Motif for Murder
Scrapbooking mysteries #4
by Laura Childs
New Orleans scrapbook store owner, Carmela Bertrand, is busy getting
her store back up to full speed after the devastation of Hurricane
Katrina. In her personal life, she is reveling in her recent reconciliation
with ex-husband, Shamus Meechum, and hopeful he has outgrown his narcissistic
ways. All of this is upset when Shamus is kidnapped from their home
in the upscale Garden District. After a call to 911, Carmela runs
to the nearby home of Shamus’s Uncle Henry, only to find him dead
of a gunshot wound to the head. Shamus’s snobbish and ill-mannered
sister uses the situation to promptly toss Carmela out of the family
owned home, forcing Carmela to return to her French Quarter apartment.
As the police begin their investigation, Carmela is contacted by the kidnappers with a demand for a five million
dollar ransom, Carmela decides to go on the offensive and starts digging for clues herself. With the help of best
friend, Ava Grieux, proprietor of a French Quarter voodoo souvenir shop, Carmela begins to look into the business
dealings of the Meechum family. She finds herself in the backwoods New Orleans swamps searching for Shamus.
Readers who prefer their mysteries on the cozy side will enjoy this offering from Laura Childs. The mayhem
surrounding the kidnapping and Shamus and the murder of Uncle Henry is on the soft side and the profanity is very
limited, unlike some of the more hard-boiled mysteries. Even the bad guys seem to be on the light end of the
menacing scale.
While Motif for Murder is the fourth installment in Laura Childs’
scrap booking mystery series, first-time readers will easily be
able to follow the storyline and acquaint themselves with the regular
cast of characters. Along with several red herrings, the mystery
is interspersed with both scrapbooking tips and descriptions of
Carmela’s culinary fare, with recipes included in the back of the
book. This is a fun, enjoyable read for fans of the cozy mystery.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Bound
for Murder #3 [review]
Motif for Murder #4 [review]
Death Swatch, #6 [ review]
Skeleton Letters, # 9 [review]
Postcards from the Dead, #10 [review]
Gossamer Ghost #12 [review]
|
The
Book |
Berkley |
September
5, 2006 |
Hardcover |
0425212041 |
Mystery |
Amazon |
The Reviewer |
Tanya
Atkinson |
Reviewed
2006 |
|