Seldom Traveled & More

I’m always delighted to welcome author Marilyn Meredith back to Thoughts in Progress because it means she has a new book out in one of my favorite series. This time the book is in her Deputy Tempe Crabtree series and is entitled, SELDOM TRAVELED.

The tranquility of the mountain community of Bear Creek is disrupted by a runaway fugitive, a vicious murderer, and a raging forest fire. Deputy Tempe Crabtree is threatened by all three.

SELDOM TRAVELED is available to purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

With wildfires popping up all over the country in recent months, Marilyn joins us today to talk about how she came to write about wildfires in her book. Welcome, Marilyn.

Because of the ongoing drought in California, the state has been plagued with forest fires. When I began writing my latest Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, we still had an occasional day of rain and hope for the drought to be over. I had no idea what was to come, but the more I wrote, the more I knew that there would be a forest fire in the mountains close to my fictional town of Bear Creek.

To make sure what I wrote was accurate, I consulted a friend of mine who was a volunteer firefighter and still is used on fires with his truck to get supplies. He helped me a lot. Here is an excerpt that includes part of a fire scene:

“You might find that more difficult than you think,” Tempe said. “We’ve got a situation.”

“Can’t be any worse than the one I’m in.”

“You’re wrong. I’m afraid it is much worse.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you smelled the smoke?”

“I know there’s a forest fire, but it’s a long ways off.”

“Not far away at all.”

He shoved her. “Show me.”

She moved toward the front door and opened it. Things had changed in the short time she’d been inside the cabin. “Oh, dear God, we’re in big trouble.”

The fire had worsened considerably. Black smoke billowed up from the valley. The wind blew fiercely. The air felt hot against her face. Embers fell all around. She couldn’t see any flames, but it wouldn’t be long.

Delano let loose with a string of swear words. “We’re doomed.”

“Don’t give up yet. Let’s get in my truck and see if we can make it back to the main highway.” She galloped toward her vehicle.

“I’m right behind you. Don’t try any funny stuff. Remember, I’ve got your gun.”

She didn’t bother to answer, the smoke made breathing hard. Pulling open the driver’s door she hopped in.

Within seconds, Delano was beside her. “Get us out of here.”

She hoped that she could. She knew better than to drive too fast because of all the potholes in the road, but if they didn’t hurry they weren’t going to make it.

Maneuvering around the curves as fast as she thought safe wasn’t fast enough for Delano.

“Step on it.”

“I can’t go any faster. If we break down, we’ll be in a worse mess than we are now.” She eased around one curve and then the next.

When she came to the place where she thought the road started to straighten, she knew they couldn’t get through. She braked.

“What are you doing?”

“We aren’t going to make it. Not this way anyway. Take a look ahead.”

A wall of flames crossed the road. The treetops on either side blazed. Sparks flew high into the sky.

Tempe put the truck in reverse, going back the way they’d just come.

Delano gasped. “The whole mountain is on fire. We’re doomed.”

That’s just a taste of my story. A forest fire is frightening. The destruction and devastation it leaves in its path is horrifying. The fire at Lake Isabella left many homeless and took a few lives. In August we had a fire in our own mountain area, fortunately it was extinguished before it burned many acres for threatened any homes.

Some extra thoughts About Seldom Traveled

When I began writing this latest addition of Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s life, I had no idea that the plot would include a forest fire. I knew who would be the murder victim, had some ideas about the varied suspects—but really didn’t know who the guilty party would be.

I included the missing felon, because we had a similar case where the felon fled to our little town—and promptly disappeared. Not even the search dogs could find him. Nothing has ever appeared in the paper about him being found. (My theory is that a friend of his who lived in the area probably whisked him away in a vehicle.) My fictional version is very much a part of the plot.

Which brings me back to the forest fire—as the story took form, I knew that Tempe would be threatened by a fire. The book itself was finished and turned into the publisher long before all the real fires struck all over California.

Just thought these were some facts about Seldom Traveled your readers might find interesting. -- Marilyn

Marilyn, thanks for joining us today and explaining how parts of your story came to be. Wildfires have destroyed much in recent months.

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Marilyn, here’s a little background on her.

