Review by Kathleen Costa
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
Karma Knows Best!
Merry Wrath is living in Who’s There, Iowa, married to Detective Rex Ferguson, and enjoying life as a Girl Scout leader. It is, however, a far cry from her previous life as a CIA field agent deeply involved in several dangerous covert missions all over the world. But, that didn’t end well when her identity was publicly leaked forcing her to escape from some angry Chechen terrorists. You’d think hiding in an obscure, small town in Iowa would be the perfect hideout…not on your [her] life! Too many bad guys vying revenge have found her, but they’ve been relatively easy to thwart because she has the best, skilled, back up: her detective husband, a former CIA handler, a CIA “not an assassin” assassin, her BFF and co-Scout leader, a quartet of teenage comic book-loving druids, and ten, well eight now, very precocious pre-teens: the best of the best, especially when you need a weapons expert, a junior zookeeper, and a newly elected mayor in sparkly “VIP” t-shirts!
Image Source Gemma Halliday |
Kelly Albers, co-Scout leader, is not convinced Merry’s idea to take several, now fifth grade, girls to Louisiana for Mardi Gras is an educational experience. Multicultural points of interests? Sure. Cajun and Creole culinary treats? Ok. Alligators? What! Merry’s thought wasn’t really for the safety of the girls, they’ve proven themselves a capable bunch under harrowing circumstances; no, Merry wondered how she could warn Louisiana about the impending “Hurricane Betty.” The idea of visiting Who’s There’s sister city, Who’s Dat (Cajun for who’s there), is a more plausible rationale, and when permission slips are returned at a record rate, Merry’s planned adventure is set! But, on their arrival, Merry’s spidey sense is niggling her, and as a former covert operative, she’s learned to never “poo-poo” her spidey senses.
Of course, wherever the troop goes, so goes trouble, but not always of their own making. Betty and Ava did stretch the truth a bit which may be a problem when they see the degree to which Who’s Dat laid out the red carpet, but it’s also a haunted third floor at the B&B, a voodoo priestess’s grave, a half-man/half-gator legend, a curse, a vampire, and a couple of bodies (not ones from Tarzan’s Taxidermy & Tea) that make this adventure very problematic...ok, dangerous!
Female Empowerment at its best! Leslie Langtry’s Merry Wrath Mystery series is a big favorite starting with a cover loaded with story-related bits and always with more than a few engaging predicaments, entertaining dilemmas, diverse characters, a few four-legged or feathered friends, and Betty! This twenty-second murder mystery is quite good, a challenge loaded with threats, accusations, and peril on a city-wide scale. Langtry’s writing style is absolutely brilliant, well-developed, witty, and riddled with snarky retorts and frequent references to previous CIA missions and varying crises to illustrate her thoughts. As a veteran teacher, having managed many a field trip for preteens, I couldn’t see myself agreeing to take this particular bunch of girls out-of-state, but thank goodness for Leslie’s creative imagination because this story was a “couldn’t put down” gem…I love it!
Be a Big Leslie Langtry Fan!
USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry pens one of my favorite series: Merry Wrath series. She also writes the very entertaining Bombay Assassins Greatest Hits Mystery and is one of the contributing authors in GHP’s Aloha Lagoon Mystery with two marvelous books: Ukulele Murder and Ukulele Deadly. Something for every cozy taste!
Facebook: Merry’s Troop is a “private” group fans can join.
Be a Gemma Halliday Publishing Fan!
Website - Gemma Halliday Publishing
To enter to win an ebook copy of Mardi Gras Murder, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "mardi,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 30, 2022. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.
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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.
Sounds interesting! Count me in!
ReplyDeleteLove Leslie's books. Looking forward to reading the book.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I hope this series comes out on Kindle Unlimited. It sounds so good. acm05 at juno dot com
ReplyDeleteWe have a winner!
ReplyDelete