Fireworks on the 4th of July are not the only sparks flying.When Brandy and Jiff get invited to a 4th of July barbecue they don’t bargain for the host and hostess to get blown up only seconds apart but miles away from each other. What does a Schnauzer, a baby squirrel, a motorcycle gang, a homeless man and a million-dollar life insurance policy have in common? Sounds humorous doesn’t it?It’s … in common? Sounds humorous doesn’t it?
It’s Brandy’s job to see the connection and solve the crime before one of Jiff’s friends is wrongly accused of murder and faces serious criminal charges in ‘The Big Easy’.more
I seldom read Cozy Mysteries, but I must say Colleen Mooney’s Fireworks, Forensics and Felonies may help change my mind. What a great story! The writing is tight, the dialog realistic and the mystery plays out in a satisfying, logical fashion.
We first meet Brandy and Jiff in a boat on Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana the night of July 4th, waiting for a spectacular fireworks display. The first sign of trouble starts when their friend Ian’s house blows up. Almost immediately, the barge Ian uses to display fireworks, explodes as well. And off to the races we go. The story starts off with a blast, (pun intended) and speeds up from there.
This is book 7 of 9. What I liked about this particular tale is I didn’t need to read the previous ones to understand this installment. Ms. Mooney is kind enough to give us just enough information to help us enjoy the story. PLUS, her writing is such, I want to read the preceding novels. I highly recommend this book and the author.
I love the title, Fireworks, Forensics and Felonies, not only does it give you a shorthand summary of the plot, but it does so in a musical way. I so enjoyed the voice of the heroine, Brandy Alexander, in Politicians, Potholes and Pralines that I wanted to hear her adventure and bought this book.
Colleen Mooney knows how to weave a mystery. In this book, she brings her love of fireworks and boating into play. Brandy, who works at the Fraud detection Unit in the city, has an “uncanny ability to find inconsistencies in data entries” which serves her clients well and can be applied to solve crimes. “I see, feel or sense, what is off or doesn’t fit.” To her, “The smell of gunpowder is an aphrodisiac.” To me, the fiery aspect of the story is matched by the funny one. Brandy is falling in love with Jiff but is afraid to tell her overbearing mother about the engagement.
When his friends, Ian and his wife Sophie, are believed dead in a spectacular double explosion of their house and barge, Brandy looks for “The insignificant that doesn’t fit the pattern.” Recently issued insurance policies for the two victims suggests that maybe, one of them aimed to lo kill the other. When there isn’t any forensic evidence of bodies matching Sophie or Ian in the rubble, she states, “To me, no evidence is evidence of something else.”
This cozy mystery would not be complete without the Schnauzers. “Blast and Sparkler could run outside with Meaux and Isabella in hot pursuit.”
Five stars.
This fun cozy mystery takes place in colorful New Orleans, on the Fourth of July. Amateur sleuths Brandy and Jiff are engaged and on a boat in Lake Pontchartrain waiting for the fireworks to begin. A sudden explosion and flames across the lake at first shock them, and Jiff realizes that the burning home belongs to his friend, Ian. Next comes a second explosion from the barge holding the fireworks. Jiff knows that Ian and his wife had been on that barge to set off the fireworks. The two are presumed dead, though their bodies aren’t found. Soon Brandy and Jeff help the police investigate what happened at both locations.
Brandy and Jiff make a terrific team. I enjoyed the suspense, humor, and development of local color. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this one’s for you. Five stars!
This review is for the audio book.
I loved this book. This is book seven in the New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles and the series shows no signs of losing the magic of the first book. You don’t need to have read or listened to the previous books to enjoy this one but I would recommend that you do because you are in for a party like only New Orleans and this author can produce. I love the colourful and quirky characters that are just so much fun that they will have you chuckling as they try to solve the problems of a wedding, oh and an explosion. The mystery was interesting and took you down many different paths before getting solved. I like the way the characters have developed and think Jiff is just perfect for Brandy but then again they haven’t walked down the aisle just yet, can’t wait for the next book.
Jiff and Brandy are celebrating the 4th of July in style on a boat in the harbour, the perfect position to watch the fireworks organised by Jiff ‘s friend Ian. Instead they hear a house explosion and then the boat holding the fireworks goes up in flames too. Jiff is devastated to learn the house that caught fire also belonged to his friend and his wife was at home. The police are quick to jump to murder and focus in on the dead couple’s business partner Phil, another friend of Jiff’s, from his college days. He had the biggest motive having taken out an insurance policy on the couple and at the start of going through his own divorce. Can Brandy and Jiff find out what really happened and keep there friend from being arrest for murder? DNA throws a spanner in the works And they have to start questioning everything they think they know. They also have to keep the big secret from Brandy’s mother that they plan to get married? The last thing Brandy wants is her over bearing mother to take over but how will she find the time to plan a wedding, find a house big enough for her, Jiff and there two Schnauzer to live in and solve the mystery over the fires and there friends death?
I like the narrator, she does such a great accents for the characters it makes you feel like you are in the heart of New Orleans and the investigation.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Brandy and beau Jiff take a sail on his boat on Independence Day to see the fireworks display a friend of his puts on up close and personal.
Unsurprisingly things end with a bigger bang than expected.
Brandy and Jiff make a good team solving the series of events that follow. They work well together on his boat. Could they be a good team for more? Chaos and mayhem and romance are sure to follow!