Nick Noelle, a salt-of-the-earth, Creole-born detective, has always been his own man, playing by his own rules. When police discover that the mutilated victim found in the swampy bayou is the body of Julia Brunswick, daughter of the richest oilman in Texas, Noelle and his god-fearing partner Juan Lopez are put on the case. The story twists and turns, entrapping readers in the drama of Houston socialites and miscreants alike. With the turn of the page, the death count grows as one maniacal murder follows another.
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoy mysteries. Some of the first books I ever read on my own were mysteries and I still adore the genre as a whole, but at times I worried that the genre was stagnant. However, the past couple of years some authors have risen up that really reassures me that mystery is not dead.
Nick Noelle is a new kind of detective, a very geographical-specific man whose voice immediately lets you picture him and get wrapped into his life. He's unique, and very easy to like.
His partner Juan Lopez is somewhat of a cultural stereotype, but in a good way. He brings a bit of something you don't usually get in crime fiction: religion. He's not a Bible-thumper you want to silence. Rather, I enjoyed his antics.
While crime fiction is usually plot-driven, this was a bit more character driven. The story was good, but the characters made it more enjoyable. I would return to Ms. Baumann's work just to get to know these two men better.
4/5--interesting and good crime fiction.
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