Murder in the Rue Chartres: A Chanse MacLeod Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)
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Product Description
Murder hits the Big Easy. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Chanse MacLeod returns to a different, shattered New Orleans in an attempt to rebuild his own life and face his own future. When he discovers that his last client before the storm was murdered the very night she hired him to find her long-missing father, he is drawn into a web of intrigue and evil that surrounds the Verlaine family. Greg Herren is the author of six mysteries set in the city of New Orleans, including Murder in the Rue Dauphine and Murder in the Rue St. Ann, and he co-edited Love, Bourbon Street.
Spotlight Customer Reviews:
Summary:
Top-notch
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Comment:
A pot-smoking gay private eye returns to New Orleans post-Katrina to resume a missing persons investigation only to find that his client has been murdered. Is his original assignment the cause? An intriguing mystery which may have roots in a true forty year old unsolved hate crime coupled with descriptions of the hurricane-battered city make this an exceptional read. Highly recommended for all. (If you become curious about the historic event mentioned here, the 'net offers a lot of info; original national televised newscasts are available on YouTube.)
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Summary:
Greg Herren at his best.
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Comment:
Greg has written a first hand account of New Orleans during and after Katrina wrapped in an excellent mystery. It's very moving and makes one totally feel for the people of New Orleans and the failure of Bush and his Republican administration in this disaster. Anyone who votes Republican in the next election is asking for the same in the future.
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Summary:
Great mystery, and a love story tribute to New Orleans
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Comment:
Six weeks after the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought to his adopted hometown, New Orleans, private investigator Chanse MacLeod returns to try to resume his life there. Being one of the lucky ones, his apartment came through the storm relatively unscathed, but he is stunned and shocked by the surreal visions of what is left of the city and its formerly vibrant and joyful inhabitants.
Right before he left, he had been hired by Iris Verlaine, heir to a family shipbuilding empire, to find her missing father. While Ms. Verlaine subsequently canceled his contract before the storm, he still held her retainer check which he wanted to return to her. When he found out that she had apparently been murdered the same night that she called, he felt a need to look into that (and the missing father) to find closure at a time when very little in his own life seemed to make sense. Aided by Iris' brother Joshua, who rehired Chanse, and by his friends in the police department, Venus and Blaine, as well as his best friend, journalist Paige, Chanse uncovers a murder plot that encoumpases an unsolved arson at a gay bar, the unethical director of a nursing home, as well as how much greed and bigotry can tear apart a well-respected New Orleans family. In my opinion, it is Herren's best mystery novel to date, complete with fully-developed realistic characters pushing their personal agendas beyond any recognition of right or wrong.
But this is more than just a mystery novel. "Murder in the Rue Chartres" is also a love story ... showing the dedication of the residents of New Orleans to the spirit of their city, and the unfortunate emotional, psychological and substance abuse problems brought on post-Katrina ... not just from the devastation from the storm but by the well-publicized lack of proper action by the federal government in preparing the city for the hurricane as well as its criminally-deficient lack of assistance in cleaning up afterwards. It is clear that, more than any of his other works, the emotions expressed here are from deep in Greg Heren's heart, and I have not read a more honest and riveting account of post-Katrina New Orleans anywhere else. An exceptional book, which everyone should read, in my opinion. Five big BOLD stars out of five.
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Summary:
Very atmospheric mystery
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Comment:
Private Investigator Chanse MacLeod has finally gone home to his beloved New Orleans, but though he has seen the news clips as the mass destruction of Katrina, he is still stunned with what happened to the city. Not long after returning he learns that his last client Iris Verlaine before the Hurricane was murdered on the same night she had hired him.
Chanse feels obligated to accomplish Iris' assignment to find her long time missing father. He also feels obsessed to find out who killed Iris. However, not only is the city different; his late client's family oozes charm that makes the detective feel welcome and therefore wary.
Chanse is terrific as he sees the horror of Katrina in many ways while traveling the city. Little thinks like street signs and known landmarks are gone. The two mysteries are cleverly designed to bring out post Katrina New Orleans in a way few tales have been bale to do. To fully comprehend Chanse's shock compare MURDER IN THE RUE CHARTRES to his previous Big Easy cases (see MURDER IN THE RUE DAUPHINE and MURDER IN THE RUE ST. ANN).
Harriet Klausner
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Summary:
Another Winner
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Comment:
In Greg Herren's latest mystery, his characters are involved both in the central motivating event of the book and in finding their bearings after Katrina. He unravels the mystery-element of the story with finesse and describes adjustments to the aftermath of the hurricane with insight and compassion. Another Winner!
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