Guns and Roses: A Modern Mystery Set in Colonial Willamsburg - Softcover

Cannon, Taffy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1880284340 ISBN 13: 9781880284346

Publisher: John Daniel & Co, 2000

Synopsis

Strange things are happening on the History and Gardens of Virginia Tour. Are they odd misadventures? Harmless pranks? Or does somebody have murder in mind? Ex-Texas cop Roxanne Prescott thought she'd moved into a more genteel line of work, leading the well-heeled on educational tours for her aunt's travel agency. But as the group, which she has mentally nicknamed the Guns and Roses Tour, moves from Mount Vernon to Monticello, a practical joker targets the tourists. In Colonial Williamsburg the pranks escalate with deadly results. Roxanne must figure out which of her group is a killer hiding behind a genial facade.

Guns and Roses is a cozy mystery with an edge, first in a new series about the Irish Eyes Travel Agency. Author Taffy Cannon's knowledge of the South and her acerbic wit enliven this classic closed-circle-of-suspects mystery.

About this title

About the Author

Taffy Cannon is the author of five previous books, including the Nan Robinson mystery series and a young adult mystery, as well as an Academy Award-nominated short film. She has lived in the South, now lives in southern California, and has taken the Guns and Roses tour herself.

From the Back Cover

Colonial Williamsburg Turns Deadly

Strange things are happening on the History and Gardens of Virginia Tour. Are they odd misadventures? Harmless pranks? Or does somebody have murder in mind?

Advance Praise for Guns and Roses

"Anyone who remembers Leslie Ford's mysteries set in Williamsburg just when Rockefeller money was beginning to buy up dilapidated Colonial properties will delight in Taffy Canon's Guns and Roses, set amidst the prettied-up modern restoration. Would-be tour guide Roxanne Prescott may not know how to mollify miffed tourist, but when 'accidents' start happening to her group, this former policewoman has all the skills necessary to separate the real from the illusory. Roxanne's tragic history gives her complexity. Taffy Cannon's light touch makes he an appealing heroine we want to know better. I've already booked my ticket for Irish Eye's next trip."

--Margaret Maron, Edgar Award winner and author of Storm Track

"Genteel travel turns ugly in Taffy Cannon's delightful new mystery, Guns and Roses. Former-cop-now-tour-director Roxanne Prescott handles everything from misplaced leeches to murder in a fascinating mystery that will particularly please armchair travelers. Where will Roxanne go next?"

--Carolyn Hart,

Anthony Award winner and author of White Elephant Dead

Reviews

Cannon, author of five novels (including three mysteries in the Nan Robinson series: Class Reunions Are Murder, etc.), kicks off a new series with a clever cozy that will appeal to every crime fan who's an armchair traveler. Following the death of her partner at an Austin, Tex., crime scene, former policewoman Roxanne Prescott attempts to start a new career as a guide for her aunt's upscale tour business, the Irish Eyes Travel Agency. Leading a group of well-to-do folk on a tour of Virginia's historic sites--the Guns and Roses tour, as Roxanne likes to think of it--proves to be no picnic. As the group moves from Mount Vernon south to Fredericksburg, Monticello and Colonial Williamsburg, what at first seem accidents escalate into practical jokes, malicious pranks, possible kidnapping and death. Unprepared for such trouble, Roxanne has her hands full, trying to pacify angry sightseers, prevent further accidents and discover who is seeking to jeopardize the tour and her aunt's business. Cannon deftly reveals character in a series of opening vignettes; every group member, not least Roxanne herself, is a distinct, credible individual. The author also shows a sure touch in evoking settings, in particular the restored Colonial Williamsburg. After a satisfying resolution, enough questions remain open to justify a sequel. Cannon's readers should look forward to that. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Cannon (Tangled Roots, 1995, etc.) kicks off a new series by warning you that your last guided tour through America's historic past would have been even more deadly if you'd traveled with the group ex-cop Roxanne Prescott is leading for her aunts Irish Eyes travel agencya group that starts to hit trouble (malicious pranks) as early as Mount Vernon and finds in Colonial Williamsburg that not all the nation's dead are honored, or even buried yet. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Temporarily on leave, policewoman, Roxanne Prescott has descided to work for her aunt as a a tour leader. The current group, comprising the usual range of mystery suspects with hidden conflicts and agendas, seems plagued by a series of pranks, ranging from doggy poop hiddem in suitcases to errant leeches. Once they reach Williamsburg, however, murder threatens the existence of her aunt's company. Roxanne's training will out, though, and save the day. A nicely orchestrated plot, authentic Williamsburg surroundings, predictable characters, and a touch of humor; for most collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Daniel & Co
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1880284340
• ISBN 13: 9781880284346
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240