more straightforward mysteries with less characterization whereas humor is a key element in Doss's series.
The plot revolves around the wealthy Spencer sisters: Astrid, Beatrice, and Cassandra--psychic TV sensation of "Cassandra Sees." When Astrid is brutally mauled by an apparent bear-attack, Charlie Moon is inevitably swept into the zany aftermath. He and best friend Chief of Police Scott Parris are called to the scene too late to do anything but summon the coroner--but was the lday killed by a bear, or something more sinister? Throw in a nutty eyewitness account about a Bigfoot sighting, speculation about levitating witches, and add a dash of spunky aunt Daisy Perika, and you've got yourself a wild ride.
Scandal ensues among the cast of suspects when the surviving sisters compete for Astrid's handsome husband Andrew Turner. Meanwhile, Cassandra's "visions" are becoming increasingly more dangerous as the lady psychic begins to "see" murders on air. When a reluctant ghosts proves shy, Cassie seeks the expert help of Daisy Perika to guest-star on her show, which touches off a chain reactions of incredibly hilarous events.
Good luck to any reader in untangling the multuple threads of this mystery. The spectacle of improbable events and Daisy's shenanigans are almost too entertaining to recall what you're supposed to be remembering and when.
Readers preferring hard-boiled mysteries may be disappointed by the zany, laugh-out-loud situational humor that abounds in a Charlie Moon novel, which may account for the mixed reviews. This series is often compared with Tony Hillerman, though the writing styles are markedly different. Hillerman's novels are much more straightforward mysteries with less characterization whereas humor is a key element in Doss's series.
September 22, 2009
I like James Doss' writing. I like his hero, Charlie Moon and his Aunt Daisy. I like the setting, Colorado, and I particularly like how Doss matches his characters to the setting. Charlie Moon is a contemporary, yet old fashioned hero. A man with a great mind, feet solidly planted. A voracious appetite. A no nonsense man with a wonderful sense of humor. A hard-nosed man filled with compassion and great understanding.
What I didn't much care for this time around, hence the three star rating was too much kitsch in the writing. A little in the beginning was tolerable, but deep into the story it became tiresome. I found myself wondering if Mr. Doss was treading water at times, waiting for inspiration to bubble up so he could get on with the story. In the end, I think the story was beautifully conceived and mostly well told with simply too much unnecessary unrelated dialog filling in empty space.
Each new Charlie Moon mystery stands nicely on it's own. But as with any recurring character, the subtleties and nuances of personality and life details expand with each new story adding a richness and depth that both delight and reward the faithful followers of the series. In this regard, James Doss delivers beautifully.
Three Sisters was a terrific little story with an unbelievably satisfying ending that was quite unexpected. A new character was introduced whom I hope will reappear in future stories. Aunt Daisy, once a prime time player in the series is still active, but more in a supporting role. Charlie Moon, larger than life, the kind of man you want to be friends with, plays the role of hero with great modesty. I wouldn't mind one bit getting invited to the Columbine Ranch for the weekend and sitting down to a nice big breakfast with Charlie and his best pard, Granite Creek's Chief of Police, Scott Parris.
What I didn't much care for this time around, hence the three star rating was too much kitsch in the writing. A little in the beginning was tolerable, but deep into the story it became tiresome. I found myself wondering if Mr. Doss was treading water at times, waiting for inspiration to bubble up so he could get on with the story. In the end, I think the story was beautifully conceived and mostly well told with simply too much unnecessary unrelated dialog filling in empty space.
Each new Charlie Moon mystery stands nicely on it's own. But as with any recurring character, the subtleties and nuances of personality and life details expand with each new story adding a richness and depth that both delight and reward the faithful followers of the series. In this regard, James Doss delivers beautifully.
Three Sisters was a terrific little story with an unbelievably satisfying ending that was quite unexpected. A new character was introduced whom I hope will reappear in future stories. Aunt Daisy, once a prime time player in the series is still active, but more in a supporting role. Charlie Moon, larger than life, the kind of man you want to be friends with, plays the role of hero with great modesty. I wouldn't mind one bit getting invited to the Columbine Ranch for the weekend and sitting down to a nice big breakfast with Charlie and his best pard, Granite Creek's Chief of Police, Scott Parris.
December 18, 2014
A new southwestern mystery by an author I have not read, featuring his Ute tribal policeman, Charlie Moon. This was a pretty good book. I liked the style right from the start. The author has a tongue in cheek way of writing, referring to animals as Mr Fox and such. The story was relatively simple, and had an odd and unlikely ending, but much of the story was somewhat unreal, so that's OK. For a while, I thought the author was going to have believe psychics were real, but he backed off that and the fake psychic becomes a key part of the story. Roughly, we have three sisters. The first one is killed, probably by a bear. The second one marries the widower. Then the widower appears to be killed by another wild animal..... Maybe. I should mention that Charlie Moon has an aunt who is a Ute shaman, and she features heavily in this story. I do not know if she features in other ones. The truth is that Charlie does precious little detecting, but the story is god anyway. I would try some more of these.
June 14, 2014
The more books I read by James D. Doss, the more I enjoy his writing. As with the other books, the interactions and dialog between Charlie Moon and his best friend, Scott Parris, are funny and entertaining. The multiple-mystery plot in "Three Sisters" is well contrived with some of it solved late in the book. As usual, Charlie's aunt Daisy is a major hoot, and, as usual, finds ways to assist in solving the cases. Even though some mentions are made of other earlier stories, these books are self-contained. Try one of his books if you haven't already.
May 21, 2019
Great setting, interesting plot twists, good humor.
March 25, 2010
I *heart* Charlie Moon. In fact, if he were real, I would be tempted to move out to Colorado. Of course, Charlie's Aunt Daisy wouldn't approve of the match...he does have quite a track record for failed relationships with crazy matukach ladies. Not to mention, I'd probably have to stand on a chair to be anywhere near eye level with him...but anyway... Doss is hilarious. I've laughed without expecting to so many times while reading the Charlie Moon series. It's great. :)
May 14, 2011
James Doss tells another wonderful tale in “The Three Sisters.” As always, there is one or more “corpses” and Charlie Moon and Scott Paris always figure out the mystery and solve it. There is wonderful dialog and story line interspersed with a little Ute mysticism and a lot of humor. From the little smile and chuckle of the conversations between Charlie and Scott, to the all out guffaws of one or more of aunt Daisy’s antics, it is always a wonderful read that brings me back for more.
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May 27, 2012The style is so not to my taste. Characters, setting, plot were all fine. The inserted and omniscient, sometimes italicized, sometimes not, creepy narrator was horrible. It was as if my story was continually interrupted by an ominous Vincent Price, okay that is redundant, and I love Vincent Price..just not when he is interrupting my western mystery. SO this is the first an last book in this series for me.
April 29, 2008
I like all the Charlie Moon mysteries but this one is even more lighthearted for being about murder. the tone is so tongue and cheek. Both Lee and I enjoyed a good chuckle plus I enjoy the authors beliefs that he portrays so well through Charlie Moon. Nothing fazes this guy and he rejoices everyday. His aunt is a hoot.
November 28, 2016
Another Good One
Like every woman, I have a terrible crush on Charlie Moon. He is the quintessential perfect man. This story has some of the best characters of any so far. The death of three members of the same family is a bit much, but Doss makes it work. I especially like Bobby, the bear woman.
Like every woman, I have a terrible crush on Charlie Moon. He is the quintessential perfect man. This story has some of the best characters of any so far. The death of three members of the same family is a bit much, but Doss makes it work. I especially like Bobby, the bear woman.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews