Customer Reviews

Mardi Gras Mambo

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At last Greg Herren was able to complete Mardi Gras Mambo even after hurricane Katrina forced his lover & he to leave their beloved New Orleans. MGM was certainly worth the wait.

As I had hoped Scotty, Colin & Frank had established a ménage á trois with Colin & Frank living in the upstairs apartment. Now the new guys are going to experience their first Mardi Gras which no one in his right mind would miss.

The plot begins when Scotty goes to his trusty dealer to get some hits of ecstasy. In spite of ex-Special FBI Agent Frank's concerns, he decides to join them using the party favorite.

They have a great night watching the parades and catching the throws of beads & other goo-gas that are traditional followed by a night of heavy dancing at one of the Quarter's better Gay Dance bars. Unfortunately, when they slowly wend their way home in the usually bedraggled state; they are met by the two officers of the New Orleans finest who inform them that Scotty's dealer had been murdered and he was known to be the last to see the victim.

Unlike one of the other reviewers, I refuse to put in spoilers so I will just say that the plot unwinds with even more twists and turns than Herren usually gives.

I highly recommend that you read this book even though you may not have read the preceding two "Scotty" books, though that would help.

MAY THE GODDESS SMILE UPON YOU!

Former go-go dancer and personal trainer turned amateur private-eye Scotty Bradley is back in "Mardi Gras Mambo." Again based in New Orleans (as is its author Greg Heren), this third book in the series was delayed due to the author's forced temporary relocation from that city, although the author wisely avoids including the hurricane in the book, since this is very much about the "party hearty" New Orleans that may take some time to come back, but hopefully will.

This time around, Scotty is in the private eye business with his two lovers, former federal agent Frank and the mysterious Colin, both of whom entered his life in the last book. The fourth main character of the book seems to be the drug Ecstasy, which all three of them find to as necessary as a gym-toned body and a hot costume before going out to party in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. When Scotty's Russian-born Ecstasy dealer turns up dead, shortly after he leaves the dealer's apartment, Scotty becomes a suspect and starts an investigation of his own, with Frank's and Colin's help. What they find is a strange story involving a gay porn site, the Russian mob, a suspicious charater watching their apartment, and a three-for-all filling in another story about Scotty's strange family history.

Like the previous ones in the series, this book is not for everyone, but is a highly enjoyable purely escapist novel with a passable (though barely plausible, compared to past books in the series) mystery content to hold one's interest. I like Herren's style, and although I'm sure his depiction of the rampant drug use in New Orleans, especially during Mardi Gras, isn't far from accurate, I wish he would have not made Ecstasy seem as socially acceptable and tolerated as an occasional joint, since it is a message I would not have wanted to send to younger gay readers sure to pick up his novel. I give the book an overall four stars out of five, but was contemplating taking away one star because of the endorsement of that drug.

In New Orleans, former b-dancer turned private investigator Scotty Bradley returns home at daybreak after a wild night of advance celebrating of Mardi Gras. However, instead of hitting the sack to prepare for Carnival fun with his two boyfriends Frank Sobieski and Colin Cioni, two detectives interrogate Scotty re his being seen in the French Quarter with Russian émigré Misha Saltikov, the source of the sleuth's illegal drug usage. Not long after they were seen talking, someone killed Misha.

Though he prefers to stay out of the police investigation, Scotty begins making his own inquiries using underground links that would never talk to a cop. To his shock, Scotty finds his own zany relatives are somehow involved as well some odd Russians who might be Mafioso. At the same time he conducts his investigation, his affairs with Frank and Colin abruptly collapses when the former is abducted and the latter vanishes without a trace leaving Scotty with a second and perhaps third personal case to deal with that is if nothing ties together and so far nothing has.

In his third appearance (see BOURBON STREET BLUES and JACKSON SQUARE JAZZ), Scotty is at his beleaguered best coping poorly with cops suspecting him in a drug deal turned bad and even worse with his lovers gone. The investigation is terrific as the hero pays homage to the city he cherishes while trying to prove his innocence, save his lovers, and celebrate Fat Tuesday. MARDI GRAS MUMBO is a fabulous gay Noir.

Harriet Klausner

"Last night I dreamed it was Mardi Gras again."

I admit that I was a little skeptical of the idea of a psychic go-go dancer PI. But if I can accept the idea of some little old lady in England solving murders or a ghost helping to bring his killer to justice, why should I draw the line at an ex-exotic dancer with a hotline to The Goddess?

In the diverting third book of the series, PI Scotty Bradley sets out to discover who killed his drug dealing crony, and stumbles over a number of disturbing secrets--a few uncomfortably close to home.

I'm glad I gave this one a shot. Main character Scotty Bradley is a likeable scamp with enough vulnerabilities to make him interesting--and the dynamic between S. and his lovers, former FBI agent Frank and cat burglar Colin, is solid...right up to a rather disconcerting twist at the end (though I'm guessing not as disconcerting a twist as it would have been had I been following the series all along).

The mystery itself is amusingly preposterous--it's all done in broadstrokes--for the most part.

