Review: Mumbo Gumbo Murder by: Laura Childs & Terrie Farley Moran

Title: Mumbo Gumbo Murder
Author: Laura Childs & Terrie Farley Moran
Publisher: Berkley
Series: A Scrapbooking Mystery #16
Format: e-book ARC (308 p.)

Description:

A shocking murder strikes a sour note during Jazz Fest in the latest New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs.

It's Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and the giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre are parading through the French Quarter. Some are very spooky and veiled, others are tall and gangly, like strange aliens.

    

As the parade proceeds, Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, follow behind, down Royal Street and past the food booths. Suddenly, they hear a terrible crash from Devon Dowling's antiques shop. They rush inside to find Devon collapsed with blood streaming down the side of his face. Has he been shot? Stabbed? 911 is hastily called, and the police and EMTs show up. After the police examine Devon's body, they tell Carmela and Ava that their friend was murdered with an icepick. They're shocked beyond belief—and now Mimi, Devon's little pug, is left homeless.

Carmela and Ava are determined to catch the murderer, but the list of suspects is long. How long do they have before they find themselves on the killer's list?

My Thoughts: 

This book follows Carmela Bertrand and her bestie Ava as they are out one night in the glorious Crescent City and hear a glass shatter and find their friend Devon Dowling dead and his dog Mimi traumatized.  

Carmela ends up taking Mimi home thinking maybe Mimi can help identify Devon's murderer.  Of course they are so many suspects.  Could it be his heavy drinking assistant TJ?  Or could it be the owner of his building whose quick to build Condos? Or could it be Richard Drake from the vampire society?

This book had so much going on as Quigg was also involving Carmela with a new bar idea which created alot of friction with Babcock.  All this while also investigating a murder and getting a wedding dress and coming up with a wedding date!  I don't how these two do it but they manage to do it in style as well.

I love this series so much it has rich location of New Orleans along with alot of interesting and colorful characters!  Can't wait to see what this writing teams come up with next!