April 2022 Book of the Month Club - Louisiana Longshot

[Lari]

I've read like four chapters. It's an easier read than Addie LaRue, and it's fine so far.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm about two days off starting it. I'm down to the last few pages of the next-to-last Nevada Barr books, and I've already brought ALL of the Miss Fortune series out to my "to read" shelf. I'll be binging the series once I get started.

 

[rubysmama]

I finished it last night. Must write up my review and save it in Word to post at discussion time.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'll be starting on it tonight or (more probably) tomorrow. Depends on how long I get to read tonight. I keep bouncing in my chair when i look at the bookcase, with all of the Miss Fortune books lined up to go!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Poor chair.

 

[pearl99]

I just got home from a trip so will be starting it tomorrow!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

LOL, I've finished re-reading it, and the next three

 

[rubysmama]

Three days till discussion time.
Everyone getting close to the end of Louisiana Longshot?

 

[pearl99]

I'm currently behind but will be done after discussion starts.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

View attachment 417538

Three days till discussion time.
Everyone getting close to the end of Louisiana Longshot?

If by "almost done" you mean reading #11 in the series, yep!

 

[Lari]

Getting close.

 

[Boris Diamond]

Ho finito!

 

[rubysmama]

Time to post your thoughts on Louisiana Longshot. Since I'm here, I'll start.

I finished the book on the 11th, so wrote the review the next morning, while it was still fresh in my mind. Not too much to say about it, really. I didn’t find it to be a page turner, but not a difficult read either.

At the beginning I found the humour almost overwhelming. I don’t have a great sense of humour at the best of times, so I didn’t laugh as much as the author probably intended.

I did, however, literally LOL when Deputy LeBlanc stopped the car on the road from the bar, and found Fortune in yet another state of undress. This time wearing nothing but a garbage bag.

Sometime after that scene, I found the humour seemed to lessen. Not sure it if actually did, or if I just got used to the writing style. Whichever it was, I enjoyed the book more after that.

I was surprised by the twist at the end where we learned Gertie and Ida Belle were former spies. I didn't see that coming, but does explain why they were so involved in the town’s unsolved mysteries.

I know this is book 1 in a series, and not sure if I’m interested in reading more or not. Google tells me there’s 22 books in the series, so that’s a lot to read. It looks like my library has all of them, so I might borrow and read the next one.

Addendum:
Shortly after I finished Louisiana Longshot, I borrowed Lethal Bayou Beauty. I got to about the 30% mark before coming to the conclusion that I wasn't interested in reading more about Fortune and her friends.

Spoiler: from Lethal Bayou Beauty

it was around the point where she burned the little girl's hair, and didn't even seem to care.

Sorry Mamanyt1953 , but I gave it my best shot.

Back to Louisiana Longshot, I did enjoy some parts of it, and had that one literal LOL moment, so I'll give it 3 starts out of 5.

 

[misty8723]

I read it despite it not being the type of book I would normally read. I'm not a fan of murder mysteries or first person narratives. However, it was a free download and an easy read, so I got through it quickly.I found the narrator annoying in the beginning and it seemed unlikely someone with her personality would be a CIA agent. She was entirely too full of herself and apparently not willing to do what needed to be done to blend in with the local population. It seemed she felt they were all beneath her. I also didn't find any of it particularly humorous. I do have a good sense of humor, just not for this. I do agree it was surprising that the two ladies turned out to be former spies. However, it did make me wonder how the bad guys were able to get the drop on them and get them tied up so easy. I guess the ending was too wrapped up in a neat ribbon to satisfy me. I'll give it three out of five stars simply because it wasn't so unreadable I didn't finish it.

I have no desire to read any more from this series.

 

[verna davies]

I am not a lover of cozy mysteries so I didn't expect to give this book 5 stars but nevertheless wanted to read it out of curiosity.

I liked the two old ladies, Ida Belle and Gertie, they were like an aging Thelma and Louise. They were hair brained and up for a laugh but their antics got somewhat tiresome after a while.

I laughed several times at the humour but it came too thick and fast.

I couldn't imagine Fortune being a CIA agent as she came across as clumsy and incompetent. There wasnt enough to hold my attention and I found my mind wondering but then I'm not a fan of comedy films or books so this one didn't really have much of a chance.

I was a little surprised at finding out Ida Belle and Gerta were former spies but suspected they were more than they were portraying themselves.

I know many people love cozies especially Mamanyt1953 , it had really good reviews so is obviously popular but unfortunately not for me.

I give this book a really mean

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm so sorry you guys didn't enjoy it. I did...all six times I've read it, and laughed like a hyena every time. Probably because of my extremely lively sense of the absurd. And I keep telling you all that my sense of humor is a twisty as a macrame hooty owl on an aging hippie's bedroom wall! The Miss Fortune series tickles both the sense of humor and the absurd, and I'm wiling to put up with a good bit of suspended disbelief to get there (Monty Python, I love you so!).