Author Marilyn Meredith

Marilyn has had so many books published, she’s lost track of the count, but it’s getting near 40. She lives in a community similar to the fictional mountain town of Bear Creek, the big difference being that Bear Creek is a thousand feet higher in the mountains.

She is a member of Mystery Writers of American, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, and is a board member of Public Safety Writers of America.

For more on Marilyn and her writing, visit her website and blog, as well as connecting with her on Facebook and Twitter.

New Contest: 

Winners will be randomly picked from those leaving the most comments on the blog posts. Each winner can choose one of the earlier books in the series as either a print book or e-book.

Tomorrow Marilyn will be visiting http://willkillforastory.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by today during Marilyn’s visit. Have you ever experienced a wildfire? Have you ever been involved in helping put out a fire?

Author Marilyn Meredith Discusses Her Protagonist and a Contest

It’s always a pleasure to welcome author Marilyn Meredith back to Thoughts in Progress. Marilyn has two intriguing series I love to follow and she currently has a new release, SPIRIT SHAPES, in her Tempe Crabtree Mystery series.

SPIRIT SHAPES is the 12^th installment in the series. Here’s a brief synopsis:

     Ghost hunters stumble upon a murdered teen in a haunted house. Deputy Tempe Crabtree's investigation pulls her into a whirlwind of restless spirits, good and evil, intertwined with the past and the present, and demons and angels at war.

Marilyn joins us today to tell “Where Deputy Tempe Crabtree Came From” and tell about a fun contest she has going on. Welcome Marilyn.

Your protagonist is a unique character. She’s a deputy sheriff in a man’s world. In addition, she has a Native American background and is married to a preacher. Can you tell us how her character came about and how she has developed with each installment?

Deputy Tempe Crabtree has evolved since I first started writing about her. In fact, the first two books I wrote with her as the main character were not true to her at all. By the third book, she had become the Tempe that now the true resident deputy of Bear Creek.

(Just in case you wondered, those two books were given new settings and characters.)

Tempe’s appearance is fashioned after a Native American woman I met a long time ago. The personality came from a female police officer I did a ride-along with on the night shift. She revealed a lot about herself while we were together. The fact that she is a resident deputy came from the female resident deputy where I lived when we first moved there. Tempe started out as a combination of these three strong women. 

As I kept writing about Tempe, I came to learn more and more about her. She married Hutch Hutchinson, the pastor of the Bear Creek Community church, when she was at a particular lonely time of her life—and wanted a father for her son. She and Hutch have had some problems in their marriage like all couples do. Hutch doesn’t like it when she uses Indian spiritualism to help solve crimes because he fears for her soul. 

Tempe’s close friendship with Nick Two John has caused Hutch to be jealous at times. Hutch has mellowed and become good friends with Nick too—but it has been a bumpy road. 

Tempe and Hutch also had some problems over the creation of the casino on the reservation. Hutch’s objection was to the gambling, while Tempe saw it as a much needed contribution to the Indians’ economy. 

She has always been the champion of the underdog—who has most often been in the form of someone hastily arrested for murder who may or may not be the guilty party. 

SPIRIT SHAPES follows a different path when Detective Morrison gives her an assignment as part of the investigation of the victim found in a haunted house.

Deputy Tempe Crabtree seems as real to me as any of my friends and relatives. I hope my readers feel the same way.

Marilyn, thanks for joining us again. You have indeed created Tempe to be realistic and likable. She’s one of the protagonist that stays with you long after you close the latest book.

Now let me share a bit about Marilyn for those who aren’t familiar with her.

Marilyn is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. She borrows a lot from where she lives in the Southern Sierra for the town of Bear Creek and the surrounding area, including the nearby Tule River Indian Reservation. She does like to remind everyone that she is writing fiction. 

Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. 

For more on Marilyn and her writing, visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

SPIRIT SHAPES is available from the publisher and Amazon in all formats.

CONTEST RULES:
 
The person who comments on the most blogs on this blog tour will have the opportunity to have a character named after him or her in the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery.

Tomorrow I’ll be visiting at: http://kathleenryan.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much everyone for stopping by today. Do you enjoy stories where cultures are blended together? Remember to follow Marilyn’s blog tour for other opportunities to enter her awesome contest.

