Rating: 
Summary: Louisiana Who Cares
Review: Wait for the next Skip Langdon. Or go to the movies, or wash your hair. Your time will be better spent. It only gets 1 star because there is no negative scale.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixing Oil and Water
Review: What happens when a cantankerous, sixty-something, racist white man collides with a young, savvy, intelligent, and aggressive black woman? You get a modern day Archie Bunker meeting Florence from The Jeffersons in an intriguing mystery full of excitement and colorful, spontaneous characters. Talba & Eddie join forces to take down a slimy scoundrel who enchants and lures teenage girls. These girls ultimately end up disappearing. Both running from family problems and running into family secrets, they traipse the saucy streets of Louisiana before the lothario strikes again. Talba Wallis is a sepia, recalcitrant, confident, self-taught computer whiz and amateur sleuth. Her brazen style and wispy attitude has everyone's attention. At night, Talba becomes self-proclaimed royalty, an arrogant, aspiring poet calling herself Baroness Pontalba. Eddie Valentino is an expiring private detective. He is cranky, chauvinistic, computer-phobic, mentally fatigued, and physically exhausted. His Italian temper and his primal views of women get him into trouble. Talba becomes an aristocratic thorn in his side. "She was pushy, she was smart-mouthed, she was probably brilliant (or thought she was, which was just as bad) She was also cute as a button, and the whole package added up to one large pain...." says Eddie. Julie Smith tells a toxic suspense story that keeps you guessing, curious, and anxious. Julie breathes life into a unique character with style, flair, wit, and smarts. Talba is one of those characters that makes you smile when remembering her, as you anticipate reading about her again. In Eddie, Julie gives us the polar opposite, his unmistakable Louisiana cadence and drawl, an Italian temper, and a tongue that drips with sarcasm. She forces them to co-exist, interact, and work together. The chemistry between the two is phenomenal. There is never a dull moment. Their satirical banter and quip dialogue flows fluidly through the novel. Julie's writing is vivid and sharp. She leaves no strings untied, and brings the characters and subplots full circle. If you like a good mystery, you'll love Louisiana Hotshot. -- Reviewed by KaTrina Love
Rating:
Summary: Glad I didn't miss out on this one!
Review: When Talba Wallis saw P.I. Eddie Valentine's ad for a "nerd or nerdette", she knew she'd found the day job she was looking for. After all, writing poetry as the Baroness Pontalba didn't exactly put food on the table, and few could manipulate a computer or surf the 'Net better than she. Both she and Eddie got more than they bargained for, as their meeting and their first joint case, looking for the creep who sexually molested a 14 year old girl, forced each of them to come to terms with some personal ghosts. But they found that a 50-something Italian ex-cop and a 20-something black poet can make an effective team against some powerful people willing to go to extremes to keep their secrets. I was given a copy, and if I hadn't picked it up I would have missed out on a very enjoyable read. I may have to listen to what people have been telling me and try some of Smith's other work. The characters in this book come vividly to life, and though, for the most part, they're unlike any people I've ever met, I had no difficulty believing in them. And Smith does a very good job of evoking the New Orleans setting. There's a lot of emotion in this book, as Eddie and Talba both undergo some major personal upheavals, but Smith keeps it from getting out of control. She also manages to keep the pace steady and the suspense building even while large portions of the book deal with the personal lives of Eddie and Talba rather than the investigation. The investigation is never entirely forgotten, though this isn't really a whodunit, it's more of a "how do we stop them". Overall, this is a very good book. My only complaint is with the final confrontation scene, which struck me as somewhat predictable and stereotypical, but that's a standard complaint of mine about that particular form of resolution, and it only detracts slightly from my overall enjoyment of the book. I can't help wondering, however, where Smith will go with this series - she surely can't put her characters through much more of the kind of emotional wringer they endured in this installment. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next one to find out.
Rating: 
Summary: The Baroness solves another
Review: You like unusual, flamboyant, poetical, characters in your mysteries? Meet Baroness Pontalba. You like strong female detectives, willing to step in when it's required? Meet Talba Wallis. You want atmospheric, moody, exotic and even dangerous settings in your crime fiction? Meet New Orleans. Read Louisiana Hotshot. Julie Smith, author of over a dozen good novels already, has fashioned a top-notch story with a vast cast of eccentric, often lovable, sometimes dangerous, characters and put them into out of the ordinary action. And, if the resolution is a little out of focus, it certainly is consistent in tone and true to the characters and the situation. Poets, whether in New Orleans or elsewhere, generally don't make much money. And even with her exotic good looks, her undeniable talent, the Baroness Pontalba requires something a little more substantial to maintain her life style. She's gaining considerable respect in the avant guarde circles of smoky clubs and loose societies of struggling writers, but that respect and even acclaim doesn't pay the bills. So the Baroness, as Talba Wallis (almost her real name), cranks up her top-of-the line computer skills and answers an ad for a young computer nerd. Turns out, a small private investigative agency operated by Eddie Valentino placed the ad and Talba soon has a day job, her investigator's license, and is neck deep in an investigation of a nasty child abuse case. Eddie Valentino is white, old, from New Jersey, and comes with an unusual family. He hates computers. Talba Wallis is black, native New Orleans, and comes with an unusual family. She's a computer whiz. The case starts with a very angry woman who tells Valentino that her young daughter was raped at a party by a man known only as Toes. The case is complex, convoluted and you'll have to read to book to learn more. The writing, the atmosphere and the characters, as well as the story, make this an outstanding novel, great read. I look forward to more encounters with Eddie and the Baroness, mama, Angie and the rest.
|
