In 2015, I read Relatively Risky, the first book in Pauline Baird Jones’ The Big Uneasy series. Actually, I listened to the audiobook version. Once I start a series in audiobook, I usually try to finish it that way. Alas, there were no more The Big Uneasy audiobooks forthcoming.
Well, #4 in the series is about to come up so I did a bit of a Big Uneasy binge read. Dead Spaces and Louisiana Lagniappe come between Relatively Risky and the newest installment, Worry Beads. So today, 2 for the price of 1, my getting caught up reviews. Coming soon: A guest post from Pauline Baird Jones and my review of Worry Beads.
About Dead Spaces (The Big Uneasy, #2) by Pauline Baird Jones
Be careful what you dig for…
A forensic surgeon in the New Orleans Coroner’s Center— and part of her dad’s Baker’s Dozen— Hannah Baker thought she knew where to dig, how and what to slice, and when to walk away.
But when her big brother gets her involved in the exhumation of a couple of old coffins, she realizes the past can’t be ignored. Not when its been simmering up a big pile of trouble for longer than Hannah’s born days.
Only New Orleans could produce a “Baked” gumbo of the mob, shadowy figures from the past, annoying figures from the present, murders, attempted murders, and a really cute detective who is technically off limits on account of he’s her big brother’s partner.
Good thing NOPD Detective Logan Ferris doesn’t know the meaning of “off limits,” because once more the Big Easy is getting mighty uneasy.
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Review of Dead Spaces
My favorite thing about heroine Hannah – she look at people with coroner eyes and pictures the underlying structure – bones, muscle, organs.
Guido has a decent skull, his frontal nicely balanced with his mandible. Acceptable frame, clavicles wide enough to make his suit hang nicely, though he was a bit elegant for here tastes. (From Dead Spaces by Pauline Baird Jones)
Well, maybe I have one more favorite thing. Hannah is the brains of the family, and they all know it, even if siblings are loath to admit it. Really, I just love a brainy heroine. When Hannah talks, take note:
“Old.. cold…” she finally said. “It’s an old, cold case that doesn’t feel old or cold. It feels… like it’s about to explode.” (From Dead Spaces by Pauline Baird Jones)
Hannah is being tailed by all three crime families. Plus she is hunting down some possibly dead people. Now, remember, Hannah is a coroner, not a detective. And she is keeping secrets from the rest of her crime-solving siblings. That is where Logan the cute detective comes in. Somehow, Hannah confides a secret to Logan and now they come together conduct their own furtive investigation. Yeah, that is not going to work with big brother Alex as Logan’s partner. Is it? Well, I absolutely love the challenge they set up for themselves. Solve a mystery, stay alive and, try to get in a kiss now and then – all without involving the family.
The antagonist is nameless for a while and you gradually get clues as to the identity of the person who would take over organized crime in New Orleans. This ploy keeps you thinking and then you will have an ‘oh my’ or an ‘aha’ moment.
As told by Ms. Jones in Dead Spaces, New Orleans is a gritty, beautiful, old town with all the charm I remember from my own visits to the city. I also remember the food, but in Dead Spaces, Logan and Hannah seem to eat a lot of fast food. They don’t have time for anything more.
There a many characters in Dead Spaces. Many. The Baker family, Logan, and various members of three crime families. I think I could have used a guide to avoid confusion, especially since, at times, only first names were used. I enjoyed the big cast of characters, adding complexity of the story, despite the head spinning they caused.
Dead Spaces is part of a series and it does leave a few mysteries not totally explained. Like, what’s the deal with the rings? And the dolls? And the coded documents? I don’t think we are done with the wise guys. I look forward to the continuation of the Bakers versus the mob.
Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of her book. It was so I could get caught up with the series to review the new one – Worry Beads. So no expectation of a review, but here it is.
About Louisiana Lagniappe (The Big Uneasy, #3) by Pauline Baird Jones
A Reunion, a murder, and a wedding… What’s next?
Becca Smith Poole should have known her forty-fifth high school reunion would be anything but normal – especially when a dead body turns up! Renowned for her problem-solving skills, Becca is determined to discover who the murderer is – and if her former high school crush is still as handsome as he was in their younger days. The first will take some time to solve, the second one took her breath away.
Retired detective Zach Baker has been lonely since the last of his Baker’s dozen moved out. When he sees Becca Smith’s picture in the “where are they now” brochure, he wonders if this might be a first chance for him with the gal he could never connect with in high school. But before he can ask her out, a murder breaks up the party.
Lucky for him, his son’s upcoming wedding is full of problems requiring Becca’s professional problem solving touch. Can a retired cop and a mystery reading problem solver unmask a killer before the wedding? Even more challenging, can Zach convince Becca that there is no end date for falling in love?
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Review of Louisiana Lagniappe
Louisiana Lagniappe is a change of pace from the other books in The Big Uneasy series. The novella length is a quick read, so the plot is not complex. Just right for an afternoon’s reading.
It is about old folks. And is kind of a nice change. Can you imagine finding someone at your 50th class reunion. I can’t. Honestly, I’m not that old – yet. But in Louisiana Lagniappe, the reunion is the setting for the romantic meeting of Becca and Zach as well as the scene of a crime. No boring reunion this year!
Becca and Zach sit back and watch Zach’s son Alex run the crime scene. But secretly they are itching to figure this out themselves. Well, the older we get, the more we have an opinion on things. I’m pretty sure that is a universal truth, so it is no surprise that Becca and Zach will be sticking their nose in. They keep uncovering facts but….
Every question came back to why?
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When Becca posed the question to Zach later, mostly to get that look of longing out of his eyes, he pretended to give it careful consideration.
Finally, he said, “Sometimes people don’t have a reason for what they do. Sometimes, they just do things.”
“Impulse control problems?” Killers with this problem didn’t show up a lot in cozy mysteries because impulsive killers were impulsive and random, making sleuthing them out difficult for author and reader. She liked the clues, the building suspense, and hated a mystery that took her all the way to the end, and then brought in a ringer killer who hadn’t been on the page through the whole book. (From Louisiana Lagniappe by Pauline Baird Jones)
No ringer in this book. The clues are there, very subtle and I did not see it coming. In retrospect, I’m like, oh yeah, that makes sense. (Snort) Will you figure it out?
Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of her book. It was so I could get caught up with the series to review the new one – Worry Beads. So no expectation of a review, but here it is.
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Links
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Giveaway
Don’t forget the ongoing Holiday Treat Giveaway for the audiobook of The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick, or the print books of Tiffany Roberts’ Dustwalker and Bec McMaster’s Nobody’s Hero. If you haven’t entered yet, you might be interested to know that commenting on today’s post helps qualify you for an entry – see the giveaway post for all the details. Or go straight to the giveaway….
USA Today Bestselling author Pauline Baird Jones never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance. Loves chocolate, bacon, flamingoes, and mid-century modern anything.