Diamondback

A Taylor Madison Mystery, Book 1

By: Elizabeth Dearl

Narrated by: Adrienne Stringfellow

When novelist Taylor Madison discovers a mysterious letter among her late mother's effects, she heads for West Texas in search of her father's identity. But small, sleepy towns don't appreciate rude awakenings and Taylor soon finds herself up to her neck in rattlesnakes and long-kept secrets—a deadly combination.

©2019 Elizabeth Dearl (P)2025 BWL Publishing Inc.

Critic reviews

"Set against the backdrop of a West Texan rattlesnake festival, Diamondback is an enthralling and well-plotted mystery. Ms. Dearl weaves clues deftly throughout the story, leading the reader to a climax that will surprise and satisfy even the most jaded mystery lover. On every level, Diamondback is a delight. I give it my highest recommendation." —Reviewer's Choice Award (Carrie S. Masek for Scribes World Reviews)

Great narration

I enjoyed the character development and surprising twists I didn’t see coming. I look forward other books.

Awesome main character!

I love the main character! She is scrappy and tenacious! I felt drawn to her from the beginning of the story. Great plot twists too! The voiceover narration was amazing—love the Texas accents!

Engaging

Very intriguing and engaging book. Great plot and great narrator. I highly recommended to other readers

Fun cozy mystery made more fun by the narrator

I listened to this story and really enjoyed the experience. I read a review that complained about the lack of quote marks, which I think would have driven me crazy, so I'm glad I listened to the book. The narration worked for me, and I enjoyed the accents that were not overdone. I really loved the main character, who ends up Texas to inform her estranged aunt about the death of her sister, but stays there for a multitude of complicated reasons. The cozy mystery was not super complicated, or at least I was able to figure it out, but I had a lot of fun doing so. There were several mysteries surrounding Taylor's life that you could figure out using clues laid out by the author, and while some might call it "predictable", I had fun working it out along with Taylor. I would be interested in listening to the second book, especially if the same narrator is narrating it.

As an aside, I love snakes (I have a corn snake) but I would hesitate to interact with a rattlesnake!