Plantation Shudders

Earlier this week, I was selected to receive a copy of the fourth book in this series. I had been meaning to try the series for a while, but couldn’t get out of the TBR slump. Since I prefer reading books in order when they’re part of a series, I had to order the first three and finish them before I needed to review the latest one. I picked this up yesterday and finished it within three hours. It’s a quick-n-easy read but full of wonderful characters, descriptions and scenes. I highly recommend the series and will definitely keep reading the rest.

Maggie split with her boyfriend of 6 years after running a successful business in NYC together. He finally proposed [to another girl!] and took the company away from Maggie, so she went home to Louisiana to figure out her next steps. Her family (parents and grandmother) run a B&B out of their plantation home– the nicest but also one of the last still standing. There is a long-time rivalry between her family and another, and unfortunately, the Chief of Police belongs to that other family. Oops, poor Maggie’s gonna have quite an uphill battle if she keeps getting pulled into the role of an amateur sleuth. When the detective on the case retires, a new one from a larger town in the state arrives to takeover… but he’s related to the Chief, part of the family who has a grudge against her, and is a smoldering man she dreams about. The series has a perfect setup and backdrop, and then in this initial book, several guests die while staying at the B&B. How are they connected? Who’s the murderer? And what’s the history that’s got someone all shook up to cause the ‘plantation shudders?’

Byron excels at creating ambiance. You can tell from her word choice and style that she’s been to Louisiana and experienced the culture. I researched her a bit and now understand her fascination with everything Cajun. My other half is from LA, so I’m very familiar with all Byron’s described, and she lives in NYC and writes for TV. We have lots of stuff in common, so it’s no wonder I adored this first book. It has everything I want in a cozy from humor to emotion, sarcasm to educational tidbits. The characters made me happy and angry, everything is believable, and I really felt a strong connection with the way the story unfolded. I can’t wait to read the next one this weekend!

Maggie works on a plantation giving tours and helps her family run their bed and breakfast down the road from the plantation. Two of their guests, an old married couple die. The man’s death is ruled a heart attack, but the woman is killed with arsenic. A new detective, Bo, shows up, but he is related to Maggie’s enemy Sheriff Ru. Maggie finds arsenic missing from the old store on their land and some odd stuff in the dead couple’s room. This is a fun Southern mystery.

Ellen Byron may hail from New York City and live in Los Angeles but she nails South Louisiana in her debut “Cajun Country Mystery” set on the River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
In “Plantation Shudders,” Maggie Crozat has returned home from New York following a nasty breakup, helping her parents run the family plantation bed and breakfast in the small town of Pelican, Louisiana. It’s August, which means the summer festival Fete L’ete is in full swing and visitors to the B&B include a group of women known as the Cajun Cuties, a family from Australia, rabid newlyweds, Georgia fratboys and a tall drink of Texan water.
Naturally, there’s a murder. An elderly couple expire during a thunderstorm blackout with the woman’s death ruled a homicide. Police Chief Rufus Durand is all too happy to see scandal at the Crozat Plantation; there’s a myth that the Crozats put a curse on the Durand family years ago. Thankfully Durand’s cousin from Shreveport, Detective Bo Durand, is more level headed — and good looking, which helps Maggie bounce back from her love problems.
It’s a fun and fast-moving cozy mystery with a heavy dose of Louisiana flavor that doesn’t make Louisiana readers’ eyes roll. Byron attended Tulane and did her homework, so the people and their personalities feel authentic. There’s lots of drinking and good eating, for instance, and Byron includes recipes in the back. Some of the details, such as the bakery Fais Dough Dough, are pretty good ideas.

I loved this book and why? several reasons – set in a small town in Cajun Country (aka South Louisiana) which is where my mom is from and I have many relatives still living there. This reminds of the small town where she lived. Most people know each other and have a long history together.

The characters were diverse and showed promise for greater development in future books. I even liked the fact that even though there is going to be at least a 2nd book that the author wrote this book and tied up many things, but not quite everything!

That Bo (the new police detective) had a son that was most likely on the Autism Spectrum and how he dealt with it (just a peek but perhaps more in future books?) and how Maggie and her family treated him and understanding that he had special needs.

Of course there are annoying characters like the town sheriff – Rufus. He is Bo’s cousin but they couldn’t more opposite if you tried. And Vanessa who is Rufus’ girlfriend.

