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Andy Veracruz Mystery #3
Dizzy in Durango
Dizzy in Durango An Andy Veracruz Mystery Missing women, abandoned children, and a crazy mariachi fan add up to further trouble for Andy Veracruz. After a fellow traveler disappears, he can’t concentrate on vacationing. Worse, he’s saddled with two children who aren’t his, an angry would-be girlfriend, and a self-appointed younger brother who is more reckless than he is. No wonder he starts seeing double!
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2015
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
D.R. Ransdell
13 books38 followersD.R. Ransdell performs in a mariachi band where zealous customers, scheming musicians, and jealous spouses provide countless plots for the Andy Veracruz Mysteries. She also writes travel-themed fiction about the Campanello sisters. Her musical memoir is a tell-all about how she learned to play mariachi music. Yes, the names were changed to protect the guilty!
More recently, she set Party Wine in her cousins' village in the Old Country (Italy). She's about to release Dervla Alarms the Nanas, a Tucson-based mystery in which a young woman teams up with two nanas to solve domestic crimes.
D.R. resides in Tucson where she can swim outside all year long--and play pickleball! She’s currently drafting a mystery that takes place in Lugano, a beautiful Swiss lake town. To pay for plane tickets, she teaches first-year writing at the University of Arizona. https://www.dr-ransdell.com
Andy Veracruz Mysteries:
MARIACHI MEDDLER
ISLAND CASUALTY
DIZZY IN DURANGO
SUBSTITUTE SOLOIST
--
Travel-themed fiction:
AMIROSIAN NIGHTS (Greece)
THAI TWIST (Thai Twist)
--
Musical Memoir:
SECRETS OF A MARIACHI VIOLINIST
Cat Poetry:
THE SECRET LIVES OF THE PINK HOUSE CATS
More recently, she set Party Wine in her cousins' village in the Old Country (Italy). She's about to release Dervla Alarms the Nanas, a Tucson-based mystery in which a young woman teams up with two nanas to solve domestic crimes.
D.R. resides in Tucson where she can swim outside all year long--and play pickleball! She’s currently drafting a mystery that takes place in Lugano, a beautiful Swiss lake town. To pay for plane tickets, she teaches first-year writing at the University of Arizona. https://www.dr-ransdell.com
Andy Veracruz Mysteries:
MARIACHI MEDDLER
ISLAND CASUALTY
DIZZY IN DURANGO
SUBSTITUTE SOLOIST
--
Travel-themed fiction:
AMIROSIAN NIGHTS (Greece)
THAI TWIST (Thai Twist)
--
Musical Memoir:
SECRETS OF A MARIACHI VIOLINIST
Cat Poetry:
THE SECRET LIVES OF THE PINK HOUSE CATS
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 28, 2017
Description: Set in both Mexico and Arizona this story takes a while ride that begins with good ol' Andy watching a woman's bag for her. When she disappears and he is left holding her mysterious bag he is unwittingly thrown into another adventure looking for two missing women. The mystery takes deadly turns and Andy and his friends find themselves trying to not only find the missing women but also reunite stolen children with their family all while avoiding a very dangerous and powerful person.
In Short: This is a great series for mystery novel lovers. I found "Dizzy in Durango" to be more of a suspenseful thriller than the previous book. If you are looking for a very well written series with realistic characters look no further. Enjoy a good mystery while watching the slow natural development of Andy and Rachel's relationship and Andy's professional journey as a musician.
Another stunning tale by D.R. Ransdell.
Pros: Even though these books are part of a series they can be read alone! I read book 2, "IslandCasualty" before this one and absolutely loved it! It was also our Book of theMonth in July! That book gave me the background on Rachel and Andy and their relationship but pertinent details from past books are explained in this story, so you wont miss out. Although these books are all stand-alones if the series appeals to you, read it in order, you wont regret it! The story in this book was very different from "Island Casualty", showing that Andy's life is absolutely full of crazy twists and turns. The poor guy can't seem to go anywhere without murder following him. But it isn't all madness and peril for him! In this installment he auditions for a symphony and makes plans to start a life closer to his friend, lover and could-be-something-more, Rachel.
These books are incredibly detailed. Every setting is so well described that you feel like you are actually there. The cultures of the people in these places are also well highlighted. In this story you see a spotlight shone onto Machismo culture.
