The Holland Taylor Trilogy Series
4/5
()
About this series
The woman’s words send an icy chill through Minneapolis private investigator Holland Taylor: “If you are listening to this now,” she says, “it is because I am dead.” Speaking calmly, Alison Emerton explains that if she is missing, it is because Raymond Fleck killed her. Fleck, a convicted rapist, lost his job at a humane kennel after Alison accused him of sexual harassment and stalking. The threats began soon after, prompting Alison to buy a gun and record the tape. She vanished soon after, leaving behind her wallet, coat, and boots, on a night when twenty-three inches of snow fell on Minneapolis. Seven months later, her lawyer hires Taylor to find the missing woman. As Taylor digs into Alison’s past, he learns that Raymond Fleck was not the only person who wanted her dead.
Titles in the series (5)
- The Holland Taylor Trilogy: Penance, Dearly Departed, and Practice to Deceive
Three compelling and unforgettable mysteries by Edgar Award winner David Housewright Holland Taylor is comfortable in interrogation rooms. For years the cold, dark cells of the Minneapolis homicide squad were his turf, and with the help of his partner he wrung confessions out of countless killers. But that was long ago. In Penance,Taylor is on the other side of the desk. Tonight he is the suspect. Taylor’s career in the department ended after his wife and daughter were killed in a drunk driving accident. The culprit, John Brown, was sentenced to a measly six years for vehicular manslaughter, and Taylor vowed bloody vengeance in front of open court. After a few months of freedom, Brown is shot dead, and Taylor, now a private investigator, is called in as the obvious suspect. He didn’t kill Brown, but he will find out who did—even if it means tearing Minneapolis apart from the inside out. In Dearly Departed, Holland Taylor discovers a recording made by a woman named Alison Emerton explaining that if she is missing, it is because Raymond Fleck killed her. Fleck, a convicted rapist, lost his job at a kennel after Alison accused him of sexual harassment and stalking. She vanished soon after, leaving behind her wallet, coat, and boots, on a night when twenty-three inches of snow fell on Minneapolis. Her lawyer has hired Taylor to find her. But as Taylor digs into Alison’s past, he learns that Fleck was not the only person who wanted her dead. In Practice to Deceive, Florida widow and retiree Irene Gustafson is rich and alone. Following the advice of Ann Landers, Gustafson hands her money over to an investment manager. The returns are steady until he starts investing in Willow Tree, a low-income housing development on the fringes of the Twin Cities. The money vanishes, and the widow is destitute. That’s where Holland Taylor, Minneapolis private detective, comes in. His recently retired parents are her neighbors, and they want Taylor to recover the old lady’s money. It seems impossible, but as he investigates Willow Tree he finds a twisted real-estate conspiracy with deep roots in city politics—and a vicious killer hired to protect the secret.
- Penance
Edgar Award Winner: A PI in St. Paul, Minnesota, must clear his own name when the drunk driver who killed his wife is shot dead. Holland Taylor is comfortable in interrogation rooms. For years, the cold dark cells of the Minneapolis homicide squad were his turf, and with the help of his partner, he wrung confessions out of countless killers. But that was long ago. Tonight Taylor’s on the other side of the desk. Tonight he’s the suspect. Taylor’s career in the department ended after his wife and daughter were killed in a drunk driving accident. The culprit, John Brown, was sentenced to a measly six years for vehicular manslaughter, and Taylor vowed bloody vengeance in front of open court. After a few months of freedom, Brown is shot dead, and Taylor, now a private investigator, is called in as the obvious suspect. He didn’t kill John Brown, but he’ll find out who did—even if it means tearing Minneapolis apart from the inside out.
