Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback
ISBN #: 9780425217306; 9780425224250
Berkley Prime Crime
304 Pages
$18.33; $7.99 Amazon
October 7, 2008
⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Halloween barely a week away, things are getting even spookier than usual in New Orleans. A party at Juju Voodoo draws a fabulous throng, and Carmela's friend Ava has hired a sexy tarot reader named Giovanni to work the crowd. What he doesn't foretell is that on her way home Carmela will find the body of a beautiful model behind a Dumpster -- and be attacked herself.
It's Giovanni the gypsy who appears to save her -- or was he already there? He's the police's number one suspect, but Ava is determined to stand by her employee...even if he does have a tricky way of dodging certain questions. Ava and Carmela have plenty of other strange leads to follow up, like the horrifying tooth marks around the victim's neck, and the nonhuman hairs found at the scene. As the witching hour draws closer, Carmela must discover what's lurking in the shadows of the French Quarter -- or she'll get the fright of her life...
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Carmela Bertrand owns a scrapbooking store in the heart of New Orleans, just down the street from her best friend Ava's voodoo shop. Ava has a new draw -- Giovanni, a gypsy who reads the Tarot, palms, and looks into his crystal ball for his customers. His good looks aren't hurting, and it's sending people her way. When Carmela sees him call out to a woman, she can't help but wonder why he wants to talk to her so badly. But not much later, Carmela hears noises behind a dumpster in the alley, and sees the same woman. When she turns to help, someone hits her from behind and knocks her out. Then she finds that Giovanni is trying to awaken her and wonders if he isn't the killer.
But Ava is convinced of his innocence, even if Carmela isn't, so they set out to find the person who wanted the young woman dead. Unfortunately, Carmela and Ava have full schedules that need to be taken care of, too. Along with running her shop, Carmela has promised her friend to help decorate a designer's grand opening at Halloween, complete with a scary background. The designer once employed the dead woman, Amber, as his model, so Carmela figures it's also going to be a good place to ask a few questions.
There's also the news anchor who's been hounding Carmela, and the rumors of a werewolf within the midst of the city. While she doesn't believe it, she knows that something sinister is going on. And with Halloween coming up fast in the Garden District, there's hundreds of places a killer could hide in plain sight. And they just might be doing so, if only to watch Carmela's next move...
This is the fifth book in the series, and while it's an older one, I'm thoroughly enjoying it. As Shamus says, Ava is a hoot. I honestly like Shamus in this book; he's not as sleazy as he's been in the others, and he definitely still cares for Carmela. Glory's her usual annoying self, and Detective Babcock is around as well to try and keep Carmela reined in (as if that's going to work).
The mystery is done well, and when the killer is revealed it comes as a surprise, which is how it's supposed to be. The climax was quite interesting and while I wouldn't call it a nail-biter, it had its moments. When the book was finished, it left a satisfying and pleasant feeling, which is how books should leave you. I am enjoying this series more and more and look forward to reading the next one. Recommended.
More on Laura Childs's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/laura-childs/
No comments:
Post a Comment