Cons: I have no notable issues with this book.
Parent's Guide: Murder, gun violence, some language, alcohol, and brief sexual content.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
In Short: This is a great series for mystery novel lovers. I found "Dizzy in Durango" to be more of a suspenseful thriller than the previous book. If you are looking for a very well written series with realistic characters look no further. Enjoy a good mystery while watching the slow natural development of Andy and Rachel's relationship and Andy's professional journey as a musician.
Another stunning tale by D.R. Ransdell.
Pros: Even though these books are part of a series they can be read alone! I read book 2, "IslandCasualty" before this one and absolutely loved it! It was also our Book of theMonth in July! That book gave me the background on Rachel and Andy and their relationship but pertinent details from past books are explained in this story, so you wont miss out. Although these books are all stand-alones if the series appeals to you, read it in order, you wont regret it! The story in this book was very different from "Island Casualty", showing that Andy's life is absolutely full of crazy twists and turns. The poor guy can't seem to go anywhere without murder following him. But it isn't all madness and peril for him! In this installment he auditions for a symphony and makes plans to start a life closer to his friend, lover and could-be-something-more, Rachel.
These books are incredibly detailed. Every setting is so well described that you feel like you are actually there. The cultures of the people in these places are also well highlighted. In this story you see a spotlight shone onto Machismo culture.
Cons: I have no notable issues with this book.
Parent's Guide: Murder, gun violence, some language, alcohol, and brief sexual content.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
April 28, 2024
“You’re dizzy in Durango with two children who’ve been kidnapped by their father. Couldn’t you just once try to live a quiet, little life?”
January 28, 2017
Description: Set in both Mexico and Arizona this story takes a while ride that begins with good ol' Andy watching a woman's bag for her. When she disappears and he is left holding her mysterious bag he is unwittingly thrown into another adventure looking for two missing women. The mystery takes deadly turns and Andy and his friends find themselves trying to not only find the missing women but also reunite stolen children with their family all while avoiding a very dangerous and powerful person.
In Short: This is a great series for mystery novel lovers. I found "Dizzy in Durango" to be more of a suspenseful thriller than the previous book. If you are looking for a very well written series with realistic characters look no further. Enjoy a good mystery while watching the slow natural development of Andy and Rachel's relationship and Andy's professional journey as a musician.
Another stunning tale by D.R. Ransdell.
Pros: Even though these books are part of a series they can be read alone! I read book 2, "IslandCasualty" before this one and absolutely loved it! It was also our Book of theMonth in July! That book gave me the background on Rachel and Andy and their relationship but pertinent details from past books are explained in this story, so you wont miss out. Although these books are all stand-alones if the series appeals to you, read it in order, you wont regret it! The story in this book was very different from "Island Casualty", showing that Andy's life is absolutely full of crazy twists and turns. The poor guy can't seem to go anywhere without murder following him. But it isn't all madness and peril for him! In this installment he auditions for a symphony and makes plans to start a life closer to his friend, lover and could-be-something-more, Rachel.
These books are incredibly detailed. Every setting is so well described that you feel like you are actually there. The cultures of the people in these places are also well highlighted. In this story you see a spotlight shone onto Machismo culture.
Cons: I have no notable issues with this book.
*Parent's Guide: Murder, gun violence, some language, alcohol, and brief sexual content.
In Short: This is a great series for mystery novel lovers. I found "Dizzy in Durango" to be more of a suspenseful thriller than the previous book. If you are looking for a very well written series with realistic characters look no further. Enjoy a good mystery while watching the slow natural development of Andy and Rachel's relationship and Andy's professional journey as a musician.
Another stunning tale by D.R. Ransdell.
Pros: Even though these books are part of a series they can be read alone! I read book 2, "IslandCasualty" before this one and absolutely loved it! It was also our Book of theMonth in July! That book gave me the background on Rachel and Andy and their relationship but pertinent details from past books are explained in this story, so you wont miss out. Although these books are all stand-alones if the series appeals to you, read it in order, you wont regret it! The story in this book was very different from "Island Casualty", showing that Andy's life is absolutely full of crazy twists and turns. The poor guy can't seem to go anywhere without murder following him. But it isn't all madness and peril for him! In this installment he auditions for a symphony and makes plans to start a life closer to his friend, lover and could-be-something-more, Rachel.
