Kindle Edition Amazon sharonburchtoner.com Amazon Barnes & Noble Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: Create Space ISBN-10:  1456323024 Type: Fiction Pages: 202 Copyright: Nov 30, 2010 ISBN-13: 9781456323028 Price: $3.99 (eBook) On a vacation visit to Arizona Maggie and daughter, Allie, find themselves embroiled in a dangerous and baffling mystery Maggie's Brujo, the third of the Maggie McGill Mysteries As a child Maggie McGill dreamed of riding the range through the wide open spaces of a Wild West filled with cattle rustlers, white hats, and black hats galore. When Maggie and her daughter, Allie, meet for a Thanksgiving vacation at an Arizona dude ranch, they certainly don't expect to find danger lurking with the turkey mole. Even before they arrive at the ranch things begin to go wrong. They find themselves lost in the desert, a prize Arabian stallion becomes mysteriously ill. Allie and Maggie find themselves embroiled in a mystery unique to the southern Arizona desert. They encounter two-legged coyotes, illegal immigrants, and a mysterious desert wayfarer. They sample native desert food and decide that survival never tasted so good. Who is the mysterious stranger who seems to read their very thoughts? Why are their dude ranch hosts being threatened? What can the two women do to resolve this gripping mystery? Excerpt Maggie’s eyes flew open! What had awakened her? Wait. A rustling noise from the other side on the fire, or what was left of the fire. It was only a dim glow of embers. What was it? She lay as quietly as she could, trying not to breathe. There! There it was again. She did hope it wasn’t a fierce animal. Were there bears in Arizona? Wolves? Well, there were coyotes. Probably they wouldn’t hurt one. Unless, unless they were starving. A mountain lion? That could be serious. From her sleeping bag she could see nothing. It was very dark. No moon. Just inky black velvet sky covered with bright stars. More rustling and a quiet grunt. That was a human sound surely. Who was it? Why? What was happening? Maggie was afraid to move. It seemed to her that the form next to her had changed its breathing. Was Allie awake? She shifted her eyes, trying to see without moving. But Allie was a motionless lump in her sleeping bag. Maggie was afraid even to sigh. Yikes! It seemed that there were more quiet sounds coming from the upper camp. What was happening? Did she dare move? From the lump next to her, “Psst, Mom?” A soft whispered voice. Allie! Whispered back, “Something’s happening!” “I know. But what?” “Don’t know!” “Scary!” “Yeah!”

Library of Clean Reads
Maggie's Brujo
By Sandra Olshaski on August 28, 2013
Format: Print and Kindle Edition
Here is another Maggie McGill mystery to be enjoyed and savored. I reviewed two other books by Sharon Toner so readers may be familiar with her style of writing. It is always clean, always stylish, always interesting, and always exciting. The thread holding it firmly together is the mutual warm relationship between Maggie & Allie. This book is no exception.

Maggie and her daughter, Allie, are off to a vacation in Arizona at a dude ranch/B & B to reconnect with one of Allie's friends. Before long, unusual things start to happen that cause the owners of the ranch to feel uneasy: a prize Arabian stallion at the ranch mysteriously sickens; Allie and Maggie get lost in the Arizona desert; illegal immigrants and two-legged coyotes cross their path and a mysterious Mexican man who "follows the angels" appears out of nowhere to help them. Esmeralda and Rosalita, his two travelling companions are a story unto themselves!

I liked the author's description of the old hacienda dude ranch. She makes the reader want to be there to enjoy the warm hospitality of the owners, the Mexican staff and to delight in the regional food. These are comfortable people. I could imagine myself at their table. Her description of the prize horse is so similar to my brother's Arabian filly, Farah, that I could picture him in my mind's eye. I loved the description of the southern Arizona desert full of cacti, dust storms and mesquite.

As for the meaning of "brujo" in the title - that's one of the little tidbits available to the reader.

I recommend this excellent mystery that also deals with relevant issues of our time.


Jim B
The Maggie mysteries are really enjoyed and we look forward to her next book.
Have shared our enjoyment of reading these with many other friends who like reading good, clean, and yet exciting books.