Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Death of a Healing Woman


Death of a Healing Woman by Allana Martin is the first book in the Texana Jones mystery series. It begins on the Day of the Dead. I enjoyed reading about this setting and these characters; there's a marvelously realized vision of the location. My photo above is the careless shot I uploaded to Facebook.

Yes, there are comforting warm beverages in this book. Here's an example from early on:
The wall clock read 7:15. Luxuriating in Charlie's presence behind the front counter, I indulged in a second, then a third cup of coffee at the table in front of the kitchen window with its wide-angle view -tens of miles of the unfolding desert.

I am myself only here, in the borderland, la frontera. I had left this country for a year during a brief first marriage and had learned that I was out of step with the values by which much of the rest of the world judges happiness and success. I had fled back home, fearful that if I stayed away I might lose myself forever.

The border with Mexico is a boundary only in the minds of professional politicians in Washington. To fronterizos it is a country in itself, a country of the mind and soul, a place where two cultures grate and bleed and blend into a hybrid country, ambiguous, harsh, and full of extremes.

Even our language is different, a fluid mix of Spanish and English.Code-switching, the linguists call it when fronterizos move back and forth between Spanish to English in the same sentence. We call it Tejano.

My thoughts were intruded upon by someone in the front of the trading post hurling rapid-fire Tejano at Charlie, whose modulated tones punctuated the sound bites of a voice I recognized. I poured the remains of my coffee down the sink and pushed through the connecting door to say hello.
Publishers Weekly calls it an "absorbing debut" and concludes, "Martin populates Jones's tiny hometown of El Polvo with hardworking, goodhearted eccentrics and farmers, all richly portrayed in a series sure to be a winner." Kirkus Reviews calls it "a quietly absorbing debut".

It was a staff pick on this Texas Library blog, where they say you'll like it "If you like contemporary mysteries with a western flavor such as the Walt Longmire Series by Craig Johnson or the Joe Pickett Series by C. J. Box" and also this: "Plot driven with a strong sense of place, this suspenseful mystery also hosts a cast of vividly memorable characters."

Please join the weekly T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth. Share a drink with us and visit.

16 comments:

  1. Thanks for the peek into the writing - always helpful. I think I might like this one and I always enjoy a "series" if the first book is interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the peek into the writing - always helpful. I think I might like this one and I always enjoy a "series" if the first book is interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks for introducing us to this book-Happy T Day Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Divers... I always like a good book review.. :) Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like a great book. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow-- that sounds very interesting! Thank you! Happy Halloween and happy T-Day!
    oxo Susi

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love that this story is relevant to Halloween as it begins on 'Day of the Dead' and also T Day with the coffee reference - perfect! Three cups of coffee for breakfast should definitely wake you up too ...lol 😉. I haven't heard of this author before and I like her writing style, thanks for sharing! Wishing you a very Happy Halloween and T Tuesday! J 😊

    ReplyDelete
  8. What an interesting read for T this Tuesday. I am a big fan of Day of the Dead, so I will gladly look for this one. Thanks for sharing it, along with some of the book's dialogue with us for T this Tuesday, dear.

    ReplyDelete
  9. actually i´m more into the day-of-the-dead Tradition than into Halloween. probably because we do celebrat all-Saints and all-souls day (1.+2.nov) here. Sounds like an interesting reading tip!
    happy t-day:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like an interesting book. Will have to check it out. Happy T Day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great excerpt, D. I relate to much of it. I was born, lived and worked in the U.S, until we retired to Mexico. I never heard the term code-switching. That's a great word for it. I marvel at the children here being raised bi-lingual. It seems that the two languages are just one big one to them. A sentence may start in Spanish, then end in English or vice versa. Fascinating.

    Happy Dia de Muertos and T-Day! Hugs, Eileen

    ReplyDelete
  12. the excerpt alone draws one in I think. Thanks for sharing and happy PPF!

    ReplyDelete
  13. It sounds an interesting book, thanks for telling us about it.
    Happy T day wishes.
    Yvonne

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hmmm, another author and book I haven't heard of. Perfect for this time of year. Happy T day. Hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
  15. Perhaps I just might have to add this one to my reading list :0 Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ooooh! I wonder who it was!! a very belated Happy T Day! Chrisx

    ReplyDelete