A shocking murder strikes a sour note during Jazz Fest in the latest New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.It’s Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and the giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre are parading through the French Quarter. Some are very spooky and veiled, others are tall and gangly, like strange aliens. As the parade proceeds, … aliens.
As the parade proceeds, Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, follow behind, down Royal Street and past the food booths. Suddenly, they hear a terrible crash from Devon Dowling’s antiques shop. They rush inside to find Devon collapsed with blood streaming down the side of his face. Has he been shot? Stabbed? 911 is hastily called, and the police and EMTs show up. After the police examine Devon’s body, they tell Carmela and Ava that their friend was murdered with an icepick. They’re shocked beyond belief—and now Mimi, Devon’s little pug, is left homeless.
Carmela and Ava are determined to catch the murderer, but the list of suspects is long. How long do they have before they find themselves on the killer’s list?
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
I have to start this review by saying I started reading this series several years ago and I am usually a stickler for reading series in order so I was putting off jumping back in before I could read the books I missed. But I saw this cover and said the heck with it and took the plunge. I am so glad I did. This book was easy to read all on its own. Readers are given plenty of background and I never felt lost or like I was missing something. I really appreciate it when authors of long-running series think of new readers as well of their long-time fans. Thank you, Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran.
We arrive in New Orleans just in time for Jazz Fest featuring the giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre. Carmela and Eva are enjoying the festivities when a loud crash halts the progress down Royal street. Something happened at Devon Dowling’s antique shop and Carmela and Eva push through the chaos and into the store. There they find their friend Devon unconscious on the floor amidst a mess of his wares and a scared pug. When the police arrive Devon is declared dead, murdered with an icepick. Carmela and Ava are sent on their way by Carmela’s fiancé, Detective Edgar Babcock and they take Devon’s pub, Mimi, with them. Carmela thinks the dog will help them find the killer but it may end up putting them right in the killer’sights.
Carmela Bertrand owns Memory Mine Scrapbooking Shop and her best friend, Ava Gruiex owns Juju Voodoo, think Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz set loose in New Orleans. Carmela is supposed to be setting a wedding date and teaching classes in her shop, but now she is wrapped up trying to solve a murder and Quigg Brevard has come back around setting up shop in the building next door to Memory Mine. He has decided he and Carmela would make great partners without any input from her. This does not make Babcock happy at all, in fact he is pretty livid.
These characters are expertly crafted. They practically leap off the page. We also meet some rather shady, alright, creepy characters like members of the Vampire Society and who knows who may be in those crazy puppet costumes. The friendship between Carmela and Eva is strong. Carmela’s employee Gabby tries to keep her boss honest, pointing out things Carmela should but doesn’t realize. She also mans the shop so Carmela is free to snoop. Edgar wants Carmela to stay out of his case but knows she will keep pushing the boundaries right to the end. All the interactions are realistic and the dialogue rings true. Some of it will have you laughing out loud.
The mystery itself is pretty complex and takes our amateur sleuths into some of New Orleans dicier places. They do tend to leap before they think in their quest to find Devon’s killer. It is truly a crazy ride of twists and turns filled with some dangerous antics before the exciting ending. I was totally surprised by whodunit thanks to the red herrings liberally placed throughout the story.
I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded. I always get a little nervous when two really strong authors combine their talents but Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran have figured it out masterfully. The story has a nice flow and it is perfected paced. The descriptions painted vivid pictures in my mind.
Mumbo Gumbo Murder is a fun crime caper that held my interest and had me doing a bit of armchair sleuthing from the beginning to the end. I was totally entertained and I am looking forward to Book 17 – Cadmium Red Dead.
Be sure to check out the Craft Tips and Recipes at the end of the book too!
