Fiber and Brimstone

Carmela Bertrand and her friend Ava Gruiex are fashioning a massive puppet to appear in the Halloween Monsters and Mayhem Torchlight Parade. Stepping out for fresh air, they discovered the body of Brett Fowler, one of the organizers.

As usual, Carmela, against the wishes of her police detective boyfriend, gets involved in the investigation and puts herself as well as Ava into several serious predicaments. Along the way, these two ladies attend all the special events that New Orleans has to offer for the ghoulishly inclined.

This is the 8th book in the Scrapbooking Mysteries series and I have to admit that I've missed the last few, but I'll have to go back to read them because it seems that interesting events took place which reflect in show more this story. Not that you can't enjoy this delightful cozy all by itself, because I think that this is my favorite in the series so far. The background events and descriptions, this time, were a refreshing change of pace and was a perfect setup for Halloween to come. show less

Fiber & Brimstone by Laura Childs shows why the best place to be on Halloween is in New Orleans. I love the references to New Orleans food specialties, history that is full ghosts and creatures, and fun celebrations. There were too many parties for me. But it was interesting to see a different side to Carmela and Ava. It must have been Halloween that brought out their dark side.

The murder was secondary to the characters. I like the murder weapon for the first one. The scrapbooking tips were in keeping with the Halloween theme and I would like to try the Neon Voodoo Cocktail. I got a little irritated that Carmela and her boyfriend didn’t try to understand each other.

I think that what I like the best about this series is the theme about show more the uniqueness of New Orleans. The story kept me reading but how do they have energy for all those parties? show less

Halloween always draws out the ghosts and goblins in us all. New Orleans the perfect setting for the ghouls and vampires that are walking around these days, but when real corpses start making an appearance things get really scary. Carmela Bertrand and her best friend Ava Gruiex are immersed in building a monster puppet for the Monsters and Mayhem Torchlight Parade when they stumble upon the body of Brett Fowler.

Carmela's good friend Jekyl finds himself embroiled in the center of the investigation since he was heard arguing with Brett shortly before Brett's body was discovered. Having known Jekyl for years, Carmela is convinced that someone is framing him. While Brett owed Jekyl money, he owed money to many people after being indicted show more for his involvement in a Ponzi scheme. With so many suspects can Carmela discover the real murderer and clear Jekyl?

Review:
I love the Big Easy and the flavor but I wasn't comfortable right away with the vernacular. I adjusted rather quickly and became immersed in the story. Being a southerner myself, and one who lived for a time in the deep south I can be a little picky over the way southerners are portrayed in books. Laura Childs did this well. The story is fun and perfect for a cozy Halloween. And I must admit-for a change-it took me a while to even guess who the murderer could be.

This is the first of Laura Childs cozy mysteries that I have read but I am sure it will not be the last. Carmela is a fun, stable character while her friends Ava provides the quirkiness. Halloween is the perfect setting for a mystery. And what better place than New Orleans! In addition to the mystery the book also includes some scrapping tips as well as a few recipes. I tried one of the recipes and it was delicious: Carmela's Cajun Shrimp Bake.

If you like cozy mysteries this one will be a delight. Grab a bottle of wine, fix a plate of Shrimp, and enjoy the story. show less

An OK series that tries a little too hard. I enjoy Ms. Childs' series of teashop mysteries more but these are OK. This one has a murder occurring in New Orleans during the Halloween season. Her delightful way of describing the houses and the activities that make New Orleans special make the book even more enjoyable.

another good book what can i say?

man murdered when people in New Orleans preparing for Mardi Gras.