Death
Swatch
A
Scrapbooking Mystery with Carmela Bertrand
Laura
Childs
Berkley
Prime Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-425-22478-3 (0425224783)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22478-6 (9780425224786)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $23.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Amid zydeco rhythms and popping champagne corks,
scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand and her friend Ava are partying
in the French Quarter. It's Mardi Gras, and they never imagined this
might be the scene of a murder, but as the evening progresses, float
designer Archie Baudier is found dead on the balcony -- strangled with
a barbed wire garrote.
The only thing wilder than this crime are the theories about who did
it--from a ritualistic slaying to a mob hit to the outlandish work of a
rival Mardi Gras float builder. Handsome detective Edgar Babcock isn't
buying any of it. Neither is Carmela., and the odd clues are bringing
out the sleuth in her: gold paint on the victim's shoes, a strange coin
found next to his body, his ransacked apartment, and the peculiar fact
that no one at the party really knew him. Only one thing is clear:
Whoever killed Archie is following Carmela -- straight into the chaos
of Mardi Gras.
Review:
A Mardi Gras celebration turns into a murder investigation for New
Orleans scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand in Death Swatch,
the sixth mystery in this series by Laura Childs.
Carmela is attending a gala at Jekyl Hardy's vast apartment in the
French Quarter when the festivities are abruptly brought to a halt when
Carmela and her best friend, Ava Gruiex, walk out onto the patio and
find Jekyl's new neighbor, Archie Baudier, dying, a heavy barbed wire
knotted tightly around his throat. While waiting for the police to
arrive, Carmela notices that Archie's otherwise immaculate shoes were
flecked with gold paint and an old coin lay near the body. She pockets
the coin to look at it later just as the police arrive, realizing all
the while she was disturbing a crime scene. Newly independent, her
divorce nearly final, and anxious to prove she doesn't need a man in
her life (but isn't the police lieutenant rather attractive?), Carmella
and Ava take it upon themselves to solve the puzzling murder
There are few cities in the world where such a diverse cast of
characters seem more perfectly at home than in New Orleans. The city
also makes a terrific setting for a murder mystery, and the author
takes full advantage of her locale to great effect in Death Swatch.
Characters are introduced at a somewhat leisurely pace allowing the
reader to get comfortable with them within the context of the plot, and
there's a historical element that adds some depth and interest to their
investigation. As befits a scrapbooking mystery, there are numerous
references to the craft that are seamlessly integrated into the story.
(Scrapbook, stamping, and craft tips are added as an appendix in
addition to favorite New Orleans recipes.) Unmasking the killer isn't
all that difficult as the clues tend to be of the connect-the-dots
variety, but the strong characters and setting more than compensate
making Death
Swatch a pleasure to read.
Special thanks to Penguin Group for providing a copy of Death Swatch for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Death Swatch? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Keepsake
Crimes
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), May 2003
ISBN-10: 0-425-19074-9 (0425190749)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-19074-6 (9780425190746)
Photo
Finished
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), January 2004
ISBN-10: 0-425-19434-5 (0425194345)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-19434-8 (9780425194348)
Bound
for Murder
Berkley Prime Crime (Mass Market Paperback), November 2004
ISBN-10: 0-425-19923-1 (0425199231)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-19923-7 (9780425199237)
Motif
for Murder
Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover), September 2006
ISBN-10: 0-425-21204-1 (0425212041)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-21204-2 (9780425212042)
Frill
Kill
Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover), October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-425-21730-2 (0425217302)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-21730-6 (9780425217306)
Death Swatch
Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover), September 2008
ISBN-10: 0-425-22478-3 (0425224783)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22478-6 (9780425224786)
Tragic
Magic
Berkley Prime Crime (Hardcover), October 2009
ISBN-10: 0-425-22989-0 (0425229890)
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-22989-7 (9780425229897)
Omnimystery
keywords for Death Swatch
...
Location(s) referenced: New
Orleans, Louisiana.
