Afbeelding van de auteur.

Ellen Byron

Auteur van Plantation Shudders

12+ Werken 656 Leden 85 Besprekingen

Over de Auteur

Fotografie: Ellen Byron

Reeksen

Werken van Ellen Byron

Plantation Shudders (1750) 149 exemplaren
Body on the Bayou (2016) 82 exemplaren
Bayou Book Thief (2022) 80 exemplaren
A Cajun Christmas Killing (2017) 78 exemplaren
Mardi Gras Murder (2018) 62 exemplaren
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (2020) 50 exemplaren
Fatal Cajun Festival (2019) 42 exemplaren
Cajun Kiss of Death (2021) 42 exemplaren
Graceland and Asleep on the Wind (1984) 36 exemplaren
Wined and Died in New Orleans (2023) 31 exemplaren
Graceland 1 exemplaar

Gerelateerde werken

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geslacht
female
Agent
Doug Grad

Leden

Besprekingen

Engaging characters and a fun setting make this an enjoyable mystery
 
Gemarkeerd
DrApple | 5 andere besprekingen | Mar 22, 2024 |
Wined and Died in New Orleans is the second book in this series and I thought ti was a fun read. It picks up soon after the first book, and Ricki continues to work hard building her new business, a vintage gift shop in one of the local museums. Repairs on part of the old house lead to a discovery of very old and valuable French wine buried by the original owner, a discovery that leads Ricki into an interesting mystery and to meeting many members of the Charbonnet family who are now coming out of the woodwork wanting a claim of the new fortune.

Ricki is a likeable character, someone who makes friends easily, but also tends to question herself quite a bit due to her history and her previous marriage that ended in disaster. Her gift shop features vintage cookbooks and I find this aspect of her job quite fascinating as I remember looking through my grandmother's old cookbooks when I was younger and laughing at some of the recipes, so I get the appeal. Both of the books made reference to her parentage and as she is adopted, there is a mystery that is developing as a secondary story line, one that I find quite interesting, but has not yet taken center stage.

The secondary characters are just as interesting as the main character. The witty dialogue and banter between them drew me into their world and I thought the author captured the cultural traditions of New Orleans very well through their interactions and their commentary. I have only been there once, but I could visualize the places and sights through their eyes and I enjoyed revisiting the city in my mind as I read. I enjoyed how the characters responded to situations as the story unfolded; yes, there was drama, but it wasn't silly and the characters had smart discussions about how the various situations would affect them, their jobs, and their businesses.

The plot itself was fun and enjoyable. The tension slowly built throughout the book, and though I had guessed who was the culprit, I amused myself by playing around with other possibilities, just in case I was wrong. The author was good at throwing some red herrings along the way, and the twists and turns were interesting. I always find it intriguing how one little comment can give away the whole plot of a story unintentionally, and that is what happened to me with this story. It didn't take away from the fun of the book though as it allowed me to reflect more on the themes being presented in the book rather than just the mystery; death, grief, friendship, family relationships, family history, secrets, greed, trust issues, and regret all played a role in this book.

Verdict
Wined and Died in New Orleans was an engaging novel with a diverse set of characters and a story line that was interesting and intriguing. It continued some of the themes from the first book, but was also contained its own mystery so could be read as a standalone, although I don't recommend it being read that way. If you like to cook, there are also some vintage recipes to try out throughout the story that look interesting. The writing style was engaging, the mystery was fun, and I definitely recommend anyone who is interested in cozy mysteries check this one out.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
StephanieBN | 5 andere besprekingen | Aug 12, 2023 |
Wined and Died in New Orleans by Ellen Byron is the second book in her latest cozy mystery series that takes place in New Orleans, and it is another great read!

Byron once again shows why she is one of the Queens of Cozies with her well developed characters and glorious descriptions of New Orleans and the beautiful manor where much of the book takes place. Add in a few scoops of local history and local restaurants along with some dashes of information on vintage cookbooks and kitchen gadgets and it’s a tasty second book.

The characters are getting even more fleshed out, and the new characters are just as fun to read about. And instead of the typical cat or dog in a cozy mystery, we get two feisty peacocks who seem to really not like some of the people… which makes those scenes even more amusing.

The big secret that ended book one is partially revealed in this one… although there are still some major questions surrounding it that have yet to be answered. Which makes me super excited for book three in the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries to come out!
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
KimHeniadis | 5 andere besprekingen | Mar 8, 2023 |
Ended up really enjoying this book! I didn't think I'd care for it, and I started it twice. Why? I don't cook, I don't care about cookbooks, and I'm never sure about youthful amateur sleuths. And although I love New Orleans as a visitor, I don't live there, and surely this was a first love letter to The Big Easy. What ultimately impressed me was the complexity of the story, the way it turned into a real tangle of murder and vintage books and sneaky villains. Add this to sexy neighbor, cool work friendships, and people with a history and I had a great time reading.… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
lisahistory | 7 andere besprekingen | Mar 3, 2023 |

Prijzen

Misschien vindt je deze ook leuk

Gerelateerde auteurs

Statistieken

Werken
12
Ook door
1
Leden
656
Populariteit
#38,461
Waardering
4.0
Besprekingen
85
ISBNs
64
Talen
1

Tabellen & Grafieken