Triple Threat is actually a double treat as it contains two Taylor Madison stories. The first one, novella sized, is Buyers Remorse, first published in the Blood, Threat & Fears anthology in 2001. The second and full length story is the titular TripleThreat. Taylor Madison is a mystery writer who lives in a small town called Perdue in Texas with her pet ferret. The first two books in the series are Diamond Back and Twice Dead.
In Buyers Remorse the action is focused around a ramshackle house that Taylor's friend and sheriff's dispatcher Paula has just bought at a knockdown price. Paula moves in but is soon unnerved by creaks and bumps until finally she glimpses a ghost. Taylor offers to stay with her until she gets settled in, believing her friend is just suffering from nerves about being alone. The history of the house provides a clue as to why it could be haunted but it is Taylor's ferret Hazel who finds the truth by going in places no person can go…
Triple Threat opens with the funeral of Hank Barton. Only two, Lily and Rose, of his three triplet daughters attend the funeral, there is no sign of Iris. The three sisters are estranged after Rose stole Iris's boyfriend and Iris fled town the night of the wedding. Now Hank's will stipulates that for the sisters to inherit, all three sisters must live under the same roof for a year. Iris returns to the family home, however it's not long before she receives a death threat and an attempt is made on her life.
Taylor's boyfriend, Sheriff Cal has his hands full as together with the mystery surrounding who wants Iris dead, he has a new deputy, Billy, full of enthusiasm who wants to set up a Citizen's Police Academy. Taylor gets dragged in to write some scenarios for the academy attendees to solve, ultimately with a tragic result after a tornado hits town. Taylor, with help from Billy and Cal, ultimately resolves the mystery to a satisfactory and unexpected ending.
I love spending time in Perdue. The town and characters feel real, Taylor and
Cal are warm and likeable characters and in Buyer’s Remorse, Hazel is especially
adorable and could start a trend for unusual pet ownership. These are well written
stories and puzzling mysteries, especially Triple Threat, which I hope continue
for many more years
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Karen Meek