Jazz Funeral [Hardcover]

Julie Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 1993

"A genuinely moving mystery...It's always a pleasure to spend time with Skip, a no-nonsense, level-headed heroine in a wild and reckless city."
THE BALTIMORE SUN
Smack in the middle of the summer, Skip finds herself investigating the stabbling death of the universally beloved producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Then the victim's sixteen-year-old sister disappears, and Skip suspects that if the young woman isn't herself the murderer, she's in mortal danger from the person who is. And with her long-distance love, Steve Steinman, and her landlord, Jimmy Dee, to assist her, Skip trails an elusive killer through the delirium of a city caught up in the world's most famous music bash....


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Everybody loved easygoing Hamson Brocato, producer of the successful New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, but even so he ended up stabbed to death in his kitchen the night of his own JazzFest party. NOPD detective Skip Langdon, Smith's spunky heroine last seen in New Orleans Mourning, gets a ready-made suspect list from the victim's live-in lover, singing star Ti-Belle Thiebaud. Included are Ariel Bruge, Ham's assistant, apparently a woman scorned; his father George, enmeshed with family members in a bitter disagreement over the family's fast food ("Poor Boy's Po' Boys") chain; and Patty, the stepmother Ham was cool about. Skip notes the list's omissions: Ti-Belle herself (often heard arguing with Ham at the top of her powerful voice) and Melody, Ham's teenaged half-sister who vanished the same day Ham died. Skip doesn't miss much as she probes the victim's tangled relationships, remaining all the while a consistently convincing character herself, grumbling about her boss and anxious about her long-distance significant other. Smith's Big Easy setting is a lively blend of big city and gossipy small town. Author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This sequel to The Axeman's Jazz (Thomas Dunne, 1991) also takes place in a recognizably atmospheric setting and calls upon a similar theme. On the eve of the New Orleans Jazz Fest, series heroine Detective Skip Langdon discovers the dead body of one of its staunchest supporters, the part-owner of a restaurant chain and the lover of a fast-rising black blues singer. To make matters worse, the victim's teenage half-sister, who may hold the key to the case, has disappeared. A super protagonist, well-defined characters, and musical highlights make this essential. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/93.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 365 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (April 6, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449907422
• ISBN-13: 978-0449907429
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,009 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of the Skip Langdon and Talba Wallis mystery series; Edgar-winner; New Orleans resident.

Also founder of www.booksBnimble.com, an electronic publishing start-up, and author of the YA paranormal adventure, CURSEBUSTERS!

Latest adventure:
I've reworked my writing class as an ebook called WRITING YOUR WAY (http://amzn.to/o6XN3T), with special emphasis on first chapters and marketing. You can see The Prose Nazi video below for an idea of my approach--i.e. flexible; designed to find YOUR best writing method, not force mine on you. We also have outtakes for your amusement. The third video, which I'll call GTFA, is a trailer for a fun parody book booksBnimble couldn't resist doing one rainy afternoon. Check out my websites, www.cursebustersbook.com, www.booksBnimble,com (where I also blog) and www.casamysterioso.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging mystery, terrific New Orleans details, June 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jazz Funeral (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first Julie Smith book I have read, and I was very impressed. The mystery held my attention throughout. Her series character, a woman police officer named Skip Langdon, is very human...competent at her job, but trying to deal with a difficult boss, having her ups and downs with her love life.... The plot twist at the end came as a complete surprise to me. I will look forward to reading more Julie Smith mysteries.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jazz Fest Mystery, December 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Jazz Funeral (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a diverting read mainly for the colorful descriptions of The Big Easy and the central characters. The mystery was acceptable but the ending felt tacked on and was less than gratifying. Still, her central character, female police officer Skip Langdon is interesting and complex enough to want to ride shotgun with as she progresses through the story. The problem for anyone who likes to read about Southern Louisiana and the New Orleans area, is that James Lee Burke owns this territory and so far nobody else has measured up to his skill at describing it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder and music in the Big Easy, October 14, 2000

By 

booknblueslady (Woodland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jazz Funeral (Mass Market Paperback)

Julie Smith in Jazz Funeral presents a Homicide Detective, Skip Langdon who is big beautiful and brash. She also presents a wide array of intriguing suspects in the death of Jazz Festival promoter, Ham Brocoto.

The deceased himself turns out to be an interesting study for Skip as she uncovers his true personality, you may wonder why any one would want to kill him.

His sister, Melody has run away and is looking for love in all the wrong places. She is a very sympathetic character and you find yourself hoping that she doesn't self destruct along the way.

This is a good mystery with lots of intricate plots and sub-plots. I was guessing until the end. I loved the atmosphere and the character and the story of their lives.