The Jordan Mayfair Mysteries: Books 1-3
(2023)(A book in the Jordan Mayfair Mystery series)
An omnibus of novels by Phyllis Gobbell
Book 1: Pursuit in Provence is Jordan Mayfair's debut as an amateur sleuth‚ finding her way through a labyrinth of art‚ rock-and-roll -- and murder — against the captivating backdrop of Provence.
American architect Jordan Mayfair travels to Provence with visions of Roman ruins bathed in magical Provençal light‚ exquisite foods and wines‚ and -- possibly -- an alluring Frenchmen. She will experience all she imagined‚ but she never expected to be chased across the French countryside for an Elvis recording. Danger follows her to the village of Fontvieille‚ where the colorful inhabitants are in a frenzy over missing Van Gogh sketches. Pursued through ancient tunnels and narrow‚ twisting streets‚ Jordan becomes an unwilling player in dramas as intricate and intriguing as the secret passages she discovers.
Book 2: Secrets and Shamrocks
Meadows, hedgerows, and tree-lined lanes welcome Jordan Mayfair to County Tipperary, Ireland. She’s accompanied once again by her uncle, travel writer Alexander Carlyle. Their destination is the charming little town of Thurles, where old friends Colin and Grace O’Toole own Shepherds Guesthouse Bed and Breakfast. But on their arrival, the rural peace at the B&B has been disturbed by the search for a missing toddler, and the secrecy surrounding Little Jimmie’s disappearance and safe return sets the tone for their stay at Shepherds.
While Alex visits the spectacular sights in the region for his travel guide, Jordan is drawn into the local drama. From the warm and welcoming B&B to the traditional Irish pub, Finnegan’s, where music is “the very air that we breathe,” the guests and locals harbor secrets that put Jordan at risk.
Colin and Grace have secrets of their own. Their unstable daughter, Bridget, may be charged with the murder of a well-respected doctor. Bridget, Little Jimmie’s mother, has run away to the woods to the cottage of an old woman named Magdala, a believer in leprechauns and fairies. Jordan’s visit to the cottage alerts her architect’s eye, and her discovery of a priest hole will eventually put her—and Alex—in the most perilous situation yet.
Book 3: Treachery in Tuscany
Church bells chime in an ancient bell tower as architect Jordan Mayfair, from Savannah, Georgia, and her travel-writer uncle, Alexander Carlyle, arrive at Convento di Santa Francesca Firenze in Florence, Italy. Jordan expects the 15th century convent with its exquisite gardens to offer a safe and serene retreat from the crowded, bustling, touristy district of Europe’s premier Renaissance city, and anticipates a romantic interlude with Paul Broussard, charming patron of the arts, who is flying in from Paris, just for her. But the polizia municipale are on site, investigating a burglary by jewel thieves, and a mugging has occurred outside the convent walls. Several guests of the convent are not who they seem to be, and one is soon dead. A suicide, the police say. Jordan suspects murder. Her attempt to find justice for the victim leads her to discoveries as dark as the labyrinths of the convent that she explores with an architect’s eye, and as far-reaching as the spectacular Tuscan hills. But Jordan’s findings give little comfort as she uncovers the truth about Paul’s unstable daughter, Bella, who has come to Florence with evil intentions. In the third book of the Jordan Mayfair Mystery Series, treachery tears a prominent family apart, takes an innocent life, and threatens Jordan’s relationship with Paul that has evolved, through three books.
Genre: Mystery
American architect Jordan Mayfair travels to Provence with visions of Roman ruins bathed in magical Provençal light‚ exquisite foods and wines‚ and -- possibly -- an alluring Frenchmen. She will experience all she imagined‚ but she never expected to be chased across the French countryside for an Elvis recording. Danger follows her to the village of Fontvieille‚ where the colorful inhabitants are in a frenzy over missing Van Gogh sketches. Pursued through ancient tunnels and narrow‚ twisting streets‚ Jordan becomes an unwilling player in dramas as intricate and intriguing as the secret passages she discovers.
Book 2: Secrets and Shamrocks
Meadows, hedgerows, and tree-lined lanes welcome Jordan Mayfair to County Tipperary, Ireland. She’s accompanied once again by her uncle, travel writer Alexander Carlyle. Their destination is the charming little town of Thurles, where old friends Colin and Grace O’Toole own Shepherds Guesthouse Bed and Breakfast. But on their arrival, the rural peace at the B&B has been disturbed by the search for a missing toddler, and the secrecy surrounding Little Jimmie’s disappearance and safe return sets the tone for their stay at Shepherds.
While Alex visits the spectacular sights in the region for his travel guide, Jordan is drawn into the local drama. From the warm and welcoming B&B to the traditional Irish pub, Finnegan’s, where music is “the very air that we breathe,” the guests and locals harbor secrets that put Jordan at risk.
Colin and Grace have secrets of their own. Their unstable daughter, Bridget, may be charged with the murder of a well-respected doctor. Bridget, Little Jimmie’s mother, has run away to the woods to the cottage of an old woman named Magdala, a believer in leprechauns and fairies. Jordan’s visit to the cottage alerts her architect’s eye, and her discovery of a priest hole will eventually put her—and Alex—in the most perilous situation yet.
Book 3: Treachery in Tuscany
Church bells chime in an ancient bell tower as architect Jordan Mayfair, from Savannah, Georgia, and her travel-writer uncle, Alexander Carlyle, arrive at Convento di Santa Francesca Firenze in Florence, Italy. Jordan expects the 15th century convent with its exquisite gardens to offer a safe and serene retreat from the crowded, bustling, touristy district of Europe’s premier Renaissance city, and anticipates a romantic interlude with Paul Broussard, charming patron of the arts, who is flying in from Paris, just for her. But the polizia municipale are on site, investigating a burglary by jewel thieves, and a mugging has occurred outside the convent walls. Several guests of the convent are not who they seem to be, and one is soon dead. A suicide, the police say. Jordan suspects murder. Her attempt to find justice for the victim leads her to discoveries as dark as the labyrinths of the convent that she explores with an architect’s eye, and as far-reaching as the spectacular Tuscan hills. But Jordan’s findings give little comfort as she uncovers the truth about Paul’s unstable daughter, Bella, who has come to Florence with evil intentions. In the third book of the Jordan Mayfair Mystery Series, treachery tears a prominent family apart, takes an innocent life, and threatens Jordan’s relationship with Paul that has evolved, through three books.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Phyllis Gobbell's The Jordan Mayfair Mysteries: Books 1-3