|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
This isn't really a mystery. It's a tale of those social butterflies from the Garden District of New Orleans who flit around gossiping and causing mischief. McCade tells the story of one of the dilettantes, Julia Grant, who quickly becomes part of the inner circle, after arriving with a mysterious tale of a disastrous marriage in Richmond, a disastrous love affair in London, and finally, settling in New Orleans, comfortably off but with no visible means of support. Julia is invited to all the right places and goes to all the correct parties, until, finally, she moves in with divorced architect. Michael, despite the warnings of her coterie. They buy a house together and she moves in all her furniture, then Michael tires of Julia. They split up, but Michael shows his true colors and refuses to give Julia her furniture or her half of the house. Julia finally takes shelter in an apartment and meets Katherine Lincoln, an ex-nun who frequents Sister Lula, a conjure woman in the Quarter. Cain and Tony Degnan come to New Orleans from Boston. Cain wants to take over as social arbiter of the group of women who lunch, and she appears to succeed. Over all is the mysterious Sister Lula who fears what is happening among the white Society people, at least 2 of whom find their way to her shop, hidden away in a shabby part of the French Quarter. This is a very strange book. It doesn't fit comfortably into any of the standard mystery sub-genres. It's definitely not a cozy; it's too disturbing. And there are not private investigators or police involved either. It's more of a character study of empty lives and manipulative people. It's a fine first novel, which could only have been placed in New Orleans.
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, June 2002
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