Mumbo Gumbo Murder by Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran is the 16th A Scrapbooking Mystery. Carmela Bertrand and Ava Gruiex finished watching the kick-off parade for Jazz Fest and went to Royal Street where a street fair is taking place. They hear glass breaking along with shouting and rush to investigate. At Dulcimers Antiques owned by Devon Dowling, they find the shop is a mess with Devon dead on the Persian carpet. Carmela wants to know what happened to her friend and sets out to get answers despite the warning from her fiancé, Detective Edgar Babcock. Mumbo Gumbo Murder is a delightfully entertaining cozy mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series, but you would be missing out on some charming cozy mysteries. I thought Mumbo Gumbo Murder was well-written with developed characters and a wonderful setting (New Orleans). The descriptions brought the city alive for me. Carmela Bertrand owns Memory Mine Scrapbooking Shop in the French Quarter which she runs with the assistance of Gabby Mercer-Morris. Carmela is a creative and clever woman who has two dogs (maybe three now), divorced, and has a penchant for getting into fixes. Ava Gruiex is Carmela’s best friend who owns Juju Voodoo and likes to wear tight, revealing clothing plus she is outrageous (never met a man she wouldn’t flirt with). I enjoy the dialogue between Carmela and Ava. They are a fun duo whose antics will have you laughing. Ava decides to consult a matchmaker so she can find a good man. Carmela finds herself roped into Quigg Brevard’s new venture. She likes the idea and so does everyone else except Edgar Babcock. Edgar wants Carmela to set the wedding date and begin planning their nuptials. Carmela wants to marry Edgar, but something (like her disastrous first marriage) is holding her back. I had to laugh when Edgar mentioned getting bow ties for the two dogs (they need to be appropriately attired for the wedding). Carmela works on some creative projects at Memory Mine including a paper theater and I was drooling over the descriptions of the items in Memory Mine (hundreds of papers, stamps, Paperclay, ribbon, and so much more). There is even a mention of one of my favorite magazine companies, Somerset Studio. The murder of Devon Dowling has Carmela asking questions, digging up clues, and prying information out of Edgar. There is misdirection along with direct clues. I wish, though, that I had not been able to identify the killer so early in the story plus there were unanswered questions at the end. I hope we hear wedding bells for Carmela soon. She just needs to figure out where she wishes to get married and when. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mumbo Gumbo Murder and I look forward to Cadmium Red Dead next year. There are New Orleans recipes at the end along with Scrapbook, Stamping and Craft Tips. Two of my favorite lines from Mumbo Gumbo Murder were “Nothing like a good exorcism to set you straight again” and “I swear, this is the last time I buy Louboutin knockoffs!”. Mumbo Gumbo Murder is a pleasing cozy mystery with paper projects, wedding woes, a bowwow bystander, a mystified matchmaker, a bothersome ex-beau, and a frustrated fiancé.
Two of our favorite cozy authors once again team up for an explosive mystery in New Orleans.
Added favorite elements include food, crafts and adorable dogs.
Some stranger additions are over-sized puppets and vampires!
Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava are once again right in the middle of the excitement.
Ava is also looking for true love, while Carmela is trying to commit to a wedding date to the love of her life, Detective Edgar Babcock. When a close friend of Carmela’s is murdered during a Jazz Fest, she can’t keep herself from investigating, especially when it seems the best witness is the victim’s pug. Babcock is busy with the investigation but always seems to be unavailable when Carmela has something important to tell him. Like that he ex boyfriend is opening a store next to hers and is adding her as a managing partner.
Nonstop action and plenty of devious twists come into play. You can still read and enjoy this as a stand alone mystery.
Mumbo Gumbo Murder is book #16 in the scrapbooking series. Another fun trip to New Orleans from Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran!!! A good series by a good author team .
Terrific as usual!! It’s time for Jazz Fest in New Orleans and Carmella and Ava are ready to have some fun. However, they come across the broken in shop of their friend, Devon, with him inside having been murdered. Carmella and Ava are on the hunt for the killer, much to the dismay of Carmella’s fiance, Detective Babcock. Also, Carmella gets roped into partnering with her friend, Quigg, in his wine and paint shop, which also displeased Babcock. Lots of suspects, fun craft ideas, good food recipes, and entertainment in this book. The killer was a definite surprise to me. Looking forward to finally seeing Carmella and Babcock get married and more of Carmella and Ava’s fun adventures!!
Mumbo Gumbo Murder is the 16th book in one of my favorite series, A Scrapbooking Mystery. Set in the colorful town of New Orleans during Jazz Fest it’s written in such a way that you can close your eyes and envision the scene. Carmela Bertrand, who owns a scrapbooking store called Memory Mine, and her best friend Ava are out and enjoying the festivities. When they suddenly hear a very loud crashing sound they find that it came from the antique shop owned by their friend Devon. Inside they find him dead on the floor covered in blood. They later find out he was murdered. But by who and why? As Carmela and Ava investigate on their own they put themselves in danger. I love this series! Great characters and a good mystery keep me reading. Definitely recommend!
