Southwestern Charm and a dash of mystery
Three Silver Doves is the third in the Paige McKenzie series of mysteries by Deborah Garner. In this installment, we catch up with Paige a few months after the close of “The Moonglow Café”. Paige has arrived at the Agua Encantada resort and spa in Tres Palomas New Mexico for a dual purpose. While she is primarily there to write a piece about the mineral springs and their health benefits, she is also planning to take a much-needed vacation. With Jake back at his ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and reception spotty at best, Paige makes the best of her time by exploring the resort with handsome handyman Miguel. She is taken by the resort, its owners as well as the neighboring town of Tres Palomas and even purchases a few pieces of jewelry from a local artist. When a tour bus arrives at the resort and Paige notices a similar piece of jewelry on one of the elderly vacationers, she is shocked to discover that Ana’s one of a kind creations may have been recreated and resold along the highway. When the town story teller goes missing along with her ne’er do well brother, Paige realizes that the vacation may have to wait as she once again finds herself right in the middle of a mystery. Top that off with a very jealous and distant Jake and Paige has her hands full.
At times, it seemed as if “Three Silver Doves” was reading more like a Nancy Drew or a Scooby Doo Mystery with the over the top characters and too nosy for her own good Paige. Even with that being said, I have found myself drawn to this series. Yes, Paige is stubborn, extremely pig headed and will most likely get herself killed one day but she is very likeable. She has a perseverance and a chutzpah that I wish I had. It does seem that wherever she goes she finds trouble, but she also finds rich experiences with authentic people in areas of the country that she never would have touched had it not been for her job at the Manhattan newspaper. The Paige and Jake dynamic takes a definitive turn during the last half of the story. I am really enjoying watching these two characters find each other above all odds; theirs is a sweet relationship that has grown with each new installment. I have found it hard to put a “genre” on this series of books because of the author’s use of many different elements to put together these great stories but I would say after reading “Three Silver Doves” that this book could be best described as a “cozy romance”. Deborah Garner has managed to weave a heartwarming cozy mystery with a slow burn romance that will leave you smiling.
Jennly Reads 