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Book Review of Mardi Gras Murder (Cajun Country, Bk 4)

Mardi Gras Murder (Cajun Country, Bk 4)
PianoLady357 avatar reviewed on + 157 more book reviews


Mardi Gras Murders by Ellen Byron is simply outstanding, all that a great cozy mystery should be and more. This is the first of the four-book series that I've read, but it easily stands alone. I'm eager to read the previous books, however â it's that good â and I can't wait to see where Byron takes these characters next.

Mardi Gras Murders is extremely well written with delightful, sometimes quirky characters, great humor, and steeped in the southern charm of the New Orleans area. Pelican, Louisiana was âa community so close-knit that residents occasionally discovered they accidentally married distant cousins.â I was initially a little overwhelmed by the list of characters at the beginning, but it turned out to be very helpful and everyone was pretty easy to keep up with.

Whether working as tour guide at the family plantation, serving as beauty contestant judge, or simply taking care of her grandmother, Maggie is a likeable lead character. For a small town, Pelican sure has a lot going on, especially in preparing for Mardi Gras festivities. Maggie's dad, Tug, had a great approach to making his famous seafood gumbo ⦠âSome men make their wives crazy all year. I save it for Mardi Gras.â

A lot of the action revolves around the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen contest â try saying that real fast! Not long after an unidentifiable body washes up at the back of Maggie's property, an obnoxious fellow judge is murdered, and everything escalates from there. It was tempting to read fast to discover the solution, but slowing down to savor every page won out â it was that good!

Mardi Gras Murders is a clean read, with no profanity or explicit scenes, and I hope that trend continues. This is a thoroughly entertaining story with surprising depth, and I'm eager for more Cajun Country mysteries. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.