Author: Sue Henry
Publisher: Onyx (April 3, 2007)
Format: Paperback; Pgs 288
Genre: Mystery
Source: Library
Series: Maxie and Stretch #2
The Tooth of Time reads more like a travelogue of New Mexico than a murder mystery. I would say that you are about halfway into the book before the main mystery appears. There is a brief mention of a body in a yarn-dying vat prior to that, but it is quickly brushed over. It is not until the very end of the story, before you are told that the two murders that appear in the book are related.
Maxie McNabb and her dog Stretch are once again on the road traveling in their Minnie Winnie and exploring the Southwest. They have stopped in Taos, New Mexico to check out a yarn store and perhaps learn a bit about weaving. After a brief encounter with a fellow shopper, Maxie is surprised when she is asked to visit the same woman in the hospital after an apparent suicide attempt. Being the good-natured woman that she is, Maxie visits and decides to take Shirley home until she can get her feet under herself again.
Disappearing the next morning, Shirley leaves a trail questions and swarthy characters in her wake. Taos may not be a large community, but they do seem to have questionable people so when Maxie does not reveal what she may know about her houseguest, her poor frightened pooch is dog-napped until Maxie hands over the goods. Yes, it is that trite.
Apparently, you do not come between a senior citizen and her traveling companion, so with the help of her new friends and a very convoluted story of conning and deceit that does not come to a full conclusion, you find yourself suddenly at the end of the book wondering if you missed something. I cannot say that I liked this book; I like my murder mysteries to be more about the bodies and less about the RV and its hiding spaces. Not to mention a satisfactory ending that does not have me scratching my head wondering if either there were pages missing or if Sue Henry got as frustrated with the storyline as I did and decided to put us both out of our misery.
I recall enjoying the first book in this series, The Serpents Trail much more than this book. I will continue with this series and hopefully, the next book The Refuge will capture my attention a bit more.
Maxie McNabb and her dog Stretch are once again on the road traveling in their Minnie Winnie and exploring the Southwest. They have stopped in Taos, New Mexico to check out a yarn store and perhaps learn a bit about weaving. After a brief encounter with a fellow shopper, Maxie is surprised when she is asked to visit the same woman in the hospital after an apparent suicide attempt. Being the good-natured woman that she is, Maxie visits and decides to take Shirley home until she can get her feet under herself again.
Disappearing the next morning, Shirley leaves a trail questions and swarthy characters in her wake. Taos may not be a large community, but they do seem to have questionable people so when Maxie does not reveal what she may know about her houseguest, her poor frightened pooch is dog-napped until Maxie hands over the goods. Yes, it is that trite.
Apparently, you do not come between a senior citizen and her traveling companion, so with the help of her new friends and a very convoluted story of conning and deceit that does not come to a full conclusion, you find yourself suddenly at the end of the book wondering if you missed something. I cannot say that I liked this book; I like my murder mysteries to be more about the bodies and less about the RV and its hiding spaces. Not to mention a satisfactory ending that does not have me scratching my head wondering if either there were pages missing or if Sue Henry got as frustrated with the storyline as I did and decided to put us both out of our misery.
I recall enjoying the first book in this series, The Serpents Trail much more than this book. I will continue with this series and hopefully, the next book The Refuge will capture my attention a bit more.
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