F.M. Meredith On Writing Multiple Series

One of the pleasures of blogging is welcoming authors to Thoughts in Progress on virtual book tours with their latest release. Today, I’m delighted to welcome author F.M. Meredith as she returns to talk about the newest novel in her Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime series, Dangerous Impulses.

F.M. (aka Marilyn Meredith) has graciously answered some questions about her writing for me. In addition, she has a most intriguing contest she’d like to tell you about.

Mason: You have two series (Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime and Tempe Crabtree mystery) ongoing. Do you write for both series at the same time? If so, how do you keep the characters and locations separate?

F. M. aka Marilyn: I don’t write for both series at the same time, but there is some overlapping. For instance, I’m promoting the latest in the RBPD series, Dangerous Impulses, right now. My next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery I’m reading to my critique group a chapter a week. Which means after I’ve read the chapter, I edit it and make necessary changes. I’m also in the process of writing a new RBPD. All the while I’m participating and promoting on Facebook and Twitter and some of the lists I’m on. Believe it or not, I do have a life aside from writing.

Keeping the characters straight is easy—it’s like putting on different hats. When I’m writing a RBPD novel, I think about the setting, the beach and include the smells, the fog and all the elements that go along with a small town police department. This series has many ongoing characters and the focus changes depending upon whose point-of-view I’m writing.

In the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, the main character is Tempe and the story is almost always told solely from her POV. When writing that series I think about where I live and the mountains, what time of year it is and how weather might affect what is going on in the story. Because Tempe is a resident deputy and mostly operates alone, the law enforcement element is different.

After saying all that, I have made mistakes. What I’ve done is called Tempe and Stacey (from the RBPD series) the wrong names. My critique group has caught the error several times. What these two women have in common is being female in male dominated careers and both are strong individuals. Other than that, they are very different in looks, ethnic backgrounds and personalities.

Mason: In writing your Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime series, do you have a schedule or plan as to who you will write about in each installment or do the characters decide as you finish the book?

F. M. aka Marilyn: I wish I were that organized. Though each book in the series is written as a stand-alone, in that the crime or crimes are solved by the end of the book, what is happening in the characters’ lives is ongoing. I think that is part of the reason I keep writing this series, because I want to find out what is going to happen next. I do need to keep track of the characters so I can continue whatever I started with each one. I have ideas about what I want to happen, but as you hinted, sometimes they do something that surprises me.

Mason: With Dangerous Impulse’s release, as you look back what was the biggest surprise that occurred in writing the story?

F. M. aka Marilyn: I introduced a new character, Lizette Gibbs, who played a far more important part in one of the story lines than I expected. I can’t really say what it is as it happens near the end.

Mason: How has the writing industry changed since you wrote the first installment in the Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime Series?

F. M. aka Marilyn: Oh, my, things have changed tremendously. The publisher that accepted the first book, Final Respects was an e-publisher—but at that time there were no e-readers, no easy way to download the book and it had to be read on the computer. (There was no Amazon at that time either—shows how long I’ve been at this.)

I’ve had three other publishers for this series since that time and now Oak Tree Press has republished them all in paper and e-books.

Print-on-demand technology is another big change. This has helped small presses tremendously. The ability to only print the number of books needed saves lots of money for the publisher.

And one more biggie is the promotion side of publishing. This chore rests mostly on the author’s shoulders and it is very demanding if you want readers to know about your books.

That’s barely hitting the surface of what all has been going on.

Mason: What message, if any would you like readers to take away from reading your books?

F. M. aka Marilyn: In this series, I wanted to show the personal lives of my police officer characters and how the job affects the families and what is happening at home affects the job. I have relatives and many friends in law enforcement and I wanted to write about what I’ve observed.
 
Mason: What can readers look forward to next from you?

F. M. aka Marilyn: Speaking as the author of the Deputy Crabtree series, Marilyn Meredith: Spirit Shapes is next.

Now a bit about Dangerous Impulses:
    An attractive new-hire captivates Officer Gordon Butler, Officer Felix Zachary’s wife Wendy is befuddled by her new baby, Ryan and Barbara Strickland receive unsettling news about her pregnancy, while the bloody murder of a mother and her son and an unidentified drug that sickens teenaged partiers jolts the Rocky Bluff P.D.

