Genre: Book
Grade: B+
Notable People: Julie Smith
Title: “New Orleans Mourning”
Review: Mid 90s pre-Katrina book set in New Orleans, that introduced Smiths ongoing series featuring heroine NOLA policewoman, Skip Langdon. Interesting to read about NOLA before the storms hit and changed everything. Book is focused around the Uptown/Garden District blue bloods of N’Awlins and how they try to get away with murder-literally. If you’ve spent time there, this book is loaded with place – relevant chestnuts, and the story is a good one, but Smith (a former reporter for the New Orleans Picayune) lacks the kind of grit details that you find in Tony Dunbar’s Tubby books and frankly, lacks depth in her writing. Characters seemed stiff an formulaic to me….but still a good, quick read if you like the place. I’ll give her another shot to see how her craft advances.