What a great, fun, exciting, hard-to-solve read
Rating:
5 / 5
Young women starting out as PIs start cheap and often finish early in the mystery fiction business -- but hope that Baroness de Pontalba, a/k/a Talba Wallis will be around for many more pleasurable reads. She has more prickles than a porcupine and apparently less fear than Zeus in solving mean, bitter problems. Her personality glints like silver as she dances between personal and business tragedy; underestimate her, and you're the one playing the fool's gold.This is a forceful, beautifully written story that, in all likelihood, will cast you as a stranger in a strange land. But you will probably not be able to put down the book and chances are you will also be unable to untangle the strands of mystery much before the final acts play out. It's probably too complex, or they would ruin the delicious ruminations of the Baroness on the other characters, but there ought to be a movie here. Just read the book. It's hard to imagine a movie subtle and strong enough to capture both dynamic action and the tension between emotion and thought.
Investigation Into Friend's Death Puts P.I. In Jeopardy
Rating:
4 / 5
Private Investigator Talba Wallis is working on routine cases when her friend, Babalu Maya, hires Talba to prove that Babalu's fianc? is cheating on her. But Talba gets more than she bargained for when Babalu is found dead of a drug overdose after receiving her report. When Babalu's fianc? unexpectedly hires Talba to look into Babalu's death, she begins to realize that she didn't know her friend as well as she thought. Her investigation turns up another name for Babalu, taken from her hometown of Clayton, Louisiana. Talba soon discovers that not only is she not welcome in Clayton, someone wants to put an end to her investigation and to her. The more she finds out about the case, the more danger she puts herself in. From a gruesome, covered-up attack that happened decades ago, to a suspicious political campaign, Talba uncovers enough to make people uneasy. But will she find the answers she's searching for before the person who wants to silence her finds her? With the help of Eddie, her supervisor, and the cunning tricks of a P.I., Talba fights until the end to solve her friend's death and unravel the mystery that has gone on for decades. "Louisiana Bigshot" is a lively, twisting novel that provides the reader with a look into the life of a private investigator through Talba Wallis's confident, headstrong personality. Julie Smith also intersperses meaningful poetry and several sub-plots throughout the story, keeping the reader interested.
Awesome & Unputdownable
Rating:
5 / 5
I loved this second fast-paced tale of the irrepressible, sassy, intelligent poetess-turned-detective, Baroness Pontalba. The plot had more surprising twists and turns than a Louisiana bayou country road...and keeps you guessing until the very end. It always cracks me up when Ms. Smith brings Detective extraordinairre, Skip Langdon into the story....she's the main character in her excellent Skip Langdon series. If you're just discovering Ms. Smith's writing, you're in for a delectable treat and a fabulous story. She's the best!
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