The Contest:
The person who comments on the most blog posts on this tour may have a character named after him or her in the next Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel or choose a book from the previous titles in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series in either paper or for Kindle.

Rocky Bluff P.D. Series:
Though each book in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series is written as a stand-alone, I know there are people who like to read a series in order. From the beginning to the end:

Final Respects
Bad Tidings
Fringe Benefits
Smell of Death
No Sanctuary
An Axe to Grind
Angel Lost
No Bells
Dangerous Impulses

F.M., thanks so much for answering these questions and giving us a look at what goes on behind the series. The writing industry has definitely made some changes over the last few years and it seems the changes are coming faster and faster.

Now let me tell you a bit more about F. M. She is also known as Marilyn Meredith, the author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. She first became interested in writing about law enforcement when she lived in a neighborhood filled with police officers and their families. The interest was fanned when her daughter married a police officer and the tradition has continued with a grandson and grandson-in-law who are deputies. 

Marilyn also serves on the board of the Public Safety Writers Association, and has many friends in different law enforcement fields. For twenty plus years, she and her husband lived in a small beach community located in Southern California much like the fictional Rocky Bluff. She is a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Epic, and Mystery Writers of America.

For more on F.M. (aka Marilyn) and her writing, visit her webpage at http://fictionforyou.com/ and her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/. She is also on Facebook and Twitter as MarilynMeredith

Tomorrow, you can find Marilyn at http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/xz

Thanks everyone for stopping by today. Remember Marilyn’s contest. What are your thoughts on the writing industry and the changes you’ve seen as either a writer or a reader?

Author Marilyn Meredith: TV Influences On Mysteries?

It’s always a pleasure to welcome award-winning author Marilyn

Meredith back to Thoughts. She continuously shares an intriguing look at the world of publishing and to our delight has a new release to share with us.

Marilyn’s latest release is RAGING WATER, the 12th installment in her award-winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree Mystery series from Mundania Press. She is the author of over thirty published novels. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel is No Bells, the fourth from Oak Tree Press.

With the release of RAGING WATER, Marilyn is sponsoring a fun and interesting contest. The person who leaves comments on the most blogs during her tour will have his/her name used for a character in her next book. The winner can choose if they want their name in a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery or a Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel.

Marilyn joins us today to answer a questions for me - Are Readers Expectations in Mystery Novels Influenced by TV and Movies?

Mason asked me if I wanted to answer this provocative question and I decide to tackle it.

I suppose it is possible that some readers may expect the same kind of fast pace that most TV and movies follow. With a TV episode, they have a short period of time to set up the story and quickly bring it to a satisfying climax. A movie has a longer period, but one drawback, unless there is voice over or the star talks to him or herself, the viewer doesn’t know what is going on inside the stars head.

There is one TV movie based on a popular mystery series that seems slow because the writers/director are trying to follow the main character as he’s agonizes over his past with the help of alcohol. Though the star does a great job, I’m not sure it works well in a TV format. 

One thing I’ve discovered in movies that I can usually tell early on which character will probably be killed off. It will be someone the main character cares about, but isn’t necessary for the plot.

In a book, the reader can follow the point-of-view character as he or she is challenged by the mystery at hand. The reader sees and hears everything through the POV character and knows the character’s thoughts. Because the reader is following along, sometimes the solution to the problem will be apparent even before the sleuth figures it out—which as a reader, I think is great fun. The reader is using his or her own brain right along with the main character.

Sometimes when a book that had a multi-layered plot is made into a movie,  the attempt to put everything into the movie makes it hard to figure out. 

In a good mystery novel, though the excitement will build, the clues will start to become visible and the main character will undoubtedly find him or herself in some peril, I think in most cases, the plots, even if they are multi-layered, are easier to follow and add enjoyment rather than confusion. 

Marilyn, thanks for joining us today and answering this question. As a mystery reader, I had wondered how authors looked at this. While it’s fun to follow along with a TV show or movie, a book does draw me in more.

Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. For more on her writing and her books, visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

Marilyn borrows a lot from where she lives in the Southern Sierra for the town of Bear Creek and the surrounding area.

