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by Colin W Williams
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by Corey Sandler
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by David F Johannides
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by Francis
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by John Wesley Howard
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(Larger Image)
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Three Can Keep a Secret
by Judy Clemens
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (2005-07-01)
ISBN: 1590581849
EAN: 9781590581841
Dewy Decimal #: 813.6
Hardcover: 254 pages
Release Date: 2005-07-01
SKU: mon0000047463
Condition: Very Good
Comments: Ex-library Book.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
When Stella Crown hires a new farmhand to help run her Pennsylvania dairy business, she gets more than she bargained for. The Mennonite widow arrives burdened not only with grief, but with rumors of infidelity and murder. And a young child. Stella herself is battling deep sorrow over the loss of her long-time friend and employee Howie and worries over her shaky finances. Before you know it, she is coping with an influx of nasty in-laws, heartbroken beaus, and spiteful vandalism. Determined to protect herself and her farm, Stella sets out to discover the truth while trying to give her new employee a respectful benefit of the doubt.
Meanwhile, Stella's good friend and fellow biker Lenny is riding a crisis. At one moment jovial, the next angry and suspicious, Lenny is haunted by pain and secrets he won't share with Stella. His odd behavior is soon complimented by bizarre attacks on his home and his business.
Now there are two people close to Stella with undisclosed pasts. And the saying, "Three can keep a secret, if two are dead," suddenly gains new and terrible meaning.
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Customer Reviews
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A fast, fun read.
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-02-22
Being a Mennonite woman, a sometime motorcyclist and well acquainted with farm life, I found the book fun to read and quite accurate on all three items. The events happened a little too fast and furious for my taste, but the book is not boring. Wonder how the author is received in her own area? If you are looking for a quick escape from boredom, read this book.
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The second book is as good as the first.
Rating (4)
Date: 2006-10-23
Stella Crown is trying to keep her head above water, which is difficult in the farming business today. She needs a new farmhand, since her long-time friend and former hand has died. She needs a new heifer barn after her old one burned down. And she is waiting for her beloved Harley Davidson bike to be rebuilt after a nasty crash.
The new farmhand is a Mennonite widow, Lucy Lapp. Lucy comes with baggage: a young daughter, former in-laws who are looking to make trouble, and some religious issues. But she is a hard worker and knows what she's doing, so Stella is glad to have her. Not so happy about the graffiti which shows up on the barn one night. Lucy turns out to have more backbone than one might expect, given her life. It's a treat to watch her deal with her husband's family.
One of the friends working on her bike, Lenny, is behaving strangely. He doesn't want to talk about it, and generally seems miserable. Does it have something to do with his past, of which Stella knows very little? Or the young, scruffy, and rude couple who shows up at the bike shop one day?
Stella is also trying to sort out where her heart lies. Abe, her old sweetie, is doing her books and making attempts to resume their old relationship. This is a little difficult, since in TILL THE COWS COME HOME, he brought home another woman. She's gone, but her memory lingers. Stella had a low-grade romance with another man, who turned out to be not at all what he said he was, and they did not part amicably. But Stella stills has a yen, and isn't sure what to do about her memories and Abe.
Stella slogs on, putting out one small fire after another. This takes a physical and emotional toll on her. Then there's the tornado, which really messes up her life. Her extended family comes through for her, as they have before and will again. Stella's public persona as a tough, Harley riding, assertive woman is believable, as is her not-so-public kind-hearted nature and willingness to give people a second chance. She's a strong woman doing a tough job.
Clemens has done a very good job on her second book. Stella grows as a person, as do some of the continuing characters. While the reader knows that Stella's life won't ever be easy, it's clear that this is the life she wants, the life she needs. The endless work which is part of farming is also part of THREE CAN KEEP A SECRET, which lends verisimilitude to Stella's life without bogging the reader down in superfluous details. It's just Clemen's showing us what Stella and her help do on a daily basis.
THREE CAN KEEP A SECRET is a good mystery, with great characters and an interesting setting. What more can a person want? I look forward to the next book in the series; if Clemens keeps writing like this, it will be a definite pleasure to follow this series.
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Stella Crown is a great character!
Rating (4)
Date: 2005-10-06
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Still adjusting to life without mentor Howie Archer (his death was chronicled in Clemens' debut, the absorbing Till the Cows Come Home), Stella Crown hires ranch hand Lucy Lapp to assist her in running her Pennsylvania dairy farm. Along with her daughter, Tess, however, Lucy also comes toting some heavy personal baggage with her, most of it stemming from the death of her husband Brad some months prior. Struggling with her own grief, Stella is forced to deal with Lucy's problems as well, even as she tries to help her stoic friend Lenny cope with some potentially lethal issues arising from his days as an outlaw biker.
Two things that drive this book are its setting and the compelling first person narration of Stella Crown, truly an old soul despite her relative youth . The action of the novel is set against the backdrop of an insular Pennsylvania farm community sporting a varied populace including Mennonites and, surprisingly, bikers. Stella comments knowingly about both, having grown up in the Mennonite faith and having later embraced the biker lifestyle. Her telling insights and pointed observations, coupled with her vibrant emotional reactions, make the reader feel part of that strange community, rendering the evidence of its prejudices and hidden violence all the more jarring. Feeling as if they're looking over their heroine's shoulder, readers accompany her on a perilous journey of discovery, uncovering the secrets of the seemingly quiet little town. It's a journey most will conclude was well worth their time.
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A Crown Jewel
Rating  (5)
Date: 2005-09-13
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
The second installment of the Stella Crown series is wonderful. My bloodshot eyes attest to the fact that it can't be put down; maybe I shouldn't have read it at bedtime.
Only Judy Clemens can pull off a single Mennonite woman who milks cows by day and rides Harleys by night. And the tattoos. Wow. What a bold move.
Way to go Judy! Give us more!!!
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a single woman who likes Harleys and cows...what's not to like
Rating (4)
Date: 2005-09-03
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This was a fun quick read with very likeable characters. Clemen's Stella Crown, her farm and her friends, Harley driving and not, engage you fully from the first pages to the last. The plot develops quickly but with some very unexpected turns.
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