This was my Goodreads review after the first reading:

Actually, this is a four-and-a-half star book! OH MY! Finished it last night, and am still giggling over some of the scenes! SO...what happens when you plop a CIA operative down in a small bayou town in Louisiana with the dire warning, "LAY LOW!"? And what happens when that operative doesn't get in the house good before she's up to her ears in a murder mystery? And what if, at the center of the mystery is a pair of most redoubtable old ladies who seem to be running the entire town from behind the scenes? Mayhem. That's what happens. Utter mayhem. And when that story is told by an author with a genius for making characters come to life, and a remarkable talent for absurd dialogue that never-the-less rings entirely true, you have a book well worth reading! I didn't really know whodunit until right at the very end, which is nice in a mystery, but I'll tell you right now...had I known from page one, the journey would have been JUST as important as the destination, and I'd have loved this book just as much! I had laughed out loud twice before page 25, and laughed so hard I spit iced tea on my lap before page 75. This is a keeper, and I'm out after the rest of the series!

I haven't changed my mind about it after the sixth reading. LOL, BTW, I'm up to #14 now, and will start #15 later tonight!

No, Fortune would not be a believable CIA agent in a serious thriller. But this is not that. And in a serious thriller, someone would probably have choked Gertie to death somewhere around 1995. And someone would have shot Celia for general principles before that. However, part of my love for these books is the time I spent actually living in small Louisiana towns, and knowing people VERY much like the residents of Sinful, with all their absurdities! I know they seem overblown to most people, but they live and breathe! I promise, chere. They do! For the record, "Hebert" is pronounced "A bear." "Chacaron" is pronounced "Sha ka ROWN," with the "n" almost swallowed, and barely heard.

LOL, I was cashiering for a short time in a local grocery store several years back, and a gentleman in my line said something about the "nice, big, "own YOWNS," and I almost cried! He was from just down the bayou from where I lived. He brought me a big plate of crawfish boil just before I got off work. "Crawfish boil" is crawfish, corn on the cob, and red potatoes all boiled together with Cajun seasonings. SO GOOD!

OK...I'll shut up now.

 

[verna davies]

Mamanyt1953 . We all knew you would enjoy the book again which is great. Personally, I think you should write a book, some of your expressions crack me up, far funnier to me than the book.

 

[Lari]

The book ended up being a pretty easy read. I figured Marge had killed Harvey and was in love with Marie fairly early on, so it was a pleasant surprise that the book made me think I was right and bait and switched back to Melvin at the end. I figured out Marie was in the attic at the raccoon incident. So the mystery portion was half and half.

I agree Fortune would not have actually lived this long as a CIA agent, but I was willing to suspend disbelief. Gertie and Ida Belle were pretty fun characters.

The book also made me crave banana pudding, so there's that.

Idk, maybe 3.5/5 stars? 4? It was a nice little romp, but not the best or favorite thing I've ever read.

 

[maggiedemi]

Doesn't sound like a book I would like at all. I only like Romance, Biography/Autobiography, and True Crime.

 

[rubysmama]

I read it despite it not being the type of book I would normally read. I'm not a fan of murder mysteries or first person narratives. However, it was a free download and an easy read, so I got through it quickly.

Glad you joined us this month, and read Louisiana Longshot, despite it not being the type of book you'd usually choose.

I liked the two old ladies, Ida Belle and Gertie, they were like an aging Thelma and Louise.

Never thought about that, but that description fits.

I'm so sorry you guys didn't enjoy it. I did...all six times I've read it, and laughed like a hyena every time. Probably because of my extremely lively sense of the absurd. And I keep telling you all that my sense of humor is a twisty as a macrame hooty owl on an aging hippie's bedroom wall! The Miss Fortune series tickles both the sense of humor and the absurd, and I'm wiling to put up with a good bit of suspended disbelief to get there (Monty Python, I love you so!).

I think I'm too much of a realist for cozy mysteries. However, that said, I loved the Shopaholic books, which I know a lot of people can't stand, due to the absurdness of Becky. So I guess to each their own.

However, part of my love for these books is the time I spent actually living in small Louisiana towns, and knowing people VERY much like the residents of Sinful, with all their absurdities! I know they seem overblown to most people, but they live and breathe! I promise, chere. They do!

I've wondered if me being a city girl is part of why I can't relate to these books. I can certainly see how living in a similar place and knowing similar people would make the books more believable.

The book also made me crave banana pudding, so there's that.

LOL. Now I'm crazing banana pudding.

Doesn't sound like a book I would like at all. I only like Romance, Biography/Autobiography, and True Crime.

Nice to see you commenting in our book club thread. That's a pretty wide range of book genres, so maybe one month we'll be reading one that interests you. Hmmm... I think one of the short stories in May is a romance. So maybe you can check it out.