The mystery is a mystery, I don’t think there are enough clues to figure it out ahead of time, but you might have your suspicions of who the killer is…or will you?! I had no idea but the author wraps it nicely and it all makes sense.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve been to Louisiana and this fact made it even easier for me to envision the very well described settings in this book. If you haven’t been there, you’ll want to go.
The plot in this book has so many twists and turns that you’ll get dizzy trying to solve the crime. I never in a million years figured the person who committed the crime to be the culprit! I love a book like this where the more I read, the more I WANT to read.
It has the slight hint of romance that would be natural in the deep south. I mean seriously, could you stay in a plantation B &B and not feel the decades if not centuries of gentlemen courting the southern belles everywhere around you. I learned a lot about southern traditions and legend some of which are still practiced and talked about to this day.
I would highly recommend this book. Myself, I couldnt put it down. Ms. Byron has gained herself a new fan with this first book in the Cajun Country Mysteries series. I have to try those recipes included at the end of the book (a welcome extra addition to the much enjoyed mystery). I strongly urge you to give this book a chance and read it. You’ll be glad you did.

When artist Maggie Crozat’s boyfriend and business partner dumps her, Maggie leaves New York City for her family home, Crozat Plantation, in southern Louisiana. The book opens with Maggie struggling to help her family keep the plantation afloat financially as a bed & breakfast while she also works part time at a rival family’s plantation.

As in any classic cozy, we find a cast of characters appearing in the form of several guests who arrive for a stay at the plantation. A guest is murdered, and then another. Maggie becomes an amateur sleuth as she attempts to find the killer and also salvage the reputation of the family B&B which has gained notoriety due to the murders. Along the way, she has to deal with a hostile local sheriff and his girlfriend. On the bright side, she finds herself attracted to a handsome detective by the name of Bo who is new to town. The attraction is mutual.

Plantation Shudders is drenched in the Cajun culture of southern Louisiana, from specific language constructions to frequent talk about, and consumption of, Cajun foods. In fact, the book includes some recipes at the end. The book’s “sense of place” is strong which enhances the story, but sometimes works to its detriment. We learn a lot about Cajun culture which is pleasurable. At the same time, the murder mystery occasionally takes second place to the constant exploration of the people, environment, and culture of the region.

I enjoyed reading about the Cajun culture though as a desert dweller, I could never live in such a watery place. Also enjoyable were the family interactions (some family members are real characters), as is the developing romance between Bo and Maggie. I very much liked the introduction of Bo’s little boy, Xander, who appears to be on the autistic spectrum. Under Maggie’s kind tutelage, he shows himself to be a young and very gifted artist.

One problem for me was how detective Bo shares info with a civilian (Maggie). I think cops aren’t supposed to talk about ongoing investigations. Also problematic for me was Maggie herself as an artist. As an artist myself, I can’t imagine what goes on when Maggie goes out in the dark all night to paint and draw. Say what? Usually art is all about light.

Easy to read with great characters. The descriptive scenery made me feel like I was back on the River Road to the Plantations.

Lots of twists and a new detective who doesn’t hold a grudge against the local folks. Wonderful characters and a main character who will not give up to find out who is messing with her family’s business. There are plenty of suspects. Great descriptions make you feel like you’re transported to Pelican, Louisiana.

Book one in the Cajun Country Mystery series. Welcome to Louisiana the home of big plantations and lots of Southern history. Maggie Crozat has returned to the small town she grew up in to help her family run the Crozat B&B. She also gives tours at a rivals families old plantation that is now open to the public instead of inhabited anymore. They have a house full of guests when a hard to deal with older couple suddenly drops dead in the middle of a storm making them all suspects. With the help of a new detective Maggie is able to help solve the case in a round about manner. The characters are good and so is the setting. There were quite a few spots that seemed a little stalled which I found a little boring but past that the story was pretty good. The mystery was good with a nice twist that I enjoy. I give it 3/5 stars because I like it but found it easy to put down while a little hard to pick back up.

cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, bayou, amateur-sleuth

This is book one, but each is fully stand alone. I hunted this one down after enjoying book three because I really enjoyed it! The setting is a family who has turned the family plantation on the Louisiana bayou into a Bed and Breakfast to pay for the upkeep. The heroine is the family daughter who is an excellent artist who’s come home to help the family and also to get her head on straight after a nasty breakup of a long term relationship. Then come the deaths. The local law enforcement is an interesting mix of characters and really add to the insanity. An absorbing fun mystery that’s just the right length.