Rating: 
Summary: Mysteries Spread Like Ripples from a Stone Thrown in a Pond
Review: Sandra Wallis, aka Talba Wallis and the Baronness Pontalba, is a character you will either love or hate. Those who have read 82 Desire by Julie Smith will recognize her. Frankly, I thought that Talba was one of the most interesting and original characters I have ever read about in detective fiction. Those who like their female detectives intelligent, aggressive, and resourceful will find Talba to be a wonderful addition. The book's story develops from a single incident. An underage girl has had sex with a prominent man. The girl tells her mother about it, and Eddie Valentino is brought in to find the man. Eddie has just hired Talba to help him out with the computer side of detecting. Due to a series of accidents, Talba is left on her own . . . and she runs with it. Then, just when you think you've got the story figured out, Talba starts having unusual emotional reactions at a funeral. This starts another mystery, which proves to be far more interesting and rewarding than finding the sexual predator. My main complaint about this book is that Talba is brought along much too fast as a detective. Her feats of detection and derring-do would be typical of someone who has been doing this for 20 years, rather than having done it twice briefly. I graded the book down for this overstatement. It unnecessarily strained the credibility of what otherwise was a rich and rewarding story line. I liked the way that Skip Langdon was brought in for cameo roles. It made the book's context wider and firmer. The humor often comes close to being over the top, but keeps pulling itself down towards the right direction. I laughed aloud at several points. My wife asked me what I was smiling about twice while I was reading very funny sections. The book opens with this classified advertisement: "Nerd wanted. Nerdette wouldn't be too bad. Young hotshot, under thirty, 5 yrs. computer, 10 yrs. investigative exp. Harvard ed., no visible piercings. Must play the computer like Horowitz played piano. Slave wages." Now, how can you fail to have fun with a book like this? After you finish enjoying Louisiana Hotshot, think about where your "public face" is a way of protecting your inner vulnerability. Does that public face get in the way of what you really want sometimes? If so, how can you develop the flexibility to have others see you in ways that better serve your needs? Be open to love, connection, and caring . . . by keeping your face, words, and arms open!
Rating: 
Summary: A grat new series from this fine author
Review: She never intended to become a private detective, but when Talba Wallis saw the classified ad in the Times-Picayune, she applies for the job. Eddie Valentino of E.V. Anthony Investigations Service is impressed with the dossier Talba compiled on him and her brassy disrespect for her elders. She, in turn, feels her potential new boss is a sexist likable soul.
Eddie hires Talba sending her immediately into an investigation. An irate mother claims that her fourteen-year old daughter had sex with someone named Toes, an adult male. As Eddie and Talba make inquiries they quickly learn that Toes has influence in New Orleans as the police try to stalemate any progress the new sleuth makes. When other teenage girls vanish, Talba realizes something drastic must be done before others get hurt. This is a different type of series than Julie Smith's Skip Langdon novels, but is as much fun. The eccentric and realistic characters bring out the hidden New Orleans while the relationship between Eddie and Talba is quite entertaining and amusing as they are two sides of the same cover. LOUISANA HOTSHOT is a smooth thriller that will brighten the reader's day. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: More, please
Review: Talba Wallis is a computer whiz kid who is a sometimes private eye by day. At night, however, she is magically transformed into the exotic poetess The Baroness Pontalba, earthy diva of New Orleans cafe society. Soon after veteran private investigator Eddie Valentino takes Talba on as a new employee, a new case falls into their laps. A smooth operator has seduced a young girl and her executive mama is fit to be tied. As Eddie and Talba dig deeper into the case, they learn that not only are there more victims but some of them have disappeared without a trace. As the danger level soars into the red zone, Talba uses all of her wits and talents to stay alive and sends in her Baroness Pontalba persona to get close to the bad guys. The ambience is tres noir, the pace is quicksilver, and the suspense is a total rush. I have found myself a new "must read" author in Julie Smith (who has a WAY cool Web site, by the way) and am now happily wading through her entire body of work.
Rating:
Summary: Chercher la femme
Review: Talba Wallis is a computer whiz kid who is a sometimes private eye by day. At night, however, she is magically transformed into the exotic poetess The Baroness Pontalba, earthy diva of New Orleans cafe society. Soon after veteran private investigator Eddie Valentino takes Talba on as a new employee, a new case falls into their laps. A smooth operator has seduced a young girl and her executive mama is fit to be tied. As Eddie and Talba dig deeper into the case, they learn that not only are there more victims but some of them have disappeared without a trace. As the danger level soars into the red zone, Talba uses all of her wits and talents to stay alive and sends in her Baroness Pontalba persona to get close to the bad guys. The ambience is tres noir, the pace is quicksilver, and the suspense is a total rush. I have found myself a new "must read" author in Julie Smith (who has a WAY cool Web site, by the way) and am now happily wading through her entire body of work.
Rating:
Summary: N'Awlins in Living Color
Review: Talba Wallis is smart and sassy, on and of the scene. By night she is poet Baroness Pontalba reading her stuff at carefully selected dives around town. Her clothes are meticulously described, which is a very good thing, because in our wildest imagination, we would be hard put to come up with a mental image of her glorious plumage. And the Baroness (thanks to Julie Smith) comes up with some pretty good poetry--see "Queen of the May." As with most poets, Talba needs a day job to support her writing. Due to her razzle-dazzle preparation, she stuns elderly white male detective Eddie Valentino, into hiring her. He had braced himself to hire a nerd, but a "nerdette"? Eddie takes her along on what looks to be a pretty ho-hum case: finding out the identity of a man who has molested the client's daughter. The situation heats up considerably when a sure fire witness suddenly dies in a hit and run accident. Running concurrent with the investigation is Talba's emerging curiosity about just who and what her father was. Her entire family seems to be in mutual conspiracy to keep her in the dark about him. The story has a good pace and is always colorful, but Ms. Smith does tend to overplot. She has such a long stretch about her father; I almost forgot the other mystery entirely. Actually, the two stories could stand alone and probably should have. The tie-in, as always, is the wonderful depictions of the star that grabs the spotlight: New Orleans. I can't think of anyone who captures the feel of this city like Smith does. "New Orleans Hotshot" is a nice welcome back for Julie Smith.
