Mardi Gras Murder: A Cajun Country Mystery

I really enjoyed this book and I had a lovely history lesson to go with it. The way it was woven so beautifully into the plot line was incredible in and of itself; however, the world building and characters were equally fantastic. I didn't have the slightest idea who the bad guy was and I was floored when it was all put together. I enjoyed the different viewpoints that were shown through the annual beauty pageant. It was well-written instead of coming across as preachy or forcing one viewpoint and limiting the others. Recipes included: Oyster Soup, Banana Bon Temps Cocktail, Banana Pancakes with Brown Sugar Butter, Easy-Peasy King (Bundt) Cake, Gumbo Recipes ( Gaynell's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Gaynell's Seafood Gumbo), Ellen's Cajun Country Potato Salad, and Gaynell's Potato Salad. Thank you so much to Ellen Byron, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron is the fourth book in A Cajun Country Mystery series. The town of Pelican, Louisiana suffered from heavy rains and flooding. Behind the Crozat Plantation B&B, under piles of debris the family finds a dead man without identification. Three weeks later, the town is recovering from the flooding and they are ready for the Mardi Gras celebrations to begin—Laissez les bon temps rouler. The celebrations include a gumbo cook-off, a parade and the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen pageant. Maggie’s grandmother normally is one of the pageant judges, but walking pneumonia has her confined to bed which means Maggie must step up to the plate (despite her opinion of pageants). At the first meeting of the judges, Maggie learns about the controversial Louisiana Orphan Train exhibit. The highlight of the meeting is when a fight breaks out between two of the pageant contestant mothers. On the way home, Maggie is rear ended by Gerard Damboise, head judge and president of the historical society. Maggie finds him bleeding from a gunshot wound. Gerard whispers two last words before he perishes. Maggie wonders if his death is related to the pageant or the orphan train exhibit. Maggie begins scouting for clues in the hopes of resolving Gerard’s murder. Can Maggie unmask the killer before Fat Tuesday? Mardi Gras Murder can be read alone if you have not read the other novels in A Cajun Country Mystery series. There is a lot going on in Mardi Gras Murder. I only covered the basics in my summary. There is the unidentified dead man, Mardi Gras, the pageant, problems with Tug’s gumbo pot, Gran’s illness, guests at the B&B, Maggie’s relationship with Bo, a mystery at Doucet, a secret room at Grove Hall, the flooding, and the orphan train exhibit controversy. The book is well-written with a steady pace and humor scattered throughout. There are numerous characters, but the author does provide a handy cheat sheet at the beginning of the book (I wish I could have printed it out). Pelican is a small town where everyone knows your business and is happy to pass it along to others. The town goes all out for Mardi Gras. I learned some interesting facts about the holiday along with interesting traditions. The murder mystery has some intriguing points (I do not want to spoil it for you). There is misdirection along with direct clues. Avid cozy mystery readers will have no problem solving the whodunit. All the storylines are wrapped up at the end. There is a sweet ending that will have the romantics smiling, and I love who won the gumbo cook-off. Ellen Byron combines Southern charm, Mardi Gras, humor, a cast of quirky characters and a beguiling mystery into one rousing cozy mystery.

I think I’ve run out of words to rave about how much I’m enjoying this series. It has complex characters that I’ve fallen in love with; I’ve adored watching Maggie, Bo, and Rufus grow into the multifaceted individuals we see now. There are a variety of twisty little mysteries in every book that layer over top of one another to create an intricate web of deceptions that I still haven’t been able to solve before the end of a book. And there’s what’s happening between Maggie and Bo. It’s dramatic and angsty while still being sweet and perfectly adorable. I can’t wait to read more. I read a borrowed copy of this book.