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FLAMINGO FATALE
by Jimmie Ruth Evans
Berkley, June 2005
320 pages
$6.99
ISBN: 0425203980


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Wanda Nell Culpepper is a single mother living in a trailer park in Tullahoma, Mississippi. She works at the Kountry Kitchen and the Budget Mart to support her two daughters and grandson. Wanda Nell comes home after a long day to find her ex-husband Bobby Ray making himself at home and flashing a wad of cash. She argues with him and sends him on his way.

The next day, Wanda Nell notices one of the ornamental flamingos in her garden is missing. She looks for the flamingo and finds it impaled in the very dead body of Bobby Ray. Wanda Nell soon finds herself a murder suspect when a member of the sheriff's department and childhood friend of Bobby Ray seems determined to blame her for her ex-husband's death.

FLAMINGO FATALE is the Southern cozy at its best. Life in a trailer park in a small southern community is never dull and boring. The various characters make the story work. Wanda Nell is a strong, hardworking woman trying to make a better life for her children.

She is accompanied by a colorful secondary cast. Her best friend Mayrene works at the local beauty parlor and makes a good gun-toting side kick. Wanda Nell's mother-in-law would drive anyone to drink. All of the women add to the gentle humor of the book. There's even a few hints of romance for Wanda Nell. Two recipes from the Kountry Kitchen are included for good measure.

Evans has written a fun and enjoyable book that would make a perfect summer read for cozy lovers. FLAMINGO FATALE is delightfully constructed, carefully plotted and written with sparkle and warmth. Love and the strength of family are two important themes. The novel is well-paced and action packed as it makes an exciting run to the finale.

FLAMINGO FATALE is the first book in the trailer park mystery series by Jimmie Ruth Evans (aka Dean James).

Reviewed by Lane Wright, July 2005

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