Rating:
Summary: N'Awlins in Living Color
Review: Talba Wallis is smart and sassy, on and of the scene. By night she is poet Baroness Pontalba reading her stuff at carefully selected dives around town. Her clothes are meticulously described, which is a very good thing, because in our wildest imagination, we would be hard put to come up with a mental image of her glorious plumage. And the Baroness (thanks to Julie Smith) comes up with some pretty good poetry--see "Queen of the May." As with most poets, Talba needs a day job to support her writing. Due to her razzle-dazzle preparation, she stuns elderly white male detective Eddie Valentino, into hiring her. He had braced himself to hire a nerd, but a "nerdette"? Eddie takes her along on what looks to be a pretty ho-hum case: finding out the identity of a man who has molested the client's daughter. The situation heats up considerably when a sure fire witness suddenly dies in a hit and run accident. Running concurrent with the investigation is Talba's emerging curiosity about just who and what her father was. Her entire family seems to be in mutual conspiracy to keep her in the dark about him. The story has a good pace and is always colorful, but Ms. Smith does tend to overplot. She has such a long stretch about her father; I almost forgot the other mystery entirely. Actually, the two stories could stand alone and probably should have. The tie-in, as always, is the wonderful depictions of the star that grabs the spotlight: New Orleans. I can't think of anyone who captures the feel of this city like Smith does. "New Orleans Hotshot" is a nice welcome back for Julie Smith.
Rating:
Summary: First Class Read.....Spellbinding!!
Review: This is my first of Julie Smith's books and I'm hopelessly hooked! I ran to the library as soon as I finished reading this one to check out the Skip Langdon series..... The Baroness Pontalba is the hippest, smartest, coolest female detective I've read about in years. No ditzy, air-head here! Her relationship with her cantankerous boss, Eddie Valentino, was a special, touching part of the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed the subplots of the healing of Eddie's relationship with his estranged son and the Baroness's search for her father. Ms. Smith definitely knows New Orleans and her love and knowledge of the city shines through on every page. The dialogue was lively, sharp as a tack and captivating. I hated to read the last chapter---I wanted the story to go on and on. Ms. Smith, I hope and pray you're working on the next in a series with the enchanting Baroness!!! Thanks for a fabulous book from a fellow Louisiana native!!
Rating:
Summary: First Class Read.....Spellbinding!!
Review: This is my first of Julie Smith's books and I'm hopelessly hooked! I ran to the library as soon as I finished reading this one to check out the Skip Langdon series..... The Baroness Pontalba is the hippest, smartest, coolest female detective I've read about in years. No ditzy, air-head here! Her relationship with her cantankerous boss, Eddie Valentino, was a special, touching part of the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed the subplots of the healing of Eddie's relationship with his estranged son and the Baroness's search for her father. Ms. Smith definitely knows New Orleans and her love and knowledge of the city shines through on every page. The dialogue was lively, sharp as a tack and captivating. I hated to read the last chapter---I wanted the story to go on and on. Ms. Smith, I hope and pray you're working on the next in a series with the enchanting Baroness!!! Thanks for a fabulous book from a fellow Louisiana native!!
Rating:
Summary: The Baroness Rules!
Review: This reviewer is a bit late to the game--I had not read any Julie Smith novels until somebody recommended this book. And NOW, I want to read everything she has written, "82 Desire" in particular, since it introduced the incomparable Talba Wallis, aka the Baroness Pontalba, and heroine of "Louisiana Hotshot." How to describe Talba? Sassy, smart as a whip, clever, by turns super strong and super sensitive, hurting inside, snarling outside...a woman to contend with. And her alter ego, the Baroness? A poet dressed in the wildest, most outrageous, most beautiful finery she can find to complement her incredible poetry and her African-American heritage. This story has Talba finding a job in a detective agency after reading the most unusual want-ad ever. With nothing but moxie and fabulous computer skills, she worms her way into Eddie Valentino's small, gritty agency, and nothing will ever be the same again. If you have not read this book, do yourself a favor and do it! You are in for an incredible treat. As for myself, I have some major book ordering to do...
Rating:
Summary: The Baroness Rules!
Review: This reviewer is a bit late to the game--I had not read any Julie Smith novels until somebody recommended this book. And NOW, I want to read everything she has written, "82 Desire" in particular, since it introduced the incomparable Talba Wallis, aka the Baroness Pontalba, and heroine of "Louisiana Hotshot." How to describe Talba? Sassy, smart as a whip, clever, by turns super strong and super sensitive, hurting inside, snarling outside...a woman to contend with. And her alter ego, the Baroness? A poet dressed in the wildest, most outrageous, most beautiful finery she can find to complement her incredible poetry and her African-American heritage. This story has Talba finding a job in a detective agency after reading the most unusual want-ad ever. With nothing but moxie and fabulous computer skills, she worms her way into Eddie Valentino's small, gritty agency, and nothing will ever be the same again. If you have not read this book, do yourself a favor and do it! You are in for an incredible treat. As for myself, I have some major book ordering to do...
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