When asked about the order her Deputy Tempe Crabtree Mystery series should be read in, Marilyn had this to say, “I know there are some people who like to read a series in order, but let me reassure you that every book is complete. Though the characters grow through each book, the crime is always solved. Here is the order of the books for anyone who wants to know: Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen, Unequally Yoked, Intervention, Wing Beat, Calling the Dead, Judgment Fire, Kindred Spirits, Dispel the Mist, Invisible Path, Bears With Us, Raging Water.”

RAGING WATER continues the intriguing adventures of Deputy Tempe Crabtree in the town of Bear Creek.

As Bear Creek is plagued by a burglar sneaking into houses during the night while the residents are sleeping, a killer is also on the loose. Deputy Tempe Crabtree is faced with the investigation of the murder of two close elderly friends. Both ladies were killed in similar manners leading the deputy to question what their connection was to each other and the killer.

To add to her problems, a storm descends on Bear Creek with relentless rain causing Bear Creek to turn into a raging river. The endless rain causes mudslides, and power outages. Tempe has to help residents find safe shelter as their small town is cut off from the outside world. With supplies getting lower and tempers rising, Tempe has her hands full all the while trying to catch a killer before he strikes again.

Tempe Crabtree is a strong, yet realistic, protagonist. Her character continues to grow and evolve with each new story. Meredith shows that Tempe, faced with challenges in both her professional and private life, struggles with everyday problems too. Meredith has included well-balanced supporting characters that add another layer to the story. They are entertaining and likable.

Meredith has created a delightful setting in the town of Bear Creek and its residents. Her descriptions of the storm and its aftermath places the reader among the residents feeling their heartache and hope at Mother Nature’s wrath. 

RAGING WATER moves at a steady pace holding the reader spellbound from the first encounter with the burglar to Tempe’s last dramatic confrontation. The suspense and mystery will keep readers guessing as they work their way through the twists and turns of this intriguing read. A rainy day may just take on a new meaning.

Do you enjoy books where the protagonist evolves as the series continues? Have books made you think differently about circumstances such as a rain storm or snow storm? Thanks so much for stopping by today. Remember, share a book with a friend.

*FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this eBook as part of the author’s blog tour. It was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
 
Raging Water by Marilyn Meredith, A Deputy Tempe Crabtree Mystery, Mundania Press, @2012, ISBN: 978-1606593233, Paperback, 204 Pages

Author Marilyn Meredith Answers Questions, Offers Unique Contest

I had the pleasure of discovering the writing of Marilyn Meredith about 6 months after I started blogging and now think of her not only as one of my favorite authors, but as a friend. It’s my pleasure to welcome her back here as she makes a stop on her virtual blog tour.

Marilyn’s latest release  is BEARS WITH US, a Temple Crabtree Mystery Series. She is hosting a unique contest in connection with the book’s release. The contest details are as follows: Would you like to be immortalized in print? Marilyn Meredith is running a contest during her BEARS WITH US virtual book tour. Whoever leaves a comment on the most blog sites during the tour, will have his or her name used for a character in Marilyn’s next book. Please visit http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2011/08/11/bears-with-us-virtual-book-tour-october-2011/ for her entire schedule. Good luck! 

Now a brief synopsis of her book: A burglar turns out to be a bear and Deputy Tempe Crabtree and her pastor husband, Hutch, chase the bear out of the house. This is their first encounter with a bear and the occupants of the home, an elderly couple and their daughter—and it isn’t the last.

A bear turns up at the school, at a restaurant, an apple orchard and two more homes. That is only part of what Tempe is called to handle. A teenager’s suicide, a mother who doesn’t like her daughter’s boyfriend, a wandering senior with a strange form of Alzheimer’s, and a long ago love affair keep Tempe hopping.

Here’s Marilyn.

Mason asked me a few questions I’m going to answer for her here.

She wanted to know what inspired me to write about bears in this Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery and how I did my research on bears.

One fall on Facebook, my grandson, a police officer in Aspen, Colorado, talked about the bears he and his fellow officers were chasing out of people’s homes. He posted some interesting photos of bears up in trees and other interesting places. Almost immediately I knew that Tempe was going to have some of the same experiences.

I emailed my grandson and asked him some specific questions about how the bears managed to get inside the houses, what they did when they got there, what they smelled like, and how the officers managed to get the bears out. I also went on the Internet and looked up Aspen and bears and got more information. The Internet was also my source for more information about black bears, how to keep them out of your house and so on. Once I had all that gathered, it was a matter of weaving it all into a mystery which eventually became BEARS WITH US.

