The House of Three Murders

by Gary J. George

Smoke Tree Mysteries (1)

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Description

For over twenty five years, The House of Three Murders has squatted, abandoned and decaying, deep inside a dense mesquite and tamarisk thicket in the middle of the vast Mojave Desert. The infamous house was the site of gruesome and bloody multiple murders. The murders have gradually passed into barely-remembered Mojave Desert legend, but the house remains, foreboding, forlorn and nearly forgotten.Then, on a moonlight November night in 1960, five people are there at the same time. Well, four show more technically, because one of them has just died from a gunshot wound!Three of the five are teenagers from the tiny, desert southwest town of Smoke Tree. They should be playing a significant role in an event important to their school and their town. But on a whim they have decided not to go. Instead, they drive down a dusty dirt road deep into the Colorado River bottom and end up at the House of Three Murders. Unaware there are two men inside, they burn it to the ground!The fire leads to a series of events. Their lives spin out of control, and none of them will ever be the same. Nor will the life of the man who is alive. A young Native American of the Fort Mojave Band of Mojave Indians, he is bound hand and foot next to a dead man when the teenagers arrive. He escapes the fire and embarks on a life-changing adventure on a quest to discover his sumach 'a hot, or special gift. He will not be happy with what he finds. show less

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Member Reviews

2 reviews
I was drawn to this book on Story Cartel. First by it's title "House of Three Murders", then by the book's cover, and finally the description.

The start of the book went off like a bang with the introduction of Sixto, a Mexican with a criminal record, who meets good natured Charlie at the Palm,at bar and then unexpectedly leads to a robbery and shoot out at a liquor store.

After that the book's pace slowed down considerably. It went into the friendship of Ade Snow and Johnny Quenton, life in Smoke Tree; football; their relationships with their girlfriends, parents and rest of the community It is not till much later that the story picks up steam and the police enter the story but mainly "The House of Three Murders" is focused on Ade, show more Johnny, Judy (Johnny's girlfriend), and Charlie.

While I prefer much more a mystery to unravel, I must write that I came to like Ade, Johnny, and Charlie and became interested in their futures. I would recommend this book to others to read.
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Which house?
423 works; 16 members

Author Information

18 Works 58 Members

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Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The House of Three Murders
Important places
Smoke Tree, San Bernardino County, California, USA

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Mystery
BISAC

Statistics

Members
11
Popularity
1,999,161
Reviews
1
Rating
(3.17)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
1
ASINs
1