Get set for a creepy romp through the French Quarter with Carmella Bertrand and her best friend, Ava Gruiex in Book 16 of the Scrapbooking Mysteries. Vampires, beastly puppets, wild party crashing, and two ghastly Murder scenes surround these friends as they roam the streets of New Orleans during Jazz Fest. The plot is top-notch, and the action is non-stop. Scrapbooking tips and recipes follow the story. (Note: Contains mild cursing).
The girls were in the thick of things in this book. On the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down when the action started. I read into the early morning hours.
Good as always
Mumbo Gumbo Murder is the 16th book in Laura Childs’ Scrapbooking Mystery series. The book, however, is the first one in the series I’ve had a chance to read. I may have joined the party a bit late, but I found the book to fun, interesting, and easy to follow despite not having any information about the characters from previous books.
The New Orleans setting was a wonderful change of pace from settings of other cozies. Instead of being set in a small town, Mumbo Gumbo Murder is set in the heart of Mardi Gras territory. The book is set during Jazz Fest and the town is hopping when in the middle of parade, Carmela and Ava are lead to a friend’s antique store where he’s found dead on the floor. Devon’s homicide is not only upsetting, it’s puzzling since Devon is an easy-going person without any enemies. The author does a wonderful job providing several potential suspects and when it comes right down to who was responsible, disguises the true murderer fantastically. I was shocked.
The characters were likable enough and I enjoyed learning about them. Carmela is a bit indecisive but it’s not a bad trait. She is your typical cozy mystery heroine and runs into trouble headfirst. She puts herself in very dangerous situations. The “will-she-marry – won’t-she-marry Edgar Babcock” ping-pong match going on in Carmela’s mind was a bit distracting, though. The reappearance of an old boyfriend and Carmela’s ex-husband added quite the twist to the story and I found those situations interesting. Ava and Gabby are great secondary characters and I enjoyed their interactions.
Mumbo Gumbo is a great novel. I didn’t feel like I was lacking any information since I hadn’t read the previous books. What reading book 16 in the series did, though, was increase my excitement for the series. I will be starting the series from book 1 now.
MUMBO GUMBO MURDER by Laura Childs with Terrie Farley Moran
The Sixteenth Scrapbooking Mystery
Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, are celebrating Jazz Fest in the French Quarter when a crashing disturbance interrupts the revel making. The two friends rush to where the commotion seems to be happening only to discover the window of their good friend Devon Dowling’s antique shop smashed. With only Devon’s dog responding to Carmela’s calls she enters the building only to face another destructive onslaught, and the discovery of Devon’s body. But Carmela’s detective fiancé may have more to get mad about that Carmela insinuating herself in his investigation. Good looking Quigg Brevard has opened up shop right next door to Memory Mine, and has a proposition for her. Will a killer, or a guy with killer looks put Carmela in hot water?
I love Carmela Bertrand, I really do, but in this sixteenth Scrapbooking Mystery she really made me mad. It’s one thing to drag her feet about setting a date for her nuptials, or anything else to do with her upcoming wedding, but her behavior really puts her whole relationship with Detective Babcock at risk. What on earth was she playing at with Quigg? Still, I could overlook that, I was a little irked but I could kind of see where she was coming from. However, when she figures out the real reason Devon was murdered, I was aghast at what she did and literally screamed out loud, “You are so stupid!” inadvertently scaring my cats.
Despite thinking Carmela’s done lost her mind in her need to seek out adrenaline rushes and simply accepting how over the top Ava is, I did enjoy the book. The mystery itself was excellent and I loved all of the red herrings and various other complications.
MUMBO GUMBO MURDER is a fast paced fun read showcasing many of the wonderful events that make New Orleans so special. I don’t know how Carmela and Ava find time for all that fun, but I enjoy being able to experience it vicariously though them.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
You really don’t have to have read all the books in this series to enjoy Mumbo Gumbo Murder. It is delightful. These two authors have the wonderful ability to combine into one voice that transport you to New Orleans and drops you in the middle of a mystery. Their humor and descriptive writing make this a fantastic read. You don’t have to be a scrapbooker, or even a NOLA fan to enjoy this book. Just sit back and let the good times roll.