Her next question was about my daily writing schedule.

I write every single day for a good part of the day—though it’s not always on a manuscript. When I’m promoting a book, I spend a lot of time writing posts for blogs like this one. My best writing time is early in the day, though I’ve been known to keep right on going through the afternoon. 

A most interesting question was what was the worst piece of advice I ever received concerning my writing and how did I overcome it. This happened when I was writing one of my first books, an historical family saga. I was told by several that historical sagas were no longer popular and I should try writing something else. I ignored the advice, finished the book, and it was my first book accepted for publication. From that comes this advice: write the book you want to write. Make it the best possible book you can and find a publisher who publishes the same kind of book and send it off.

And her last question was, if I could go back and change one thing at the beginning of your writing career, what would it be?

It would have been great if computers had been invented sooner—when I began it was typewriters, carbon paper, retyping whole manuscripts when you found mistakes, sending manuscripts off in boxes with boxes inside with the right amount of postage for them for the manuscript could be returned. 

But what I really wish I could go back and do over is to learn more about writing through conferences, writing groups, and books about writing. Because I was a voracious reader I thought I knew all about writing. Instead I stumbled and bumbled along and picked up information along the way as I finally did attend writers conferences, read writing books, and finally joined a wonderful critique group where I learned the most of all.  I still belong to that group.

Thanks for those interesting questions, Mason, I enjoyed answering them.

Marilyn, it’s always a pleasure having you stop by. I enjoy how you take elements from everyday life and incorporate them into your books.  

BEARS WITH US can be ordered direction from the publisher, Mundania Press, in many formats including trade paperback and also from Amazon and the other usual places.

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over 30 published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest BEARS WITH US from Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel is ANGEL LOST, the third from Oak Tree Press. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Central Coast chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. For more on Marilyn and her writing, visit  her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

If you’re a writer, do you include current events in your writing? As a reader, do you enjoy it when an author includes unusual mishaps like the wandering bears? Be sure to check out Marilyn’s contest. Thanks for stopping by.

Invisible Path by Marilyn Meredith

Take a murder mystery and an Indian legend, thrown in a para-military group, and you have the makings for an intriguing read, especially if the author is Marilyn Meredith.

INVISIBLE PATH by Marilyn Meredith

The body of a dead Indian is found on the Bear Creek Reservation and an outsider is quickly blamed for the death.

Deputy Tempe Crabtree is brought in to assist in the investigation. She soon learns the victim, who was quite popular, had plenty of enemies. It seems the victim, Danny Tofoya, had a run-in with Jesus Running Bear, who was dating Tofoya’s cousin, Jolie Tofoya. Most were surprised Tofoya was the victim instead of Running Bear. Tofoya was known to have a temper.

As Deputy Crabtree investigates, she learns Tofoya had also been searching for evidence of the Hairy Man, a Yokut legend. In his search for the legend to gain fame and fortune, Tempe believes Tofoya could have come across a militant para-military group gathering near the reservation.

Could Tofoya’s search for the Hairy Man got him killed, did he get to close to the militia group, or did he push ’a friend’ too far with his antics? As Deputy Crabtree gets close to the truth, the closer she gets to being the next victim.

Author Marilyn Meredith weaves a tale of murder, mayhem and Native American culture into an intriguing read, while also giving the reader a glimpse at Tempe’s home life. As you finish a chapter and think you can stop reading, the author drops just enough of a hint to make you want to read ’just one more chapter.’

The characters are realistic and the story flows quickly. There are twists and turns along the way to keep readers guessing who the real killer is.

INVISIBLE PATH is the ninth installment in the Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series, but is a stand alone book. The adventures of Deputy Crabtree will peak your interest and have you reading the entire series, if you haven’t already.

Author Marilyn Meredith’s website is http://fictionforyou.com/ and she blogs at Marilyn’s Musings

Invisible Path, Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series by Marilyn Meredith, Mundania Press, @2010, ISBN: 978-1-60659-239-7, Paperback, 224 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book and an e-book was sent to me by the author’s virtual book tour publicity director in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.