- Dearly Departed
From an Edgar Award–winning author: “An enjoyable mystery with a corker of an ending” featuring a Minnesota cop-turned-PI (Booklist). The woman’s words send an icy chill through Minneapolis private investigator Holland Taylor: “If you are listening to this now,” she says, “it is because I am dead.” Speaking calmly, Alison Emerton explains that if she is missing, it is because Raymond Fleck killed her. Fleck, a convicted rapist, lost his job at a humane kennel after Alison accused him of sexual harassment and stalking. The threats began soon after, prompting Alison to buy a gun and record the tape. She vanished soon after, leaving behind her wallet, coat, and boots, on a night when twenty-three inches of snow fell on Minneapolis. Seven months later, her lawyer hires Taylor to find the missing woman. As Taylor digs into Alison’s past, he learns that Raymond Fleck was not the only person who wanted her dead.
- Practice to Deceive
The swindling of an elderly widow leads to “a greased-lightning tale of scam and counterscam” from an Edgar Award–winning author (Kirkus Reviews). When a drunk driver kills her entire family, Florida retiree Irene Gustafson is left rich and alone. Between savings and life insurance, the death of her son and his family leaves her with nearly $300,000—a veritable fortune in a community where most live off social security. Following the advice of Ann Landers, Mrs. Gustafson hands the money over to an investment manager. The returns are steady until he starts investing in Willow Tree, a low-income housing development on the fringes of the Twin Cities. The money vanishes, and Mrs. Gustafson is destitute. That’s where Holland Taylor, Minneapolis private detective, comes in. His recently retired parents are Mrs. Gustafson’s neighbors, and they want Taylor to recover the old lady’s money. It seems impossible, but as he investigates Willow Tree he finds a twisted real-estate conspiracy with deep roots in city politics—and a vicious killer hired to protect the secret.
- Dearly Departed
From an Edgar Award–winning author: “An enjoyable mystery with a corker of an ending” featuring a Minnesota cop-turned-PI (Booklist). The woman’s words send an icy chill through Minneapolis private investigator Holland Taylor: “If you are listening to this now,” she says, “it is because I am dead.” Speaking calmly, Alison Emerton explains that if she is missing, it is because Raymond Fleck killed her. Fleck, a convicted rapist, lost his job at a humane kennel after Alison accused him of sexual harassment and stalking. The threats began soon after, prompting Alison to buy a gun and record the tape. She vanished soon after, leaving behind her wallet, coat, and boots, on a night when twenty-three inches of snow fell on Minneapolis. Seven months later, her lawyer hires Taylor to find the missing woman. As Taylor digs into Alison’s past, he learns that Raymond Fleck was not the only person who wanted her dead.
David Housewright
DAVID HOUSEWRIGHT has won the Edgar Award and is the three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction, which includes the modern noir Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie series (starting with A Hard Ticket Home). He is a past president of the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA). He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Read more from David Housewright
Finders Keepers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Holland Taylor Trilogy
Related ebooks
The Holland Taylor Trilogy: Penance, Dearly Departed, and Practice to Deceive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Practice to Deceive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Darkness, Sing Me a Song: A Holland Taylor Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dearly Departed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cold Hunter's Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dead Man's Mistress: A McKenzie Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil's Angel: Max Strong Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rotting Spot ( A Bruce and Bennett Mystery) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTime Release Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jack Keller Box Set: Books 1-3: The Devil's Right Hand, Good Day In Hell, Safe And Sound Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Dark Place Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Final Seconds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In For The Kill Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coldwater Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Price of Blood: An Irish Novel of Suspense Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hanging Tree: A Starvation Lake Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exchange Alley Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Moonlight Montecristo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat We Reckon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Days: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jury of One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Downfall Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Innocent Monster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Over My Dead Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Murder Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Twist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death at the Door Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Die of Shame: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Thrillers For You
Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Animal Farm Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perfect Marriage: A Completely Gripping Psychological Suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sympathizer: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Secrets: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Housemaid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The It Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Family Upstairs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whisper Man: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Maidens: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Huntress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Needful Things Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Razorblade Tears: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Read with Jenna Pick Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Different Seasons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dry: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sometimes I Lie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eyes of the Dragon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Troop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Holland Taylor Trilogy
27 ratings0 reviews