Reviewed by Kristin
Sometimes books seem so over the top that you don’t really
have high expectations. Jana DeLeon’s Miss
Fortune series had been repeatedly recommended to me, so I picked it up Louisiana
Longshot even though the cover and description seemed, well, they seemed to
be trying too hard.
The series is set in Sinful, Louisiana with a CIA agent hiding
out because an arms dealer has her in his crosshairs. Fortune (the nickname
she’s earned as an agent) is lying low pretending to be the heir to a local
estate, as well as a librarian and former beauty queen. Since Fortune would
rather run three miles before breakfast than tease her hair and have a
manicure, the character does not come naturally.
Human remains turn up on Fortune’s property before she can
even unpack her suitcases. This immediately attracts the attention of a rather
hot young deputy, as well as critters both domesticated and not. What is stereotypical
Louisiana if you don’t spot an alligator or two? A group of old ladies, who
have more up their sleeves than is apparent, runs the tiny town. Fortunately,
(pun intended) the women are happy to take Fortune in as one of their own.
Fortune gets herself into ridiculous situations that had me
laughing out loud, but somehow the writing is skillful enough that it didn’t
make me throw up my hands and give up. The characters, especially “The Geritol
Mafia”, have promises for depths to be revealed as the series continues. And it
is a long series—28 volumes so far.
This first in series fit nicely into my Book Bingo card for “a
character who is a sleuth” and I will probably return to the series after I get
the rest of my card filled. The crazy situations Fortune gets herself into
definitely call for a suspension of disbelief, but it’s a nicely done break
from reality.
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