Gumbo Justice [Paperback]

Holli Castillo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2009

Gumbo Justice won the 2011 PSWA First Place award for Best Published Fiction in the Novel category.

New Orleans prosecutor Ryan Murphy likes her Tequila cold and her cops hot. Battling demons from her past and checking her self-destructive streak take a back seat to her ambition, and she's not above skating the line just a little to get what she wants. If she snags a detective or two in the process, well, that's just a little lagniappe for her trouble. Life should be good.  Enter a demented psycho, with a plan to ruin Ryan's life before he ultimately kills her.

Set against the backdrop of pre-Katrina New Orleans, Gumbo Justice is the first in a series that follows the tumultuous life of prosecutor Ryan Murphy, eventually bringing her through hurricane Katrina and into the post-storm world of the Big Easy.

About the Author: Holli Castillo is a Louisiana Appellate Public defender and former New Orleans prosecutor. She was born and raised in New Orleans, where she lives with her husband, two children, dog, and deaf cat.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Full of memorable characters and edge of the seat writing...when you think things couldn't get any hotter, Castillo turns up the heat to deliver an ending with a twist that's definitely a satisfying shocker." --Norma Seely, Murder X5

Fast-paced and tightly woven, combining a psycho-thriller, a police procedural in a city where procedure takes a back seat to impulse, and a terrific love story - a stunning achievement. --J.M. Orenduff, author of the Pot Thief Series

"Gumbo Justice...certainly lives up to its title! It's hot and meaty and just the right blend of spices to give any lover of police procedural mysteries something great to sink our teeth into!" --Laine Estep, Mystery Lovers Corner

Castillo's characters are well drawn, with good development and diversity...the city of New Orleans provides an excellent setting for this fast-paced, edgy and suspenseful thriller.
--J.B. Thompson, Reviewing the Evidence

"Intriguing mystery. I liked the New Orleans flair...(think "mama," shrimp poboys, and nights full of tequila)....I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series!"
--Book Club Queen

From the Author

Ryan Murphy is a character I've had immense pleasure creating.  She's smart and aggressive, but has a softer side when you really get to know her.  Not above using theatrics or sexuality to get her way, depending on what method will best accomplish her goal, she's also got a good heart and can be counted on in a pinch.  

Most of Ryan's court cases and life experiences sprung from ideas I had while handling my own cases as an assistant district attorney in New Orleans, by contemplating "what ifs."  Most criminal court cases, even murders, rapes and robberies, are somewhat mundane.  Of course, there's the occasional 'fed a body to an alligator' case, but for the most part, there's nothing spectacular about every day crime.  

So I took ordinary cases and asked myself how they could be made more interesting.  For instance, what if a serial killer was a suspect, or what if a victim lied about a crime taking place, or what if a series of murders was linked to an assistant district attorney?  And thus Gumbo Justice was born.

Ryan's adventures after Gumbo Justice continue in Jambalaya Justice, released July, 2011, where Ryan once again insinuates herself into a murder investigation that she might be better off avoiding.  Questions from Gumbo Justice will be answered, but maybe not quite the way Ryan had hoped, and of course, she'll continue to find trouble whether she's looking for it or not.  

The third in the series, Chocolate City Justice, is underway, and takes Ryan through Hurricane Katrina, quite literally.  Stay tuned for more mystery in New Orleans.
      --From the Author

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Dark Oak Mysteries (June 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892343517
• ISBN-13: 978-1892343512
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Holli Castillo was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended public elementary school and graduated from an all-girl's Catholic High School. She was a gymnast throughout high school, and performed with her gymnastics team, Westbank Gymnastics, at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair.

In 1990, she received a BA in Drama/Communications from the University of New Orleans. She earned her degree working nights at the now defunct Can Can Cabaret on Bourbon and Conti in the French Quarter, doing everything from Sound and Light technician to performing as a Can Can girl. She also stage managed and did technical work for many UNO Mainstage productions, and wrote and directed plays for UNO Lab productions.

After graduating from UNO, she attended Loyola Law School at night and worked full-time during the day at the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office as a child support collector. After being hired, she was advised that the only reason she was called in to interview for the collection position was because the Hiring Assistant--a man-- wanted to see what a Can Can girl looked like.

In 1996, she received her JD, and immediately began working as a New Orleans prosecutor. She quit the D.A.'s Office when she had her first child, and is now an appellate public defender.

Her first novel, Gumbo Justice, was published by Oak Tree Press in June, 2009; the second in the Crescent City Mystery Series, Jambalaya Justice, is scheduled for release by Oak Tree late summer 2010.

The publication of Gumbo Justice was initially delayed for a year when she was hit head-on by a drunk driver in June, 2008, and rendered immobile for six months with two broken legs and a shattered elbow.

