Rating: 
Summary: The Baroness outdoes herself
Review: When New Orleans PI Talba Wallis does a pre-marital background check on her friend Babalu Maya's fiance, things quickly go from bad to worse. The fiance is a cad, but Babalu seems to have other, darker problems on her mind. Yet, when Babalu turns up dead, it is none other than the fiance who believes she was murdered and hires Talba to look into it.Talba immediately runs into a roadblock when she finds that Babalu Maya doesn't seem to exist. Following a trail which eventually leads to Clayton, Louisiana, Talba keeps digging. People in Clayton aren't talking, however. Refusing to give up, Talba and her boss, Eddie Valentino, both put their lives on the line to learn the murky secrets the town is hiding. Talba Wallis's new adventures far surpass her last one. I hope Julie Smith hasn't killed off her Skip Langdon series but, if such is the case, Talba is a more than worthy successor. The atmosphere in this fast-paced tale is earthy and real. The dialogue is crisp, the writing is superior, and the plot is strong. If you haven't yet discovered the world of Talba Wallis, a/k/a the Baroness Pontalba, treat yourself to this book. It's definitely a winner.
Rating:
Summary: What a great, fun, exciting, hard-to-solve read
Review: 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.
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