Deadly Puzzles

Mapleton Mysteries, Book 3

By: Terry Odell

Narrated by: Steve Marvel

Solving a crime is like piecing together a puzzle. But what happens if the pieces don't fit?

When police chief Gordon Hepler's doctor orders him to cut down on the stress in his life or risk losing his vision, Gordon books a winter retreat at a remote bed and breakfast. Hours away from Mapleton, where nobody knows he's a cop, he plans to relax and try to forget about his eyes.

However, traveling "incognito" doesn't mean he's left his cop instincts behind. His curiosity is piqued when one of the other guests at the B&B doesn't appear to be who she claims. Before he can explore the puzzle she presents, a man shows up, pleading for help. His car's gone off the road, and his wife is inside.

Although a blizzard is approaching, Gordon can't refuse the frantic man's request and agrees to help him search. Fighting the storm, Gordon and the man struggle down a ravine to the car. What they find turns out to be one more puzzle, and it's not the last Gordon faces.

Are they unrelated coincidences? Or part of one bigger mystery? Or is he seeing a crime where none exists? Well outside his jurisdiction, with his health at stake, Gordon wonders whether he should follow his cop impulses, or remember he's on vacation and let the locals handle it. When it becomes personal, Gordon has no choice.

©2014 Terry Odell (P)2017 Terry Odell

Enjoyable quick read

After a string of not-great audiobooks I landed on this one and really enjoyed it! There were a lot of unknowns in the story- and each time the story seemed like it might be slowing down a new piece was added to present another angle to the mystery. I'll be looking forward to trying out more books by this author.

Honorary six stars!

Terry Odell sets up the perfect scene for a murder in Deadly Puzzles. Seven people are cooped up in a Bed and Breakfast during a severe snowstorm: an artist, a travel blogger, a nature guide, a stranded motorist, the two owners of the B&B, and a cop. The blizzard has taken out the power and the phones. And one of the people might be a murderer. A car accident near the B&B was caused by two gunshots, and two people have been injured and two more killed, including the driver, who was killed with a bullet to his head. The drama intensifies with the fact that when the vacationing police chief from Mapleton, CO, Gordon Hepler, and the stranded driver go to find the disabled car, the driver's wife has disappeared from it.

Steve Marvel returns from the previous two Mapleton books to narrate this book, and he does a fantastic job! His voice is well-suited to the content of the book, and he really embodies the mood of the book.

I loved this book! I loved the previous two books in the series, but this was even better. It captivated my attention and kept me listening until sadly, it was over! The plot was well crafted and highly creative. I wish I could award this more than five stars, so I give it an honorary six stars!

Great

I have really enjoyed this series and have been not so patiently waiting for the rest of the books to come out on audio. I really feel like it adds to the story as I can picture the characters better with the narrator's voice and like to either listen to an entire sires or read it. Gordon is trying to take some time off, but finds himself entangled in mystery and a couple of deaths even as he is relaxing at a B and B. He tries to keep it under his had that he is law enforcement, but try as he might, he cannot stay on the sidelines. I look forward to the next one.

Clever story

What did you love best about Deadly Puzzles?

I enjoyed the Chief of Police and his problems.

What did you like best about this story?

Going on vacation for one's health can be harmful to one's health.

What about Steve Marvel’s performance did you like?

He is clear and understandable and changes his voice to fit the characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked how he tried to protect the ones he cared about, but they did not always appreciate it.

A cozy mystery

This was my first Mapleton Mystery and I loved it. Trying to piece together all of the "puzzle pieces" as the story unfolded kept me interested and constantly guessing what would come next.

I wouldn't hesitate to check out Terry Odell's other works or Steve Marvel's other narrations.