Book 87, 2024
Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
At lunch today I finished reading Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs. It's the first installment in her "Scrapbooking" mystery series. Narrative is in third person pov of the main character, Carmela Bertrand.
It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, and Carmela is busy with her scrapbooking shop, Memory Mine. She's glad for the distraction from her personal life. Six months ago, her husband up and left her, after which his family ousted her from the home she'd shared with Shamus. Now she has her own small home along with her shop and her friends and clients. While attending one of the multiple parades leading up to Mardi Gras, Carmela and her friend Ava witness someone being removed from one of the floats due to a medical emergency. Later they find out he died. Worst of all, he was poisoned. As if that wasn't bad enough, the police question Carmela about Shamus, as he was seen arguing with the victim not long before the incident. Now Carmela is being side-eyed by those in the upper echelons of NOLA society. Determined to clear Shamus' name and salvage her own reputation, she begins doing a little sleuthing of her own. Little does Carmela know the biggest clue may be sitting in her own shop.
I found this story delightful. Carmela is someone you'd like to know in person, and the setting of NOLA during Mardi Gras was colorful, exciting, and delicious-sounding. While it was disappointing to see Carmela being snubbed by some people, it was heartening that her staunchest allies stuck with her and stuck up for her. Plot was fast paced and engaging, making me wish I had more than 15 minutes to read it each day at lunch. There was also an eye-popping plot twist to add some pizazz.
Favorite lines:
♦ In New Orleans, the only thing thicker than blood was gumbo.
♦ "I didn't know I was vying for runner-up in the Miss Slinky Tits contest."
♦ "There are lots of mechanical devices on the market today that can bring pleasure to a woman. But the best by far is a Mercedes-Benz!"
Lots of fun. I have more books in this series, and I look forward to reading them. Four stars.
1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? No, she has a scrapbooking shop
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, she has a dog
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? No
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? No
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? N/A
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes