Mumbo Gumbo Murder
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published October 1st 2019 by Berkley Books
Goodreads synopsis:
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?
***
4.5 Stars
This is my first foray into the world of Laura Childs and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This is the sixteenth book in the A Scrapbooking Mystery series.
I really enjoy the more crafty cozy mysteries like this one. I learn so much about design by just listening to the characters speak. This book has all the familiar cozy aspects you would expect.
One police officer, Edgar, who has a connection to the main character. Check.
One quirky sidekick, Ava, that gets into just about as much trouble as the POV character, Carmela. Check.
And then dabble in enough suspects to make your head spin including the enigma who is Drake. Check.
I have to say I fell in head first into this story and never got my footing until Carmella ran down the parade route in a bat costume. All the personal interactions Carmela has with so many of the periphery characters is what makes this book sing. The world building on this must have been a nightmare in the beginning. There are so many places you can go with a book like this set in such a colorful city as New Orleans.
I will definitely be checking out more of Ms. Child’s book in this series. I may not be a scrapbooker, but I appreciate the design aspects thrown into the mystery. If you love a good crafting cozy, definitely check this one out. One more name to put on my must read list, for sure!
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
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