Quirky Characters, Eerie and Isolated Locale, Slightly Paranormal...

-- Review of In Dulce, Disturbed #1 in the New Mexico mystery thriller series

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Short Story, July 23, 2012

By 

Todd A. Fonseca (Minneapolis, MN)
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: In Dulce, Disturbed: A New Mexico Mystery (#1 Cinnamon/Burro Top Mystery) (Kindle Edition)

In Dulce, Disturbed: Great Short Story

Author: Tower Lowe
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Format: Kindle

Following up on a civil rights compliant regarding specialized education for a middle school boy, Cinnamon and her partner Burro Wesote travel to Dulce, New Mexico to investigate. Upon their arrival, however, they learn that the young boy they've come to help has gone missing. They also find the area educators to be less than cooperative when it comes to boy blaming him and his family for any issues related to his education. When a beaten body is found in the local cemetery, rumors run rampant that it is the missing boy and Cinnamon vows to get to the bottom of what is really going on in this small northern border town.

Tower Lowe's, In Dulce, Disturbed, is a short story, but you would never know it by the depths of Lowe's characters. Remember the early 1990s TV show, Twin Peaks, with its quirky characters, eerie and isolated locale, and slightly paranormal bent? There is something reminiscent of that series in Lowe's work. Consider some of the more interesting characteristics in "Dulce" - the main character's name is Cinnamon - an unexpected name for a civil rights investigator - and what is the story behind her long lost mother who left her family when Cinnamon was just six? What is the deal with her partner Burro, whose visions are easier for him to manage with the medication? And what is with all the hostility from the locals at the school? All curious characteristics of a short but engaging story that I quickly found myself engrossed in and couldn't put down.

Great stuff.

I can't wait for this to be turned into a full blown novel. Watch out David Lynch.

Note: A complimentary copy of this work was provided in return for a review.

Cinnamon/Burro Top Mystery Series #1 - #5

Quirky and Convincing Characters

Top Mystery Series

In Dulce, Disturbed #1

Beaten to death by his teacher, a young native boy is found by the side of the road in Dulce, New Mexico. Cinnamon,a woman sleuth, joins her pal Burro to face down the school and the teachers and solve the first crime story in this top mystery series. Cinnamon collects the first clues to the lost Momma, who abandoned her in childhood. Defined by this loss, Cinnamon pursues these New Mexico mysteries with one eye on the crime and one eye on finding Momma. Burro assists with visions that contain clues to the crime, if only the two of them can figure out what they mean. Full of quirky characters, this story keeps you in your seat.

In Zuni, Zymotic #2

A dead teacher on the front porch of a Zuni, New Mexico home sends Cinnamon, a woman sleuth, on the trail to solve this cozy mystery. Quirky characters, including an Aunt and a girlfriend provide clues to the crime and to the whereabouts of Cinnamon’s elusive Momma. The exotic location includes a controversy over Zuni kachinas (spirit beings) in ancient New Mexico mystery. Follow the trail to Momma and the killer in #2 of the top mystery series.

In Santa Fe, Salacious #3

Salacious, silly, sad, and sanguine, In Santa Fe, Salacious takes Cinnamon, a female sleuth, and her pal Burro into the underside of Santa Fe, New Mexico,  the city different.  In this salacious mystery, a man dies of a blow to the head in St. Francis Cathedral, and a cast of sexually confused characters vie for the role of lead suspect. This crime story continues the tradition of quirky characters that define this top mystery series.  Who killed the hairdresser Marco as he prayed quietly in a chapel in downtown Santa Fe?

In Roswell, Re-Abducted #4

Aliens abduct Danny and force him to kill Juan, his only real friend. Or that’s what Danny thinks. Danny's alien abduction story gets him arrested in this cozy UFO mystery. Cinnamon, the female sleuth, and Burro, her assistant, travel through New Mexico amid alien abduction stories, drug deals, and lost love to find out if Danny is guilty or innocent. The quirky characters also provide another tantalizing clue in Cinnamon’s search for the elusive Momma. Let an hour disappear while you mingle with the Roswell residents and their alien guests in this top mystery series.

In Carlsbad, Cavernous #5

Coming in October, In Carlsbad, Cavernous, finds Cinnamon and Burro in the middle of a crime based on bitter resentments simmering for years in the Carlsbad heat. Visions, the usual cast of quirky characters, and Burro's hallucinations follow many twists and turns in the fourth installment of the New Mexico mystery series.

In Gallup....Five more are on the way, and a paisano (New Mexico Roadrunner) peeped in my ear that the next story will take us to Gallup, where Momma recently lived, and where a good friend of Cinnamon's is convinced she murdered her own brother in an alcoholic blackout. Stay tuned...

Personal Note from the Author
I started this mystery series when my job required traveling around New Mexico. Mysteries and quirky characters floated to the surface. In Dulce, New Mexico, I felt the presence of spirits, hidden in the hills, on every visit. Truly, I was disturbed. My own mother died when I was 13, and I spend most of my life chasing her, so, in this cozy mystery series, I created the woman sleuth, Cinnamon, who chases her momma while she solves crime stories in picturesque locations in the Land of Enchantment.