Deadly Omen (Tempe Crabtree mystery series) [Mass Market Paperback]

Marilyn Meredith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tempe Crabtree mystery series | Publication Date: September 15, 1999

Tempe Crabtree, the resident deputy of Bear Creek, a small community in southern Sierra, Tempe Crabtree must do her job while adjusting to a new marriage and raising her teenage son. Part Yanduchi, Tempe is in the process of learning about her heritage. Her involvement in Native American spirtualism cause problems in her relationship with her husband, Hutch, the minister of the local church. In Deadly Omen a candidate for princess is murdered in a Native American Pow Wow while Tempe is working there in her capacity as deptuy. Tempe's investigation takes her onto the Yanduchi reservation. Hutch has difficulty with Tempe's grwoning interest in her heritage as she seeks the identity of the killer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Meredith writes with verve, precision and authority." --Patricia Lucas White, Crescent Blues, 1999

"...The story is alive with characters such as wannabe Yanducchi mother dressed in moccasins and buckskin... --Lee McKay, Madera Tribune, May 23, 2005

"...brilliantly crafted and highly recommenced mystery, Deadly Omen is the first of a promised series..." --Wisconsin Book Watch, 1999

About the Author

Marilyn Meredith lives in a foothill community of the southern Sierra much like the town of Bear Creek. She has written professionally for more than thirty years and is the author of over fourteen books. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, EPIC, and the Public Safety Writers Association.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Golden Eagle Press (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891940031
• ISBN-13: 978-1891940033
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,097,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Omen for a Good Read, August 2, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Deadly Omen (Tempe Crabtree mystery series) (Mass Market Paperback)

You'll find yourself getting pulled into this book, eagerly reading "just one more chapter" to find out what's going to happen next. Meredith's finely crafted detective story is compelling on several levels, from her insights on conflicts between Native American and Anglo culture to the loving but very human conflicts within Tempe Crabtree's (the story's detective) own marriage. This story will remind you of Tony Hillerman, but Meredith explores her own unique territory of the American West -- and of the potential for love as well as evil within the human heart. I look forward to the next title in this new detective series.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Deadly Interest, January 4, 2000

By 

Susan Willhide (Porterville, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Omen (Tempe Crabtree mystery series) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. I love a good mystery, one that keeps me up reading all night because I can't put it down. This book did that for me. I had to know who the murderer was, and what would happen next! I started this book with no knowledge of Native American tradtions or lifestyles. I now want to know more. The main character is learning at the same time as the reader is learning. This makes it very easy for any reader to follow along. The characters in this book were described very well by the author. She makes you care about the characters. You feel their emotions. As the reader, you get to look into the relationships of parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and young lovers. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to be kept on the edge of the seat. Very well written.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing!, August 9, 2002

By 

phillip tomasso III (rochester, new york United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Omen (Tempe Crabtree mystery series) (Mass Market Paperback)

Deadly Omen is the second in a series of Tempe Crabtree mysteries written by the talented Marilyn Meredith. With a cast of 3-D characters, and a back-woods setting, Meredith proportionately incorporates Native American culture to plots of murder and intrigue.

Tempe Crabtree, the deputy of Bear Creek, is part Yanduchi. In this tale, she has recently married Hutch, the town's Christian pastor. Despite working in law enforcement and being newly married, Crabtree also is raising her teenage son, Blair. That's just background.

Assigned to keep peace and order at a Native American Pow Wow, Crabtree finds herself dragged into a murder mystery when the body of a candidate for princess turns up along the outskirts of the fairgrounds. The deceased was more than likely going to win the crown and responsibilities associated with being a Pow Wow princess.



Who would want to kill a young girl, and why? Though only a deputy, Crabtree can not help but investigate the circumstances behind the heinous crime committed while she was on duty, despite the warnings she receives to back off from the male detectives assigned to solve the case. Most of the evidence points toward a rowdy young Native American. The detectives think the case is as simple as open and shut. So how can Crabtree not get involved when clearly the detectives seem closed minded? She knows they are not asking the right questions, or talking to the right people. Sure, Daniel Redwing was drunk at the Pow Wow, and sure, he had an amazing crush on the victim, but would that be enough to motivate him to murder? And what about the pushy stage-mother of the other princess candidate, did she want her own daughter to win badly enough to kill? After all, she warned people someone was going to die that day. How about the crazy old man always feuding with the Native Americans, does it seem likely that he was carrying around a gun during the Pow Wow, but it lost before shooting took place ... and his lost weapon just happens to be the murder weapon? And what about the victim's boyfriend? Everyone thought they were destined to get married. How many people knew she had broken off their relationship? And what about the victim herself, what skeletons did she have locked away in a closet?



Engrossing from start to finish. Like Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen is a character-driven mystery with enough edge to keep it suspenseful and intriguing. Fast-paced and beautifully written, the reader quickly sympathizes and relates to Crabtree and the rest of her family. It can't easy working as a police officer, so having a newly formed family must only make things more complicated. I am anxious to start the third in the series, Unequally Yoked.

--Phillip Tomasso III, author of Johnny Blade