Review - Vieux Carre Voodoo

Scotty Bradley Mysteries       
1. Bourban Street Blues, 05.20.2005 * * * *
2. Jackson Square Jazz, 05.21.2005 * * * *
3. Mardi Gras Mambo, 03.26.2006 * * * *
4. Vieux Carre Voodoo, 10.19.2010 * * * *

FROM THE BOOK:
"Former go-go boy turned detective Scotty Bradley is back!
When an old family friend apparently commits suicide from his French Quarter balcony, Scotty’s life accelerates from boring to exciting again in a nanosecond. Why would anyone want the old man dead, and what were they looking for in his ransacked apartment?  It’s up to Scotty, Frank, his crazy family, and friends to get to the bottom of this bizarre mystery—and when an old, all-too-familiar face turns up, it’s not just Scotty’s life that’s in danger, but his heart."

MY THOUGHTS:
I love Scotty Bradley! This series is quirky and funny, with just a touch of romance thrown in, (really, it's barely there).  Scotty is an ex-go go boy who has become a private investigator and started his own business with his partner/lover Frank (an ex-FBI agent).  Together they solve mysteries and try to keep each other from getting killed by the bad guys.  Scotty's family is an eclectic bunch of well-meaning, warm-hearted souls, who help and/or hinder often.  Scotty uses his considerable assets to solve the case, including his well toned body, stunning good looks, a small amount of psychic ability, and occasionally a pack of tarot cards.  It all comes together in a fantastic smash-up of fun and mystery, with highly memorable characters.  Technically this most recent installment could be a stand alone, but I would still recommend reading them in order.  I give them 4 stars each for being enjoyable, fun, light reading that you won't soon forget.

So, what's your opinion?  Leave a comment and tell me about it!

Teaser Tuesday - Vieux Carre Voodoo

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!


The Tease:
"The sun was coming up in the east, and the gloom of the night was burning off.  There was a man lying in the middle of my balcony, face down. 
He wasn't moving."  
--Vieux Carre Voodoo - A Scotty Bradley Mystery, by Greg Herren.

What's your Teaser?

The Mirror and the Mask: A Jane Lawless Mystery

The Jane Lawless Mystery Series, by Ellen Hart
1. Hallowed Murder 02.13.06
2. Vital Lies (TBR)
3. Stage Fright 02.17.06
4. A Killing Cure 02.28.06
5. A Small Sacrifice 02.28.06
6. Faint Praise 08.19.10 * * * *
7. Robber’s Wine 03.02.06
8. Wicked Games (TBR)
9. Hunting the Witch 03.03.06
10. The Merchant of Venus 03.06.06
11. Immaculate Midnight 03.07.06
12. An Intimate Ghost 03.08.06
13. The Iron Girl 03.17.06
14. Night Vision 02.13.07
15. The Mortal Groove 05.20.08
16. Sweet Poison 08.25.10 * * * *
17. The Mirror and the Mask 08.31.10 * * * *
18. The Cruel Ever After (TBR - Release Date 12.07.10)
(TBR = To Be Read)

The Mirror and the Mask begins on a cold February day, with Jane minding her own business.  Literally, she's at work, dealing with a busted water pipe in one of her restaurants, when a young woman comes in asking for a job.  Annie Archer is in town temporarily looking for her father who disappeared immediately after her mother's death years before.  Jane agrees to give her some temp work, and starts poking into Annie's past to see if she can find the missing father.

Cordelia turns out to be the lucky one who finds him, however.  Turns out Annie's father is a very wealthy business owner in the construction industry, married with two children, and a well-known philanthropist named Jack Bowman.  But something about the whole story feels off to Jane, and when Jack's second wife Susan is found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their home, Jane starts poking a little deeper to see if she can get to the truth.  There is the beginnings of an attraction between Jane and Annie, but Jane is still a little fragile in regards to relationships, and she isn't sure if she can trust Annie with her heart when Annie seems to be less than truthful with several points in her story.

In fact, it turns out that everyone is lying about something, whether it's an affair, an alibi, or their own name.  Both Annie and Jane are searching for answers, but to very different questions.  Who killed Susan?  Did Susan's son Curt finally snap and succeed in killing her (he may have tried once before!) Why did Jack abandon his first family and change his name?

As always, Author Ellen Hart provides plenty of questions, intrigue, and mystery for Jane and the gang to sort out.  This story was a little quieter and not quite as fast-paced as some in the series, and tended to focus more on Annie than on Jane, but all-in-all, a good read.  I gave it 4 stars.  Jane and the gang will be back in the 18th installment of the series titled "The Cruel Ever After" which will be released in just a few months in December 2010.

Next up - I've finally started "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  People keep telling me that I'll like it, but for some reason I'm feeling some resistance to reading it - I've been avoiding picking it up for days.  But, I've started it, and I'll keep you posted.

Teaser Tuesday - The Mirror and the Mask

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's mine:
"Backing away, Jane slid down the rise and sprinted across the road, back to the safety of the woods.  She took out her cell and tapped in 911, swearing under her breath when she saw that it wasn't connecting.  No bars appeared in the corner of the screen." 
--The Mirror and the Mask: A Jane Lawless Mystery, by Ellen Hart.

