Barbara Colley

This book is still a fun three hour read, but not quite on the par of her other books. The subplot of Charlotte's maybe romance seemed to get in the way of her usual spirit and vivacity and it impeded the plot a bit. It's obvious that everything's going to get solved and worked out, and that Charlotte will be in danger, and it's an enjoyable light ride,but one that could have had a bit more mystery and tension to it. Still, a good series in the genre of light mystery and provides a decent show more escape for a good three hours. show less

I do love when I find a new-to-me series that I love. And this amateur sleuth series definitely fits that bill.
I like the stories that take place in New Orleans as they seem to always have that Gothic feel, even this cozy has that tinge of dark edge to it.
The main character, Charlotte, is an intelligent person, has her own business, wants grandchildren from her son, ties on her walking shoes each morning before it gets too hot for her 30 minute walk....and she wants to find out who killed show more the husband of one of her clients. This part of an amateur sleuth book can come off as forced at times, but this one didn't at all. She wants to help her client and friend by using the information she knows from the behind the scenes look she gets as a housecleaner for the rich. Information that the police can't discover, but she can to hopefully solve the mystery.
The edge of Gothic is in all of the excellently surprising dark twists that occur as the book continues. Shivery good all the way to the end. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Five shivery Gothic beans...... show less

Dusted to Death is the eighth book in the Charlotte LaRue mystery series. Charlotte is the sixty-something, diabetic owner of Maid-For-A-Day. She's been hired to clean a house being used in a movie in her hometown of New Orleans.
Charlotte's character is a no-nonsense, lovable, compassionate woman. The star of the movie is arrested when Charlotte finds a dead body in the dressing room. With the help of her son's childhood friend, Charlotte takes a trip to find out who actually did do the show more murder.

This book is well written with good characters. Now I think I must go back and read the beginning of the series to see what led up to this story. show less

Dusted to Death is the 8th book in the Maid-for-a-Day series. This time around Charlotte is working with Hollywood-type people who have come to New Orleans to film a new movie. The lead actress's boyfriend is murdered and Charlotte sets out to find the killer.

Things end predictably when Charlotte was attacked by the killer and had to physically fight them off, as is the case with just about every title in this series. She's a 60-something woman who constantly prevails over much younger show more attackers and survives to clean another day. In an unexpected move, the lead detective begins taking Charlotte seriously as a would-be detective. I found this annoying. The police, including Charlotte's niece, constantly tell her not to get involved and yet this time, they're all but literally patting her on the back for meddling. The huge positive in Dusted to Death was that I had no idea who the killer was until they were finally revealed.

Barbara Colley writes a very good mystery, which seems to be the only reason I continue reading this series. I have no love for Charlotte. She is forever chiding others for their swearing, bringing up "the Lord" at seemingly random occasions and is strangely clueless about her would-be relationship with her neighbor, Louis. She's an older woman that I could not stand to be around. She grates on me to the point where I kind of wish one of the killers would just do her in already.

There were a lot of tiny personal annoyances and many situations that seemed highly unrealistic, but Dusted to Death does contain a compelling mystery. Perhaps the Maid-for-a-Day series would be a better fit for a generation or two older than myself. show less