Death Of A Myth Maker (Worldwide Library Mysteries) [Paperback]

Allana Martin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Worldwide Library Mysteries | Publication Date: April 1, 2001

When trading post owner Texana Jones and her veterinarian husband Clay take refuge at the Paisano Hotel in Marfa, they again cross paths with danger. Texana is begged by a rancher to help a possible killer escape arrest. In this fourth in the borderland series, murder and its resolution play out amid the mixed Anglo and Hispanic culture of the trading post and the river. As usual the most convincing married pair in mystery are aided by a charming cast of eccentrics.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Border communities in Texas are rife with special words that only a few understand. Mitotero ("myth maker") is one of them, denoting one who's a big talker or a show-off, and in this case, who's asking for trouble. The fourth adventure (after Death of an Evangelista) for Texana Jones, who owns a trading post, starts off on the right foot, with a prologue providing an 1852 description of the mystifying "Marfa Lights." These glowing images of the desert have long fascinated visitors and locals alike, and should be the perfect backdrop for murder and mystery. Unfortunately, Martin abandons them after the early chapters, making the prologue meaningless. Texana's trading post on the Mexican border serves ranchers, marines and drug traffickers. Two traumatic incidents on her property occur within days: the murder of a Mexican photographer and a wild brush fire that drives Texana and husband Clay into the Paisano Hotel in Marfa. Speculation in the small Rio Grande town points at several suspects, including Texana. But she is suspicious of Julian Row, a boaster zoning in on the fortunes of one of the famous Spivey sisters, an eccentric bunch who finish each other's sentences and pride themselves on their sharp shooting. Row's death gets the ball rolling, and the novel attempts to gather the various floating plot lines. But despite witty characters and amusing anecdotes, this story lacks a uniting thread. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Texana Jones runs a trading post near the Mexican border, while her husband serves the locals as a veterinarian. In this fourth book of the author's borderland series, unusual events begin with the visit of sister-in-law Fran, who announces her separation from her husband. Then, a visiting Mexican photographer is murdered at the trading post, drawing unwarranted police suspicion, and someone kills the visiting braggart who has been courting one of seven spinster sisters at their ranch. Drugs may be the connection among the murders, and Texana aims to find out. A sure hand for detail and character add credence to a fine plot. Recommended.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Worldwide Library (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373263805
• ISBN-13: 978-0373263806
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A smooth read with an unexpected kick, February 17, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death of a Myth Maker (Texana Jones Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The borderlands, which lie between Mexico and the United States, are a different world with unique politics, concerns, and interests. No one understands this as well as Pavlo, Texas residents Texana (owner of the trading post) and her spouse Clay (a veterinarian). They have friends on both sides of the border. They are also aware of the drug problems crippling both countries.

When a Mexican is killed in front of the trading post with a finger stuffed in his mouth, Texana knows that drug lords murdered the victim as a snitch. The sheriff thinks the locale matters as he tries to link the Martins to the drug trafficking. Julian Row, a houseguest of the prominent Spivey sisters, is murdered next. Clay happens to be nearby attending to his cattle, which the authorities believe place him under even deeper suspicion as the killer. Deciding that the sheriff will interpret things to fit his belief that she and Clay are guilty, Texana begins her own investigation even though that places her in danger.

Thanks to the critical eye of Allana Martin and her incredible talent for translating images into words, readers get a first-hand realistic view of life on the Tex-Mex border. The intermingling of the two cultures has produced a hybrid that is different from much of the country. DEATH OF A MYTHMAKER is as much a plea for social reform as it is a spellbinding mystery all wrapped inside a pleasant novel.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars Breaks a Cardinal Rule of Mystery Fiction, January 15, 2006

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death of a Myth Maker (Texana Jones Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I really liked the author's passion for the Texas borderland. Her attachment to the land and the people is quite obvious. Her feeling that many of the laws made and enforced by outsiders cause trouble for the people who live on the border is understandable.

However this book has a couple of problems. One is that it seems disjointed. There's stuff happening but the connections are not made that would make the book more coherant. Then, secondly, at the end, she pulls the murderer out of the ether. I mean there is no reason to make the connection between the murderer and the murderee. Very unfair to the reader.

4.0 out of 5 stars Thrifty,dry land, September 19, 2005

By 

Srdjan Pesic (Minneapolis, Mn United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Of A Myth Maker (Worldwide Library Mysteries) (Paperback)

Allana Martin's books are written with passion for harsh but beautiful land on Texas-Mexico border.Her characters are quirky but real people, without frills, in love with a desolate desert country.They cherish their privacy but depend on each other in trying to survive on thrifty,dry land.And that is the best part of these mysteries,the smell and the silence.The puzzle is resonably interesting. Three and a half stars