Three Deadly Days in Spain : A Mystery [Hardcover]

Mary Branham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

Having left behind careers in theatre and decorating in London and New York, Sydney Reardon moved to a calmer life in Santa Fe with John, her third husband and the love of her life. She began 'doing houses.' 'If you would like to re-create a colonial gem from Oaxaca or a farmhouse from Tuscany, I'm your girl,' she explained to a new acquaintance. But she is devastated when John is killed in a bizarre accident. Still recovering from her loss she is invited by John's best friend for a visit in Salamanca. She has always loved Spain and accepts, looking forward to the holiday. Her host asks her to stop in Avila, the famous old walled town, to deliver a holy relic to a monastery and seeing it as an exotic but worthwhile errand, she readily agrees. Within hours of her arrival there, Ben Harris, a personable young man with whom she shared wine, dinner and conversation on the airplane, has fallen-or been pushed-from one of the walls. What she had thought would be a delightful week as a tourist turns into a nightmare as she is pursued by jewel thieves, kidnappers-and murderers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MARY BRANHAM lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she was assistant director of the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. She described her first two mysteries, Little Green Man in Ireland and Big Black Dog in Vallarta, as 'airplane books.' Having bought many thick books at airport shops and left them on the plane unfinished, she is determined to write a series of books that can be enjoyed on a flight of reasonable length. The first two have also appeared as an offering from The Detective Book Club. Regarding Big Black Dog in Vallarta, LIBRARY JOURNAL wrote: 'Memorable characters, slick dialog, and almost whimsical settings make this a delightful short read for larger collections.' This new mystery is the third to be published by Sunstone Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 127 pages
• Publisher: Sunstone Press; 1st edition (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865343152
• ISBN-13: 978-0865343153
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,561,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Branham's best yet!, April 2, 2001

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Deadly Days in Spain : A Mystery (Hardcover)

Mary Branham specializes in what she calls "airplane books," in other words, books that are short and entertaining enough for light reading on a flight. Hailing from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Branham is Assistant Director of the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. Three Deadly Days In Spain follows Big Black Dog in Vallarta and Little Green Man in Ireland.

Sydney Reardon is a former actress who has been married three times. But it is not what the reader would think...all three husbands died tragically, leaving Sydney in her new career...doing houses. Recovering from her third husband's sudden death in a tragic accident, Sydney thinks she is delivering a seventeenth century relic to a convent in Avila, but it is actually a put-up job masterminded by her late husband's best friend's son, Santiago Farber:

"He really hated the idea of killing her. Over the years he had become adept at ending a life but this would be personal. In some perverse way it had pleased Hugo to give him the assignment."

And that isn't all. Sydney is being shadowed by a private investigator named Ben Harris, who is intelligent enough to see through the scam and help Sydney before it is too late. Sparks fly almost immediately between Ben and Sydney, and their repartee on the flight to Spain is convincing and enigmatic.

True to style Mary Branham takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of exotic locales, sprinkles her fast-paced plots with witty dialogue, and creates characters who are glamorous, intelligent, and vulnerable. Sydney is a natural beauty with a flair for life who instantly engages the reader. Ben Harris is a handsome loner. Although Branham separates them quickly, totally fakes usout with premature accounts of Ben's demise, ultimately Ben has to trailthe jewel thieves who kidnap Sydney and disappear without a trace.

Three Deadly Days In Spain takes the reader on a trip of mystery, intrigue, and escape. We are transported to a foreign locale, where Branham carefully leads us from clue to clue, scene to scene, until the surprise ending. Three Deadly Days In Spain is Branham's best yet.

Shelley Glodowski, Reviewer