These books are incredibly detailed. Every setting is so well described that you feel like you are actually there. The cultures of the people in these places are also well highlighted. In this story you see a spotlight shone onto Machismo culture.
Cons: I have no notable issues with this book.
*Parent's Guide: Murder, gun violence, some language, alcohol, and brief sexual content.
March 27, 2016
Trouble follows Andy Veracruz, and this time it’s at the airport in Durango, Mexico where the problems begin. Andy is there to visit his fellow Mariachi musician and sometimes lover, Rachel, who is there for a family celebration. But a sexy woman at the airport attracts his attention, leaves her purse with him, and disappears.
Inside the bag, Andy finds three thousand dollars. He involves his girlfriend in his search for the missing woman, and they run into danger. Stolen children, dead bodies, and psychotic killers from Durango to the Mexican border to Tucson, Arizona disrupt romantic intentions. Too, Andy’s dizzy spells produce concerns among his Mexican friends.
Meanwhile, Andy’s relationship with his girlfriend and his music career take unexpected twists and turns. The small-town setting of Durango, a symphony audition in Tucson, and the Arizona desert landscape add interest and appeal to the story.
Although references to previous episodes in the series disrupt the flow a few times, this cozy mystery is a page-turner with nonstop action. At the same time, it presents character studies and moral dilemmas that cause the reader to reflect on solutions long after the final scene.
Inside the bag, Andy finds three thousand dollars. He involves his girlfriend in his search for the missing woman, and they run into danger. Stolen children, dead bodies, and psychotic killers from Durango to the Mexican border to Tucson, Arizona disrupt romantic intentions. Too, Andy’s dizzy spells produce concerns among his Mexican friends.
Meanwhile, Andy’s relationship with his girlfriend and his music career take unexpected twists and turns. The small-town setting of Durango, a symphony audition in Tucson, and the Arizona desert landscape add interest and appeal to the story.
Although references to previous episodes in the series disrupt the flow a few times, this cozy mystery is a page-turner with nonstop action. At the same time, it presents character studies and moral dilemmas that cause the reader to reflect on solutions long after the final scene.
May 13, 2016
How could Andy Veracruz know that offering to watch a woman’s purse for a few minutes would lead him, his girlfriend and her extended Mexican family on a deadly quest to rescue an American woman and her two children from her crazed Mexican husband? Andy is a regular guy who has made his living as a mariachi musician for years; he’s also naïvely nice and way over this head when he wades into one dangerous situation after the other. When the end comes, Andy feels morally conflicted wondering if the dead body in front of him is murder or justified revenge. The characters are all interesting people; you’ll enjoy spending a few hours with them.
July 18, 2019
It’s been a while since I read a book in one day, but that's what happened with this one. Andy’s world is always unusual. In this book a mystery woman has asked him to watch her purse – she never comes back for it. Instead of turning it in to lost and found, like I would have done, he goes looking for the owner – the rest is a roller coaster of antics. Rachel is back from a previous book, and Andy’s romance is also taking a turbulent turn. The musical references are there, and this author has the ability to help me “hear” what the music is. Of course Andy’s ear for mistakes is much more refined than my tone-deaf one!
April 29, 2016
Dizzy in Durango is a thriller with a heart. At first, Andy Veracruz, a Mariachi musician, seems to be too gentle to be the hero of a thriller; he’s just an honest, perhaps naïve, man who meets the wrong woman, Claire, on the way to Durango to rekindle a romance with a girlfriend.
Ransdell’s fluid style allows Andy’s story to unfold effortlessly. Besides providing a vivid insider’s view of Durango, Ransdell demonstrates how the machismo attitude in Mexico warps the lives of women and children.
January 7, 2021
This is the third Andy Veracruz mystery, and he is literally dizzy. While he's spun by the puzzle before him, the world spins around him. Andy, Rachel, and Andy's twin brother, plus a new set of engaging allies, find themselves in custody of a missing woman's children, while her raging macho husband hounds them with violence. The tension builds steadily to a climax that leaves Andy profoundly shaken and questioning his values.
I read this over Christmas break. It was a great holiday read. I've read all four books now, and I hope D.R. Ransdell is at work on a fifth.
I read this over Christmas break. It was a great holiday read. I've read all four books now, and I hope D.R. Ransdell is at work on a fifth.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews