Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jessica Fletcher-like heroine, January 4, 2007
Charlotte LaRue returns in her sixth mystery in the Maid-for-a-Day series that is set in New Orleans.
In Scrub-a-Dub Dead, Charlotte has agreed to help a friend by cleaning rooms at the Jazzy Hotel. The Red Scarf Sorority (socially elite women in their forties) is staying at this historic Garden District mansion.
Charlotte is tidying up the room of Tessa Morgan when Tessa returns to her room. Tessa is very upset and threatens to have Charlotte fired, claiming that Charlotte ignored the Do-Not-Disturb sign. Tessa's Red Scarf sisters comfort her, and we learn that Tessa is upset because her estranged husband's mistress (Lisa) has announced their engagement.
To cheer Tessa up, some of the women joke that Lisa needs to disappear permanently. Charlotte leaves the room and bumps into an old friend who is also Tessa's stepfather.
The next day, Charlotte learns that Lisa has been murdered, and Tessa is the prime suspect. Lisa was strangled to death by a red scarf, similar to the ones in Tessa's room. While Tessa may have a motive, Charlotte believes that the real killer is still on the loose. Lisa has made a lot of enemies and everyone seems to be hiding something.
Charlotte is very likeable, she reminds me of Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote. She's a nice lady who struggles with minding her own business and doing the right thing.
Charlotte is a big fan of mysteries and crime dramas. She has learned how to carefully and methodically collect clues to piece together the evidence. Her family and friends are torn between being proud of Charlotte's amateur detective skills and worrying for her safety.
I read this when we had a NO power for three days caused by a winter storm in the Northwest. This was a great way to spend the time since the book really engages the reader and the story keeps moving forward. I was able to guess some things, but there are enough twists to give it a surprise ending.
Armchair Interviews says: A great read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams, January 23, 2007
Barbara Colley revisits the world of Charlotte LaRue in her sixth release of the series, Scrub-a-Dub Dead. LaRue, who owns her own housekeeping business in New Orleans, enjoys her quiet, average existence. But somehow, she always manages to place herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Scrub-a-Dub Dead is no exception. Charlotte finds herself entangled in the lives of an affluent family with as much controversy as they can stir up. As the brood darts in and out of the historical Garden District hotel where Charlotte is working, she can't help but overhear their heated arguments and family secrets. When a ghost from the past, Mack Sutton, presents himself as a member of the clan, she becomes a bit smitten once again and the two begin getting reacquainted.
When Lisa, the fiance of Mack's ex-son-in-law, is murdered in the hotel, everyone appears to have a motive. Charlotte goes about her business, cleaning rooms, but her mind wanders and she pieces the crime together to find a suspect. The more she investigates, the more shocking the case becomes, and secrets continue to emerge. Is Charlotte safe with her old flame? Or could he be the killer?
Tidbits of previous Charlotte LaRue adventures surface periodically throughout the novel, introducing new readers to the background of the series. On the surface, there appears to be nothing remarkable about Charlotte, but as we become silent observers of the soon-to-be grandmother, we find that even the most ordinary citizen can contribute in extraordinary ways. Charlotte does everything in her power to avoid meddling in the affairs of her clients, but luck brings her time and time again into the middle of their crises.
Colley expertly keeps the reader glued to the pages with strategically placed cliffhangers. She makes a serious crime into a light, fun read. Charlotte LaRue is as easy for the reader to relate to as she is to the characters in the book. One Charlotte LaRue book will be all it takes to get hooked on the series. The storyline being related to current events such as Hurricane Katrina makes it easy to sympathize with the characters. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy the antics of Ms. Charlotte LaRue.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great cozy mystery set in New Orleans, April 17, 2007
Charlotte LaRue owns her own maid service in New Orleans, working in the garden district. She decided to keep her service domestic, but her friend Carrie Rogers was short staffed, and Charlotte had agreed to help clean The Jazzy Hotel for two weeks. Carrie had let Charlotte and her family flee to her country home during Hurricane Katrina. She owed Carried.
Soon Charlotte finds herself in the middle of an affluent family with a lot of controversy while cleaning the hotel. Plus she runs into an old beau, Mack Sutton, as well. When Mack's soon to be ex-son-in-law's new fiancé Lisa is murdered, Charlotte ends up in the middle of the investigation.
The more she tries to stay out of things, the more she gets involved. Since Mack's family is at the center of things, she's concerned how close she should get. As she gets closer to the killer, secrets begin to emerge. Can she solve the murder without finding herself as the next target?
I love Charlotte. I wish she'd come clean my house! I enjoyed this book set in a hotel. It gave lots of new characters for the story. The author did a great job of creating a web of intrigue in the middle of the murder. There were plenty of twists and turns as she eliminated suspects.
I highly recommend this book and series.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
