Anacacho, an Allie Armington Mystery

Louise Gaylord
Cedar Vista Books (2006)
ISBN 0972022708
Reviewed by Ana M. Rubio for Reader Views (10/06)

This book is a great mystery story, from beginning to end.  Louise Gaylord is very successful at keeping you guessing who is the bad guy, but when you think you got it all figured out, comes another twist to the story, and keeps you interested and anxious to finish reading the book to see what the outcome is.

Louise Gaylord’s writing is amazing; the references that she makes in the book about the world of drug trafficking, makes you think this is a real story.  “About the time I split with Reena last summer. She was real mad and said she’d tell Susie about us, but I threatened to tell Paul she was filching money out of the ranch account and that shut her up. She’s been taking funds ever since she offered to do the books.”  “Paul let her handle the books? What’s with the CPA?”  “Dell gives a rueful laugh. C’mon, Allie. The CPA’s a man. You know Reena and men.”  “How could I forget? Maybe Reena was the one involved with the trafficking. She seemed very friendly with that cowboy when I was here in January.”

Most of the characters in the story met in college and had lost contact with each other, reconnecting later in life. “Allie,” who is the main character in the story, didn’t expect the big adventure she was about to get involved in when she accepted an invitation from her former roommate to spend a few days at the Anacacho.  Everything on the surface looks perfect -- a rich friend living the big life with her handsome oil field owner husband.

“Anacacho” is a book for mystery readers that love to be guessing the ending of a story.  I really thought that I had it all resolved, but before I knew it, another twist kept me guessing again.  Even the end is a mystery.  I can’t say there is a particular part of the story I like best, because all of it got my attention, and since the end is left hanging, I’m looking forward to Louise Gaylord’s next “Allie Armington’s Mystery”  I really enjoyed this book.

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