Customer Reviews

Double Dealer: A Bert and Nan Tatum Mystery

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These twins will keep you in stitches! It is rare to find a good mystery that keeps you in suspense and smiling at the same time. I have read all of the twin books and Barbara's other series, and I haven't been disappointed yet.

This is an enjoyable cozy with an unforgettable cast of characters who will ingratiate themselves in to your heart and onto your keeper shelf. I realize there is nothing funny about murder but the way these two go about solving it you can't help but chuckle from time to time.

Bert and Nan Tatum, whose mother named after them after the Bobbsey twins, Nan and Beatrice, are soon to be forty, identical twins and a one of a kind sleuthing team. Their mysteries take place in Louisville Kentucky, home of Six Flags Over Kentucky Kingdom and the Gigantic Flea Market.

In this the third Nan and Bert mystery, the twins, against their better wishes, return to sleuthing in order to find out who killed a unsavory flea market booth owner. When this mystery hits too close to home Nan worries as she watches her genteel twin sister change before her very eyes. Bert's maternal instincts transform her from a kind, sensitive woman to a protective mother with an agenda, the agenda being, to keep her daughter Ellie out of prison and to catch the murderer who is making her family suffer.

The plot is strong and current; in fact the contemporary atmosphere is so up to date that even Monica Lewinsky gets a mention. The mystery is hard to solve and the authors exercise good timing when introducing the suspects. As the ladies sleuth, the reader is entertained by their identical yet individual personalities.

Mystery readers, especially cozy fans, if you haven't read a Nan and Bert Tatum Mystery you are in for a double treat.

"Double Dealer" is the best yet in the superb series featuring bright and witty identical twins, Bert and Nan Tatum. In this episode, featuring a Louisville flea market, mother Bert and Aunt Nan have to find the real killer of a sleazy dealer. They are driven to the detecting game by the fact that Bert's daughter has been arrested for the murder. The mystery is good, the characters are three dimensional and the dialogue sparkles. If you haven't met the Tatums, you will want to read the others in the series as well.

Identical twins Nan and Bert Tatum may look alike, but their tastes differ. Whereas Nan loathes shopping, Bert relishes store hopping. It is therefore a bit ironic that Nan is the one to visit the overly crowded Gigantic Flea Market intending to buy an antique for her sibling. Once there, she becomes embroiled in a shouting match with the dealer Franklin Haggerty because he refuses to accept that she is not Bert. Apparently Bert and her daughter Ellie had a recent confrontation with Franklin.

The next day, Haggerty is found dead near his van in the flea market's parking lot. Because of their public spats, the police interview the twins, but ultimately arrest Ellie and her boyfriend Chris. Ellie confesses, which frees Chris. Although the two sisters swore to never become involved in a murder mystery after their last successful fiasco, they dive headfirst into proving their loved one is innocent.

Barbara Taylor and Beverly Taylor Herald have written a delightfully funny amateur sleuth tale showcasing the misadventures of identical twins, just like the authors. Nan and Bert seem very real and the technique of using alternating chapters to express each twin's take on events adds to the feel of two caring individuals working closely together. The clever mystery is well drawn, but the droll protagonists turn this into a winning novel.

Harriet Klausner

Bert and Nan are at it again, mixed up in murder and trying to earn a living. These twins make the mystery more interesting by being up to their noses in suspicion.

A charming read, a few good chuckles, and a killer stalked by the daring duo. What more could we ask? It's a good book for a relaxing evening.

When an unsavory antiques dealer is murder, Nan and Bert Tatum are question because of recent fights they've had with him. But when Bert's daughter Ellie is arrested for the murder after confessing, the twins dive head first into the case to find the real killer. Further complicating matters for Bert is her ex-husband. Jake wants back into her life and is using this case to drive a wedge between her and current boyfriend Hank, the detective assigned to the case and responsible for arresting Ellie.

This is the fourth book in the Tatum twin mystery series, which is still going strong. The characters have become so strong and familiar that I didn't have any trouble at all with the alternating narration. In fact, part of the fun of this book is seeing the personalities of the twins switch after Ellie is arrested. The plot is slow in a couple places, but over all flows very smoothly.

If you're already a fan of these twins, this book is for you. If you haven't meant them yet, start with the first, DOUBLE MURDER. You won't regret it at all.