Mumbo Gumbo Murder

August 1, 2019
Two hard-partying New Orleans businesswomen dive into another murder investigation. Carmela Bertrand is the savvy owner of Memory Mine Scrapbooking Shop. Her bestie, Ava Gruiex, owns Juju Voodoo. Though she's engaged to Detective Edgar Babcock, Carmela still loves to party with Ava, who's dated hundreds of men without finding a single keeper. While picking up drinks at a street fair booth, they're rocked by a crash from the smashed window of an antiques store owned by Carmela's pal Devon Dowling. Fighting her way inside, Carmela finds Devon in a pool of blood. She's soon followed by Babcock and T.J., Devon's assistant. Realizing that Devon's terrorized pug is the only witness to the crime, Carmela takes Mimi home with her. Of course, Carmela and Ava (Glitter Bomb, 2018, etc.) can't resist the urge to sleuth while dealing with the usual personal problems. To Babcock's horror, a former boyfriend of Carmela's opens a shop right next to hers and solicits her as a possible partner. Devon's landlord presses to convert the building into condos; Devon's brother just wants to sell out and move on. When Carmela convinces T.J. to open Devon's safe in search of diamonds, jewelry, and a snippet of cloth reputed to be from the coat Abraham Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated, they find it empty. Devon may have amassed a long list of enemies, beginning with a wealthy collector who was angry over a painting authentication. But that doesn't discourage Carmela and Ava as they saunter through a series of highflying parties, luncheons, and dinners trolling for gossip. Their adventures include high-speed car chases, another murder, and a climactic surprise. The Big Easy is the real star of this lighthearted gastrophile's delight.

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August 12, 2019
Set in New Orleans, Childs’s busy 18th Scrapbooking mystery (after 2018’s Glitter Bomb, also with Moran) offers murder, romance, recipes, and scrapbooking tips. One evening during Mardi Gras, scrapbooking storekeeper Carmella Bertrand and her free-spirited best friend, Ava Grieux, are strolling along Royal Street, the home of many high-end shops, when they hear a terrible crash. Carmella realizes that someone has shattered the front window of Dulcimer Antiques, which is owned by their friend Devon Dowling. Inside, Devon is lying on the floor with an ice pick through his ear. Carmella shifts into amateur sleuth mode, and though she’s engaged to police detective Edgar Babcock, she would rather take matters into her own hands, even when her life is in peril, than call on her fiancé for help. Meanwhile, Carmella is distracted by an ex-boyfriend who wants her to become a partner in the new shop he’s opening. Childs captures the energy of Mardi Gras and does a nice job taking the reader on a tourist’s holiday. Cozy fans won’t mind that much of the action has little to do with solving the crime. Agent: Sam Pinkus, Keystone Literary.

October 15, 2019
Carmela Bertrand, owner of Memory Mine, a scrapbooking shop in New Orleans, investigates after she finds her good friend Devon Dowling murdered in his antiques store. Against the wishes of Carmela's fianc�, New Orleans police detective Edgar Babcock, Carmela, along with her best friend, Ava, identifies and questions suspects and pursues clues. Their investigation leads them into crashing a lavish party, going to a cemetery late at night, finding a second murder victim, driving through the bayou, and racing back to the city in time to catch a killer. Complicating matters, a former boyfriend draws a reluctant Carmela into his wine-bar business, further angering Babcock. While Carmela is an engaging character, conflicted about her upcoming marriage, she takes unbelievable risks by refusing to give vital information to Babcock. Framed by the sights, sounds, and food of New Orleans during Jazz Fest, and details about scrapbooking and crafts, this cozy will appeal to fans of Carolyn Haines' Sarah Booth Delaney series, also set in the Deep South.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)