 |
| Jana DeLeon |
Lethal Bayou Beauty
Jana DeLeon
2013
The Summary
"No one in Sinful liked Pansy Arceneaux, but who hated her enough to kill her?
"When aspiring actress Pansy Arceneax returns to Sinful, Louisiana to head up the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival, CIA assassin Fortune Redding knows she's in for trouble. Her undercover identity as a former beauty queen makes Fortune the perfect choice to chair the event with Pansy, but Pansy's abrasive personality makes it impossible to get through a single rehearsal without a fight.
"When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune is the prime suspect.
"Armed with only her wits and two conniving seniors referred to locally as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune launches an investigation to find the real killer before her cover is blown."
The Good
Lethal Bayou Beauty has many of the same qualities I found endearing in it's predecessor: a strong, sarcastic narrator; wonderful characters instigating a variety of mishaps; hilarious character interactions; lots of action and adventure and butt-kicking females. It's fun, it's easy-to-read in an afternoon or two, and, personally, I think it's definitely worth picking up for free on my library website.
Besides, I was intrigued to see how Fortune--who is a self-professed tomboy with zero experience with pageants or, you know, anything remotely feminine--would handle herself in the middle of the strange and exotic world of pageant shows. It's hilarious to see one mishap after another; it's a rollicking good time.
And, honestly, I found it worth it just to see her deal with Pansy Arceneax. It's easy to dislike (if not outright hate) Pansy. She's horribly snobbish and vindictive, she's outright cruel, and she's not above blackmailing and/or threatening people to get her way. She's a terrible person, so I thought it was nice to see Fortune knock her down a few pegs.
Even if there was some confusion about Lady Gaga that proved embarrassing. (It's hard to explain. Better to read the book to understand.)
Lethal Bayou Beauty has many of the same qualities I found endearing in it's predecessor: a strong, sarcastic narrator; wonderful characters instigating a variety of mishaps; hilarious character interactions; lots of action and adventure and butt-kicking females. It's fun, it's easy-to-read in an afternoon or two, and, personally, I think it's definitely worth picking up for free on my library website.
Besides, I was intrigued to see how Fortune--who is a self-professed tomboy with zero experience with pageants or, you know, anything remotely feminine--would handle herself in the middle of the strange and exotic world of pageant shows. It's hilarious to see one mishap after another; it's a rollicking good time.
And, honestly, I found it worth it just to see her deal with Pansy Arceneax. It's easy to dislike (if not outright hate) Pansy. She's horribly snobbish and vindictive, she's outright cruel, and she's not above blackmailing and/or threatening people to get her way. She's a terrible person, so I thought it was nice to see Fortune knock her down a few pegs.
Even if there was some confusion about Lady Gaga that proved embarrassing. (It's hard to explain. Better to read the book to understand.)
The Bad
I still liked this book, but I couldn't help thinking that Fortune, Gertie, and Ida Belle endure way too many mishaps. In the first book, Louisiana Longshot, I could understand why so many plans kept going awry. Fortune is just getting her feet back on the ground and she's learning new names, meeting new people, and exploring a new terrain.
But Lethal Bayou Beauty is the second in the series, so I feel like it should settle down a little. Yes, all these crazy adventures helps to propel the story forward, but too many run-ins with Deputy Carter LeBlanc and too many close calls at the wrong end of a rifle causes it to lose it's appeal.
I mean, there really is such a thing as too much adventure.
I still liked this book, but I couldn't help thinking that Fortune, Gertie, and Ida Belle endure way too many mishaps. In the first book, Louisiana Longshot, I could understand why so many plans kept going awry. Fortune is just getting her feet back on the ground and she's learning new names, meeting new people, and exploring a new terrain.
But Lethal Bayou Beauty is the second in the series, so I feel like it should settle down a little. Yes, all these crazy adventures helps to propel the story forward, but too many run-ins with Deputy Carter LeBlanc and too many close calls at the wrong end of a rifle causes it to lose it's appeal.
I mean, there really is such a thing as too much adventure.
The Ugly
Murder. Assault. Attempted murder. Poisoning. Prostitution. Blackmail. Tax fraud.
I think the only thing missing is drug dealing.
(But, fear not, that comes later.)
I think the only thing missing is drug dealing.
(But, fear not, that comes later.)
No comments:
Post a Comment