A Louisiana hatmaker blows the lid off a deadly real estate deal in this Southern mystery by the national bestselling author of Murder at Morningside. Louisiana hat designer Missy DuBois has had a longstanding love affair with antebellum architecture. So when the Sweetwater mansion goes on the market for a fraction of what she’d expect, she’s tempted to set up shop surrounded by alabaster … surrounded by alabaster columns and gleaming mahogany. The Southern connections only deepen when the real estate agent turns out to be Missy’s old sorority sister Mellette Babineaux.
But when Missy drags her best friend Bo along to the mansion for a second look, they barely make it past the live oaks before they discover Mellette dead in a shed. Now, for the sake of her college friend, Missy starts investigating everyone from a superstitious Cajun caretaker to a Rolls Royce-driving billionaire—and finding that lots of closet space can mean lots of skeletons, too.
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Something Foul at Sweetwater is the 2nd book in the Missy DuBois mystery series written by Sandra Bretting. I usually read a series in order, but I had received a later one as an ARC for a blog tour, and I’ve only just been able to get caught up with this one. Now, I’m current and ready to read the newly released fifth one next week. As with the ones before, this was a fun cozy mystery set in Mississippi where a hat designer solves crimes (accidentally) in grand ole homes.
Missy has a thing for Ambrose, but he’s still nursing some wounds after a former love died. She’s letting him lead things, but something might be heating up with another guy in town, a local cop. She’s close with the cop, as bodies seem to show up around Missy all the time. Poor girl! At least she handles it well. This time, it’s someone she was in a sorority with years ago, and in the house she wants to buy, fix up, and make her new offices. First, she’ll have to weed thru a bunch of suspects: the house’s caretaker, the caretaker’s son who practices VooDoo, the father of a bride Missy helped convict previously, a local restaurant waiter, a strange real estate agent and uncle to one of Missy’s key staff… it gets a wee bit complicated this time.
All in all, it’s a fun series. I like the characters, and the mysteries usually have layers. The setting can be a little over the top, along with the dialogue, but in all honesty, there are people who talk like that. So it’s just a matter of getting used to the details for me… by now, I am, and I’m excited about the next one. The titles are always clever, and this book moves things forward for Missy on a bunch of levels. I am curious about her family, and I hope that’s who shows up soon.
I’ve traveled extensively in Louisiana. Always fun to read about people I’ve known and places I’ve been. References to people and places are very realistic.
Still reading almost done. Fun
The characters just keep getting better and better. A good depth of personality development helps the enhance the storyline. An interesting plot with multiple suspects to lead you down different paths. An entertaining read that has me looking forward to the next book in the series.
Nicely done. Good southern novel…
Great book. Keeps you guessing who did it.
I really enjoyed this southern delight.
I enjoyed this book and for the first in the series the characters were well developed.
cute characters, pretty good plot I’d give it another half star if I knew how.
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It was ok.
Average
The ending was a surprise…had not figured it out! Interesting characters.
Did not like the book