She took advantage of the downtime to write a screenplay, Angel Trap, which won first runner-up in the 2009 Acclaim Screenplay Awards, a Silver Screen Award at the 2009 Las Vegas Film Festival, and made the 2009 finals of the Page Awards, Exposurama, Script Showcase, Screenplay Search, and Spring WildSound. She also placed third in the 2009 Biz of Screenwriting Contest, and won the six month online Pro Series screenwriting course through ScreenwritingU, and is now a Pro Series Alumni.

In addition to being a lawyer and a writer, she is also a junk heiress, mother of two, and the owner of a bar. After spending a year in litigation fighting the antiquated and highly political Department of Code Enforcement of Jefferson Parish over parking zoning, she won at trial and finally opened her bar, The Last Stand, on the westbank of New Orleans. She has also been involved in litigation with the politically motivated Jefferson Parish School Board over "side of the river" discrimination in the magnet school system, which ultimately resulted in a Federal Court allowing magnet school students to attend the magnet school of their choice.

Holli lives with her family, dog, and deaf cat in the metropolitan New Orleans area, although the high crime rate, crooked politics, deadly hurricanes, and now devastating oil spills, cause her to constantly reevaluate her decision. She spends her evacuation time with her extended family in the tranquil hills of north Alabama, where she also does some of her best writing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice New Orleans Mystery, July 2, 2009

By 

Ruben Vash (Uptown New Orleans) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gumbo Justice (Paperback)

I really enjoyed Gumbo Justice. I get tired of perfect female protagonist, so I really enjoyed this lead character. She's not tall and elegant, not skinny, is hungover occasionally, thinks before she speaks, but is still smart. She also doesn't downplay her looks, and doesn't act like she doesn't realize she's cute like many novel heroines. She goes after what she wants without apology, even when it lands her in hot water.

I also enjoyed the New Orleans setting, but wouldn't have minded seeing even more of it, or at least more of parts of New Orleans non-locals don't know about it.

The story moves pretty fast, intertwining the character's visits to crime scenes at night in her role as an Assistant D.A., with her cases in court, her troubled personal life, her overprotective family, and finally, the killer who seems like he may have the hots for her.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers or mysteries, particularly character driven stories, and to those who don't mind reading about the sometimes disturbing crimes that occur in the underbelly of a violent city.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would make a great movie!, July 11, 2009

By 

Martha A. Cheves (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gumbo Justice (Paperback)

'Ryan couldn't keep her thoughts from drifting back to the homicides on the short drive home. L'Roid Smith had been killed in a way common among gangs members - beaten, shot in the head execution style and left naked. It was the ultimate humiliation, and the same way he had committed his own gang murders, including the one Ryan had tried to prosecute. And Jeremiah had been beaten, the same way he had beaten his wife on the case Ryan had handled.'

Ryan Murphy is a New Orleans Assistant District Attorney working to build a winning case history in the hopes of being promoted to the "Strike Force." But she has a problem. The die-hard criminals that she prosecutes are turning up dead in the same fashion of pain and death that they bestowed on their victims. Even though this may be getting the criminals off the streets, it's not helping Ryan with her promotion. Especially when news leaks to the media that there is a connection between Ryan and the deaths.

Gumbo Justice was a book that I actually sat up until 1:00 in the morning to finish. I had to know who was trying to ruin Ryan's career and why. This book is so well written that as I read along I actually started seeing Ryan and the other characters in action. It could easily be made into a movie and I know the perfect actress to play Ryan. Holly Hunter plays in a TV series called "Amazing Grace." In my opinion "Grace" is the perfect Ryan. She loves to party, get down right dirty but still get her job done.

I thoroughly enjoyed Gumbo Justice and recommend it to anyone who loves a good murder mystery. Holli Castillo's experience as a prosecutor and public defender in the New Orleans court system comes through with the full knowledge as to how the courts really work.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Queen of Thrillers, July 14, 2009

By 

J. M. Orenduff "The Pot Thief" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gumbo Justice (Paperback)

Move over James Patterson - Holli Castillo has arrived. Well, it makes sense doesn't it? Patterson was an advertising exec; Holli Castillo is a criminal appellate public defender and former prosecutor in New Orleans. Which one do you suppose has been up close and personal with the seamy side of life? Castillo's first thriller - Gumbo Justice - takes us on a wild ride into the drug scene in the Big Easy's projects where we're confronted with intertwined mysteries. Who is killing the defendants that assistant prosecutor Ryan Murphy failed to convict? And how is Murphy's mysterious family history related to the killings? The plot takes more twists and turns than the old Zephyr roller coaster at Pontchartrain Beach. The final curve will blow you away, so whatever you do, do not peek at the last page. Murphy is the best hard-boiled heroine since V. I. Warshawski, but she's smarter, tougher, and - in a piece of brilliant character development - paradoxically more vulnerable. Gumbo Justice is fast-paced and tightly woven, combining a psycho-thriller, a police procedural in a city where procedure takes a back seat to impulse, and a terrific love story - a stunning achievement.