Herren's affectionate portrayal of doomed New Orleans gives the book a certain poignancy--underscored by the REBECCA-like opening. So despite the laughs, in the end, MARDIS GRAS MAMBO touches heart as well as funny bone.

When I was in junior high and forced to read some boring Victorian tome, my mother advised me to read the first 50 pages, the middle 50 and the last 25 and call it a day. I'm giving you the same advice about this book if you feel compelled to read it.

The book opens with some lengthy exposition for those who did not read the earlier volumes, which is entirely worth skipping. Scotty then proceeds to tell us about his menage with Frank and Colin and describe a role-playing sex scene in which he watches Frank and Colin through a window. That, however, is the sum total of the sex scenes between the three men which seemed like a ridiculous waste of a good set up!

The plot begins when Scotty visits his drug dealer, Mischa, to score some Ecstasy because, as Scotty says, you cannot possibly have a good time at Mardi Gras without alcohol, pot AND Ecstasy. Sure. Okay and you don't have a drug problem, Scotty. Not at all. The three men don their costumes, all take a hit of the drugs and set off to have a high old time. On their way back in the wee hours of the morning they are met by Scotty's old cop friend, Venus who informs them that Scotty was the last person to see Mischa, who is now dead due to murder.

At this point, the plot line and the plot devices became increasingly convoluted and finally, utterly ridiculous. By the time the author introduced identical triplets with rhyming names, I was ready to throw the book against the wall. At the point where the author has his own characters talking about the "incredible coincidences" and the ridiculous aspects of the events, you know that the author has given up even trying to create anything remotely rational and believable. I now skimmed the rest of the book and by the end wished I'd never wasted ANY time on this self-indulgent, drug-fueled mess of a book.

Finally, I freely admit that I had a problem with the excessive amount of drugs Scotty used on every possible occasion in the last volume in this series because it seemed to me he had a serious problem and no one was acknowleding that fact. In this volume, however, the drug use seemed to escalate as did the problems resulting from said drug use -- involvement in a murder, kidnapping, violence etc and yet no one ever suggests stop using drugs. Frank, the formerly-straight-arrow FBI agent, even begins using drugs because he decides he needs to loosen up, even after he's been part of a potentially-fatal kidnapping. I not only did not find that Frank's decision to start using terribly believable, I found it disturbing to watch a scene in which he smoked pot, took a hit of Ecstasy and then went to a bar for drinks and this is portrayed as just fun, reasonable and normal. If I were Frank's family/friends I'd be asking him what had become of him since he hooked up with Scotty? Murder, mayhem, and drugs... Surely he can do better than Scotty.

As can we all.

"Mardi Gras Mambo" has wonderful insider details about Carnival in New Orleans and a rip-roaring, action-filled conclusion.

Fans of the series should certainly read this entry, but fans of gay mysteries or New Orleans mysteries should probably read the earlier two books first, in chronological order, because they introduce characters and themes carried forward here.

This is my third murder mystery I have read by Greg Herren. He delivers a fast-paced story, interesting characters and good plot development. The characters are all hot! I love Scotty the main character and all his off-beat family. It makes for a good read. The 'almost' love scenes were continually interrupted by an event or somebody is too tired. Even when it's three people! I found this to be tiresome and repetitive part in his books. But the story line is very good and not disappointing. Looking forward to the sequel.

This book was a great read as I recall it was the very first of many books I read by Greg Herren, he has a very good way of writing and the two series he has going are great to follow in the lives of each individual in them. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes gay fiction and gay mysteries.

I love a good mystery. Greg delivers another one in this book. This time, the mystery centers around the Bradley family's secrets. The murder of Scotty's drug dealer sets him on an investigation that keeps coming back to an uncomfortable truth: that even people we think we know well have hidden lives and agendas. Scotty finds out that his parents have withheld information about his grandfather's secret second family. That doesn't sit well with Scotty, because he was raised to believe that his family was open and honest. But his parents aren't the only ones holding back the truth, and as bodies start piling up around Scotty, more people who are close to him reveal their secrets. Some are devastating betrayals, but some repair strained relationships. I don't want to say any more about the twists and turns this story takes, because that's all the fun of reading a mystery.

There are several things that make this book enjoyable. Scotty loves life, and his irrepressible determination to enjoy himself makes him unique as a detective. Greg's love of New Orleans simply shines through the book, and he makes you want to love his city too. And, of course, it's a damn good mystery with well paced action and humor that keep you turning pages right to the end.

Greg Herren is a fun writer that is very entertaining. This series is an easy fun read that is great for your summer reading list. If you love mystrey novels with a some personal drama thrown in for flair this book is a read. This series Mardi Gras Mambo, Jackson Square Jazz and Bourbon Street Blues are center around the PI, Scotty Bradley.

Scotty tends to get himself in to some of the most interesting situations personally and professionally. I would recommend reading these in order so that you can grow with the character of Scotty. I am glad to hear that Greg is not done with Scott Bradley but only took a break from him for awhile. I can not wait for number four.