Come to Mardi Gras with Imogene in New Orleans by Hunter Murphy

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge,from the author, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it 


Well somehow or the other, I didn't realize that my review for this book didn't post....

grrrrrrr,,blame it on a crazy month...

Between dealing with my mother in and out of the hospital, training people at work, homeschooling (whoever said it was EASY, they LIED, course having a dyslexia diagnosis of the kid didn't help either, in having to turn curriculumn upside down and back again),handling some promotion for the dance team, dance team craziness, being sick with the flu (not once, but twice), having kid sick with flu, and basically trying to keep it all together while working full time... UGH

So forgive my lateness, BUT if you want to get into the flavor of NOLA this Mardi Gras weekend, 
THIS is the book to do so!

imogene in new orleans cover


Synopsis:

At the ripe age of 73, Imogene Deal McGregor has a penchant for following her own instincts, as well as more grit and spunk than her hypochondriac son, Billy McGregor, and Billy's impulsive partner Jackson Miller can handle. The boys take Imogene to New Orleans with their devilishly handsome English bulldog Goose, hoping to visit friends and attend a second line parade, but moments after arriving in the French Quarter, they find their friend Glenway Gilbert murdered in his art gallery. Immediately, Imogene and the boys run into a temperamental and ethically-challenged lieutenant who appears hell-bent on neglecting the crime, compelling them to seek answers themselves. As they delve into Glenway Gilbert's murder, Imogene and the boys realize the deceased artist was surrounded by suspicious friends and lovers. With Goose the bulldog by their side, Jackson and Billy seek answers among old friends and new enemies, while Imogene follows her own ideas on the case. But the sooner they solve the murder, the sooner they can get back to catching beads and eating pralines.


Review:

This book actually came out in 2014, and is the first novel in the Imogene and the Boys series. It is the precursor to The Curse of the Bridal Chamberwhich you know I adored! Hunter was SO sweet to send me an autographed copy of this book, and I feel SO bad for the delayed review! But this book is JUST as charming as Bridal Chamber, as the boys bring Imogene to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and get embroiled in a rather messy mystery involving their friend. As the mystery gets messier, the reader is taken to the 4 corners of the NOLA area, and you really get a feel for NOLA's many facets. 

Once again, you have to appreciate Hunter's humor, as Billy and Jackson are such SOUTHERN characters through and through. Imogene. Well Imogene is special. We ALL have an auntee like her. For good or worse, LOL. But her relationship with 'the boys' is honest and pure, and one we all hope we could have with our older relatives! As much as the book is a mystery, it is also a tale of relationships and friendships-how much do we really know about our friends? And how only upon their deaths do we come to understand there were secrets kept. In so many ways, I'd love to see this series brought to life (mini-series?), but I don't know if the dialogue would really come across the big screen correctly. So much of the allure of the book is picturing you own family members/people you know, as the characters, or involved. And that doesn't always translate well. In many ways it is like the Tales of the City series from Armistead Maupin- which didn't really translate well (with the exception of one or two characters).

So if you are looking for a fun, kitchy, campy way, to experience NOLA and Mardi Gras, give this book a chance. I bet you'll run out and get the 2nd book too!


About the Author:

Hunter Murphy is a writer from Florida. Some of his literary heroes include P.G. Wodehouse, Eudora Welty, Christopher Morley, Eugene Walter, and Agatha Christie. He's a fan of good storytelling, no matter the medium. 

He released Imogene in New Orleans, the award-winning first novel in the Imogene and the Boys series, in 2014 and has followed up the book with The Curse of the Bridal Chamber (September 2016). He works and spends a lot of time in libraries.

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