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Publisher Summary
A shocking murder strikes a sour note
during Jazz Fest in the latest New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery
from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.
It's Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and the
giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre are parading
through the French Quarter. Some are very spooky and veiled,
others are tall and gangly, like strange aliens.
As the parade proceeds, Carmela Bertrand
and her best friend, Ava, follow behind, down Royal Street
and past the food booths. Suddenly, they hear a terrible crash
from Devon Dowling's antiques shop. They rush inside to find
Devon collapsed with blood streaming down the side of his
face. Has he been shot? Stabbed? 911 is hastily called, and
the police and EMTs show up. After the police examine Devon's
body, they tell Carmela and Ava that their friend was murdered
with an icepick. They're shocked beyond belief--and now Mimi,
Devon's little pug, is left homeless.
Carmela and Ava are determined to catch
the murderer, but the list of suspects is long. How long do
they have before they find themselves on the killer's list?
I have been a fan of Laura Childs for several years. She is
a clever mystery writer and it is rare for a book she has
written to disappoint me. The last book I reviewed in this
series is Crepe Factor back in 2016. I had found it predictable
and that the characters personalities had changed too much.
It was with trepidation that I accepted Mumbo Gumbo Murder
for review.
This book has all of the elements of a good cozy mystery,
and it is always nice to visit New Orleans and Carmela, Ava,
et al. I enjoyed the book, but I can’t say that I felt
as engaged as I did in earlier books. I had hoped that Carmela
and Ava would have changed back to the type of strong women
they were previously, and that applies to other characters
as well.
Because there are now two authors for these books, it is not
surprising there is a different style and feel to them. In
fact, the name of the series was changed to “New Orleans
Scrapbooking Mystery.” I’ve concluded that the
best way for me to read and enjoy this series is to think
of it as something new and different, and not expect things
to be as they were in earlier books. Life is full of change,
authors, and books change, and as a reader it is up to me
to adapt. Get your copy and enjoy!
Reviews of other titles in this series :
Bound
for Murder #3 [review]
Motif for Murder #4 [review]
Death Swatch, #6 [ review]
Skeleton Letters, # 9 [review]
Postcards from the Dead, #10 [review]
Gossamer Ghost #12 [review]
Parchment and Old Lace #13 [review]
Crepe Factor #14 [review]
Mumbo Gumbo
Reviewer Notes: This series is now
called “New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery.” The
change began with the previous book Glitter
Bomb. Laura Child also writes The Tea Shop Mysteries
and The Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Terrie Farley Moran has
also written the Read Em and Eat Mysteries.
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