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Purple Sage Mystery #5
Skeletons in Purple Sage
Purple Sage, Texas, is experiencing a natural disaster, with floodwaters rushing through the streets and torrential downpours continuing with no end in sight. This calls for a dinner party! The governor's in town to assess the damage, and Jolie Wyatt, mystery novelist and amateur sleuth, is hosting an after-hour reception in his honor. Only problem is, the historic home that's to be the site of the extravaganza is under six feet of water.
Not to worry--Jolie has it under control. She moves the party next door, making the best of the resulting logistical and personal problems, since the new hostess is the younger second wife of the ex of one of Jolie's best friends. Despite the distractions, the governor's visit is running smoothly until a dead body turns up in a rain-drenched ditch.
The investigation takes the whole town by storm, forcing Jolie to step in and find out what really happened on that dark and rainy night in Texas. Skeletons in Purple Sage is a tangled web full of small-town politics and complex personal relationships tinted with the Texas charm that has made Barbara Burnett Smith's cozy Jolie Wyatt mysteries a big hit.
Not to worry--Jolie has it under control. She moves the party next door, making the best of the resulting logistical and personal problems, since the new hostess is the younger second wife of the ex of one of Jolie's best friends. Despite the distractions, the governor's visit is running smoothly until a dead body turns up in a rain-drenched ditch.
The investigation takes the whole town by storm, forcing Jolie to step in and find out what really happened on that dark and rainy night in Texas. Skeletons in Purple Sage is a tangled web full of small-town politics and complex personal relationships tinted with the Texas charm that has made Barbara Burnett Smith's cozy Jolie Wyatt mysteries a big hit.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Burnett Smith
10 books9 followersThe late Austin (TX) author Barbara Burnett Smith is best known for her novels set in the fictional Texas town of Purple Sage. She wrote cozies. Titles of her books were taken from Zane Grey book titles and slightly modified.
A friend of hers, Jan Grape, says, "You don't want to make someone sound absolutely perfect, but Barbara was." She is greatly missed by the mystery writers community and her friends.
On February 19, 2005, Barbara and her husband, Gary Petry, drove to San Antonio to rescue an Airedale terrier. On the way back, they stopped at a local mystery bookstore and the dog jumped out of the car. But they had difficulty coaxing him back. It was dark and raining, and Smith, who was wearing dark clothing, stepped into the street. She was hit by a car and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced brain-dead. On Sunday, in accordance with her wishes, her organs were donated to others.
Smith wrote mysteries, taught mystery writing, and worked as voice-over talent on Austin radio commercials. She also owned Catalyst Training & Development, a company that ran communication training classes and workshops. She was a former president of the international Sisters In Crime literary group.
Cooper, author of the Texas-based E. J. Pugh and Kimmey Kruse series of mysteries, who first became friends with Smith in 1989, remembers that she had a powerful effect on the Black Shoes. "One thing Barbara said going in was that she didn't want to do this group unless anything negative that was said, something positive had to be said to balance it out. And she was absolutely right. It was the most successful group I've ever been in. We were able to concentrate not just on the negative, as so often happens in writing groups, but on what was working, too."
Smith, whose real name was Barbara Jo Petry, is survived by her husband Gary, her son W.D., three stepdaughters, nine grandchildren and step-grandchildren and her brother, Bruce.
A friend of hers, Jan Grape, says, "You don't want to make someone sound absolutely perfect, but Barbara was." She is greatly missed by the mystery writers community and her friends.
On February 19, 2005, Barbara and her husband, Gary Petry, drove to San Antonio to rescue an Airedale terrier. On the way back, they stopped at a local mystery bookstore and the dog jumped out of the car. But they had difficulty coaxing him back. It was dark and raining, and Smith, who was wearing dark clothing, stepped into the street. She was hit by a car and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced brain-dead. On Sunday, in accordance with her wishes, her organs were donated to others.
Smith wrote mysteries, taught mystery writing, and worked as voice-over talent on Austin radio commercials. She also owned Catalyst Training & Development, a company that ran communication training classes and workshops. She was a former president of the international Sisters In Crime literary group.
Cooper, author of the Texas-based E. J. Pugh and Kimmey Kruse series of mysteries, who first became friends with Smith in 1989, remembers that she had a powerful effect on the Black Shoes. "One thing Barbara said going in was that she didn't want to do this group unless anything negative that was said, something positive had to be said to balance it out. And she was absolutely right. It was the most successful group I've ever been in. We were able to concentrate not just on the negative, as so often happens in writing groups, but on what was working, too."
Smith, whose real name was Barbara Jo Petry, is survived by her husband Gary, her son W.D., three stepdaughters, nine grandchildren and step-grandchildren and her brother, Bruce.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 16, 2008
This was another great book by this author. Very easy to read and enjoyable.
April 5, 2024
Jolie is hosting a retirement reception for Dr. Bill and a welcome back to town for a friend, Bev, when a major storm and busted pipes makes it necessary to move the party next door. After the party, Bev's father disappears. He is located but seems to be having dementia problems. Then Dr. Bill is found dead under mysterious circumstances. There are some back stories involving the families involved. When another person is found dead also suspiciously Jolie can't help getting involved. There is a side story involving Jolie's relationship with her mother also. This ends the series but I was getting a bit put out with Jolie's insecurity and whining again, so may not have read more if there had been any.
January 17, 2012
While superficially the book is a mystery and we are concerned as to how it happened we are also concerned about Jolie Wyatt and her friends and family as the Texas town of Purple Sage threatens to drift away on the rain water that is soaking everything in the area. I had no idea it could rain like that in Texas; blinding heavy rain for days with thunder and lightning and strong winds. A greatly admired doctor disappears after the reception held to honour him and is found dead by the creek, where he had apparently drowned. Jolie doesn't believe the rumour going around that Dr. Bill committed suicide and is determined to find out what really happened. It is solved at the end but in the meantime Beverly has had to deal with her dementia suffering father and her ex-husband and his new wife (who also disappears), Jolie has to deal with the Mother who has always been 'difficult' and everyone has to deal with flooded houses and heavy mud. This is the 5th in the series so some of the situations are left over from the earlier parts, but as usual there seems to be a considerable amount of danger and anger for such a small place. It's a cosy mystery so the main requirement is fluent writing and situations that engage the reader. This book certainly fulfills those requirements.
September 15, 2008
More than just a mystery, it's about a community of people and their relationships. There is the conflict of mother and daughter, misconceptions about people and then the mystery thrown in. I really enjoyed it.
June 10, 2016
I enjoyed the journey but the ending was very weak and a let down. A very poor and unbelievable ending. The story and characters were enjoyable but at times a bit slow and repetitive. A good cozy mystery and I will try another book in this series....maybe start with her first and go from there.
September 4, 2012
Good mystery premise (though I'd sort of figured it out). Interesting exploration of people and their relationships.
August 24, 2016
Fair to middling mystery; okay for summer reading.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews