Turtle Baby: A Mystery Novel [Paperback]

Abigail Padgett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996

Investigating a murder attempt in which the targeted victim was a Mayan infant, baffled child abuse investigator Bo Bradley undertakes a journey that leads her to Tijuana, where Mayan mysticism helps her uncover an important clue. Reprint. K. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When poison from a tropical plant puts eight-month-old Acito, whose name means "little turtle," into a San Diego hospital, child abuse investigator Bo Bradley is drawn into her third suspenseful case (following Strawgirl). According to Andy LaMarche, a hospital pediatrician and Bradley's determined suitor, Acito's caretakers could not have poisoned the baby accidentally. This casts suspicion on Acito's mother, Chac, a bar singer who visited her son just before he fell ill. Bo meets Chac in Tijuana and comes to believe she would not have poisoned her son, but this becomes tough to prove after the woman collapses and dies on stage. Since the San Diego police aren't acting on Acito's case and the Mexican cops don't care about the death of another ex-prostitute, Bo focuses her lively curiosity on Chac's acquaintances and her American husband, who has escaped from from a Louisiana prison. Padgett expertly crafts this mystery, putting her sleuth in the requisite life-threatening situations. What sets her story apart, however, is her description of the workings of public child protection and her convincing portrayal, from the inside, of Bo's efforts to work and live with manic depression.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Social worker/series protagonist Bo Bradley (Strawgirl, Mysterious Pr., 1994) involves herself in the attempted-poisoning case of an infant Mayan brought to the San Diego hospital by its caretakers. Bradley locates the child's aspiring songstress mother-a former drug addict-over in Tijuana, but death claims her before she can retrieve her child. Relying on the bilingual skills of co-worker Estrella, Bradley then vows vengeance on the poisoner. Indian mysticism, Bradley's psychological insights, and other narrative interruptions give rise to riveting and thrilling suspense. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books Inc (Mm) (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446404780
• ISBN-13: 978-0446404785
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,227,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Abigail Padgett grew up in Vincennes, IN, and holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Missouri and Washington University, St.Louis. She has taught high school English and college courses in Sociology and Creative Writing in San Diego and Boston, directed an ACLU chapter in Houston and worked as an advocate for the mentally ill, plus enduring some truly weird temp jobs.

Abbie is the author of seven highly acclaimed mystery novels that have been translated into five languages, one novel among which, CHILD OF SILENCE, was made into a movie in France. (Which must have been challenging, since the novel's action takes place in the California desert and features Native American Paiute people.) Her eighth and latest mystery, BONE BLIND, is set in the Boston suburb of Newton, where two horror novelists and a detective just months short of retirement investigate a decades-old unsolved murder the spin from which proves even more deadly than the original crime.

Two new mysteries and a magical realist novel are in various stages.

San Diego is home, although Abbie spends much time on the East Coast and in France, where one of the new mysteries is set. She is a dog person happiest in the company of dachshunds, a lapsed vegetarian with heartland food preferences, and a lifelong fan of Poe, Algernon Blackwood and the Graveyard Poets.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Multi-Cultural Mystery, Visiting the Maya, February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Turtle Baby: A Mystery Novel (Paperback)

Are you sick of the "crazed killer" plot device? Then try this series! This was my first meeting with manic-depressive social worker and sleuth Bo Bradley, and I'm very pleased to make her acquaintance. (The name must be a tribute to Boo Radley from "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- another mystery in which a mentally ill character plays an unexpected role).

Padgett's compassion brings marginalized populations onto center stage. She presents the insider view of mental illness through a truly charming protagonist. Bo does her detecting amid realistically portrayed cycles of daily can't-miss-it medication and other routine annoyances, including a boss who snipes that she doesn't have a "real disability" and a well-meaning love interest who WANTS to understand, but... Padgett presents a respectful outsider's view of both Mexican and Mayan culture, careful to distinguish between them, and graceful enough with it to keep all the characters and settings entertaining and intriguing.

If you pay attention, you'll figure out the first poisoning immediately (that's why I deducted one star) -- but the others will keep you guessing until the end. Padgett plays fair! No hidden clues, just a plethora of possibilities. A nice, meaty read that takes mystery fans where most have not gone before: into the world of the high-functioning mentally ill, without patronizing or demonizing anyone.

This was a private review by Lisa Small. See all of Lisa Small's public reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A13KQ84VC1HA30/

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Riveting and Compelling Read, September 6, 2005

By 

Meredith Burton "Bookworm" (Lynchburg, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turtle Baby: A Mystery Novel (Paperback)

This is my first foray in to the world of Bo Bradley, created by Abigail Padgett. The author is truly remarkable, in that her heroine is the first character I have ever encountered who has a manic depressive disorder. Bo Bradley is a Child Protective Services imployee who, in this installment of the series must find the perpetrator behind the near-fatal poisoning of an eight-month-old Maya Indian boy who is staying with Latino caretakers while his mother Chac, a singer, desperately attempts to raise enough money to enable her to care for her child. Wile the case seems at first glance straightforward, Bo learns that the herb which nearly killed the child had to be carefully cultivated. Therefore, a mystery of who the culprit could be ensues. Could it be Chac herself, Chac's live-in lover, her manager, or someone else? Can Bo find the perpetrator befor he/she strikes again?
Ms. Padgett's novel is extremely compelling. As Bo wrestles with her disorder and personal dilemmas about relationships, she also learns a great deal about the Maya culture, and gains a grter appreciation for preserving it. Her inner conflicts must be dealt with while simultaneously the inevitable conflict between herself and a determined and egotistical killer draws ever nearer.
The supporting cast of characters are equally likable, particularly Bo's Spanish-speaking coworker Estrella, and her pediatrician boyfriend Andy. Bo's pet companion, a fox terrier named Mildred is a true delight. Rombo and Martin, two other companions add a commic touch to the novel. All the characters are spunky and a delight to meet. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in other cultures, the mentally ill, and just an all-around excellent story that will be impossible to put down. Happy reading!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Turtle Baby, December 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Turtle Baby: A Mystery Novel (Paperback)

I also love Padgett's work and although I am from Oklahoma, not San Diego, I see many of the same cultural clashes she speaks of as we have a growing population of Mexicans, both legal and illegal pouring into our state. This book hits close to home with me as I work in a Health Department in a county surrounded on three sides by Native American Nations, and my best friend also suffers from a mental illness, and she too has struggled in her attempt to master it. I can see many of the prejudices in this novel that those without money, and from less powerful cultures face daily, but I take exception with the fact that the author seems to assume that all and only white people have these prejudices. However, the mystery itself is five star, especially owing to the surprise twist. I see Padgett's books not so much about the mystery but about Bradley's struggle to overcome her illness and at the same time handle issues that most of us who are "balanced" could never handle. It's too bad this book is out of print. It has a lot to say about the human condition, both good and bad.