Sweet Poison: A Jane Lawless Mystery, by Ellen Hart

The Jane Lawless Mystery Series, by Ellen Hart
1. Hallowed Murder 02.13.06
2. Vital Lies (TBR)
3. Stage Fright 02.17.06
4. A Killing Cure 02.28.06
5. A Small Sacrifice 02.28.06
6. Faint Praise 08.19.10 * * * *
7. Robber’s Wine 03.02.06
8. Wicked Games (TBR)
9. Hunting the Witch 03.03.06
10. The Merchant of Venus 03.06.06
11. Immaculate Midnight 03.07.06
12. An Intimate Ghost 03.08.06
13. The Iron Girl 03.17.06
14. Night Vision 02.13.07
15. The Mortal Groove 05.20.08
16. Sweet Poison 08.25.10 * * * *
17. The Mirror and the Mask (TBR)
18. The Cruel Ever After (TBR - Release Date 12.07.10)
(TBR = To Be Read)
When I first started working my way through this series, my local library didn't have several of the books, so I just skipped them and kept going.  Now, the library is adding some of their missing books, and I'm able to go back and pick up the ones I missed the first time around!  Thank you, library!

Once again, Jane is up to her eyebrows in complications.  Kenzie, her current girlfriend, breaks up with her because she thinks Jane doesn't have enough time for the relationship.  Her father is running for Governor and seems to be having some mysterious health problems which no one will talk about, as well as a multitude of problems at the campaign headquarters.  Her Ex-girlfriend, Julia, is back in town and sneaking around trying to get Jane back. And a rape that happened nearly a decade ago seems to be tied to several crimes in the present - a minister is badly beaten outside his church after coming out to his congregation, and a young woman is murdered outside her apartment in what seems to be a rape attempt similar to the one that happened nine years ago.  Somehow the crimes are connected, but with multiple suspects, Jane can't seem to find the common thread, until she stumbles across one tiny piece of information that the cops have held back.

This novel has lots going on in it, as you can tell, yet somehow it didn't seem as fast-paced as others in the series.  The ending was excellent, and I hadn't yet figured out "who-dun-it" (which is a good - I hate figuring it out before the character does!), although it all made sense once explained.  Next I'll be reading The Mirror and the Mask, which is #17 in the series.

When you are reading a mystery, do you prefer to figure it out before the characters do, or do you like to be surprised?  Leave your answers in the comments!!

Faint Praise: A Jane Lawless Mystery, by Ellen Hart

 The Jane Lawless Mystery Series, by Ellen Hart
1. Hallowed Murder 02.13.06
2. Vital Lies (TBR)
3. Stage Fright 02.17.06
4. A Killing Cure 02.28.06
5. A Small Sacrifice 02.28.06
6. Faint Praise 08.19.10 * * * *
7. Robber’s Wine 03.02.06
8. Wicked Games (TBR)
9. Hunting the Witch 03.03.06
10. The Merchant of Venus 03.06.06
11. Immaculate Midnight 03.07.06
12. An Intimate Ghost 03.08.06
13. The Iron Girl 03.17.06
14. Night Vision 02.13.07
15. The Mortal Groove 05.20.08
16. Sweet Poison (TBR)
17. The Mirror and the Mask (TBR)
18. The Cruel Ever After (TBR - Release Date 12.07.10)
(TBR = To Be Read)
When I first started working my way through this series, my local library didn't have several of the books, so I just skipped them and kept going.  Now, the library is adding some of their missing books, and I'm able to go back and pick up the ones I missed the first time around!  Thank you, library!
So I just finished Faint Praise (in bold above), which is book 6 of the series.  Jane Lawless is a restaurant owner, and amateur sleuth. She has recently lost her partner Christine to cancer and tends to hide behind her career to avoid dating.  Oh, and she somehow manages to stumble across dead bodies - often!
Jane and her best friend, Cordelia Thorn (a theater diva of epic proportions!) discover that all is not right in loft building owned by a recently deceased television personality.  Someone is searching the apartments for something, and the police have ruled the owners death a suicide, even though his daughter insists it was murder.  Everyone has secrets, but someone is willing to kill to protect theirs, and if Jane doesn't figure out who, one of her friends could be next!
If you like long series, yet quick witted & fun reads, then this series may be for you, as the author has been writing for awhile and book 18 will be released later this year, so there's plenty of stories and characters to sink you teeth into.  Some are better than others, of course, but in general I give the series 4 stars.
Do you like long series with lots of novels?  Who are your favorite female sleuths/detectives?

The Russell Quant Mysteries: Aloha, Candy Hearts

The Russell Quant Mysteries, by Anthony Bidulka
1. Amuse Bouche, 03.09.06 * * * *
2. Flight of Aquavit, 03.11.06 * * * *
3. Tapas on the Ramblas, 03.13.06 * * * *
4. Stain of the Berry, 06.28.07 * * * *
5. Sundowner Ubuntu, 06.23.08 * * * *
6. Aloha, Candy Hearts, 08.12.10 * * * *

Russell Quant is gay, an ex-cop turned private detective living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, young, cute, and surrounded by an outrageous cast of best friends & family members who sometimes help (or hinder) his career of solving mysteries.  

In this sixth installment in the series, Russell returns from visiting his current boyfriend in Hawaii, and as he leaves the airport discovers that his seat-mate from the plane has died in the parking lot.  Russell quickly decides that foul play was involved when a treasure map with nearly indecipherable historical clues shows up in his own carry-on, and the race is on to solve the crime before the maniac in the white pickup truck finishes Russell off for good!  

But Russell can't spend all his time solving the crime - oh no!  There's a wedding in a few days - his two best friends are finally tying the knot - and wedding preparations wait for no one, not even a killer!  He needs to help scatter the ashes of a close friend who has passed, and there's family in town, bringing disturbing revelations from his own childhood for him to deal with. Not to mention his own growing sense that his boyfriend may not be the person that he is meant to be with.  Russell must do some quick growing up and face some feelings that he'd rather ignore, support his friends in their times of need, and solve an ugly crime of murder and blackmail before everything spins totally out of control.

This was another completely satisfying read from Anthony Bidulka, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series, " Date with a Sheesha," which was released earlier this year.

Have you read (or are currently reading) this series?  What are your thoughts?  Leave a comment and let me know!