Customer Reviews

Stormy Weather

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

 

 

Charlotte Justice is on the case again. This time the case involves the death of Maynard Duncan, who in his day was one of the elite of black Hollywood. Was it murder, suicide or an accident;Charlotte will have to delve into the victims life to figure it out and Maynard has a few more skeletons in his closet than most of us.

This novel picks up where Inner City Blues left off. It's an entirely different case Justice is assigned to but there are a lot of constants. Steve Hightower, her supervisor, still needs a good castration;he continues to make Charlotte's days in the department a living hell. Her family which she affectionately calls the "Nut House" is still earning its' good name and her relationship with the "good" doctor is heating up in more way than one.

Paula Woods writes with such grace. Her story lines are so well thought out and clever, but I think I enjoy her characterizations the most. They are just as paramount to the enjoyment of her novels as the plot. She gives us some of the most interesting and flushed out characters.

Another Winner!

Reviewed by Ruby
APOOO Book Club

"Stormy Weather" is a great follow-up to Paula Woods first mystery novel,"Inner City Blues". Her evocative picture of Los Angeles reminded me of what the LA I grew up in looked like and felt like within the last 40 years.Her writing is excellent. The characters are believable and I found myself rooting for Det. Charlotte Justice all the way. Woods writes one of those complicated mysteries that keep you guessing who might have done it and why and then throws another twist or new information in that keeps you guessing. Her secondary plots, thankfully there are more than one, are equally as satisfying. I'm looking forward to a third Charlotte Justice mystery.

Okay, here's the drill: Stock up on finger foods and drinks. Turn off the telephone. Take the day off from work and don't even answer your e-mail. Tell everyone that you're going away for the day and can't be reached. Get into comfortable clothes. Find a comfortable spot with comfort food within an arm's reach. Open Stormy Weather reverently and begin to read . . . By the end of chapter one you will have zoned out of reality and into Detective Charotte Justice's world and you will not want to come back . . . ever. Promise!!

Writing a good story is an art; likewise, writing a solid, enthralling mystery is a gift. Paula L. Woods has the gift of weaving the threads of secrets, lies, love and hate into an intriguing mystery and captivating read.

In "Stormy Weather" Paula L. Woods gives us Charlotte Justice, a determined, intelligent, dedicated detective of the LAPD's elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

In her latest adventure, Detective Justice delicately negotiates the murky politics of the Los Angeles Police Department in the wake of the Rodney King Verdict, while attempting to solve a complex and potentially dangerous mystery.

The closer she gets to the truth, the more the threads of her personal and professional life become tangled in a web that proves almost impossible to untangle.

Charlotte's intense involvement in a murder of a renowned director of film noir creates an increasingly damaging effect on her relationships with her lover and her family. Even on the verge of losing her career and quite possibly her life, Charlotte Justice never wavers in her pursuit of the truth (Charlotte "Justice" - get it?).

This story inspires the true spirit of the traditional mystery while allowing the reader to marvel at a true heroine with rock solid integrity and vulnerabilities that make her human.

"Stormy Weather" is the second in what I hope will be a series of Charlotte Justice mysteries. For all you mystery buffs out there, this one will keep you on your toes.

"Stormy Weather" is a great follow-up to Paula Woods first mystery novel, "Inner City Blues". Her evocative picture of Los Angeles reminded me of what the LA I grew up in looked like and felt like within the last 40 years. Her writing is excellent. The characters are believable and I found myself rooting for Det. Charlotte Justice all the way. Woods writes one of those complicated mysteries that keep you guessing who might have done it and why and then throws another twist or new information in that keeps you guessing. Her secondary plots, thankfully there are more than one, are equally as satisfying. I'm looking forward to a third Charlotte Justice mystery.

In Inner City Blues (1999), set during the LA Riots, Detective Charlotte Justice burst onto the sister sleuth scene with a vengeance. Now, in the second Justice novel, Paula L. Woods continues the story of this sharp homicide investigator as she searches for the answers surrounding the death of a pioneering black Hollywood director.

Charlotte continues to loathe her superior Steve Firestone, who made sexual advances towards her and has her riding the desk, where she is adrift in a sea of paperwork and administrative duties instead of out in the field. So when Charlotte's comrade Billie from across town tips her to the death of the director, Maynard Duncan, Charlotte is ready to get back down to business. The death seems strikingly familiar to a recent Kevorkian-like case Billie was an integral part of, and Billie needs Charlotte's help to find out if the two cases are connected.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Maynard Duncan allow Charlotte, and her not-so-friendly partner Gena Cortez, a look into the lives of the director and his close associates and into the depths of what Duncan himself dubbed "Hidden Hollywood."

STORMY WEATHER picks up right where Inner City Blues left off, but adds more insight to Charlotte's family and personal life. Her beau Audrey and her brother Perris are recurring characters, as are the ghosts of her deceased husband and daughter. Woods is a great storyteller, and she keeps you intrigued and allows you to easily become enraptured with the newest addition in the Charlotte Justice saga.

Reviewed by CandaceK

enjoyed the book, It was for my reading group. I happen to love mysteries it was right up my alley.

Being a Southern Californian who has a mystery novel in current release, I certainly want clearly state my admiration for Paula Woods' new novel STORMY WEATHER. On the same Sunday that Ms. Woods organized a Mystery Writers of America function honoring Anthony Boucher, STORMY WEATHER received TWO SEPARATE HIGHLY POSITIVE reviews in the LA TIMES. This follow-up to the critically acclaimed INNER CITY BLUES concerns the death of a pioneering African-American filmmaker. The novel deals with serious racial issues within the Los Angeles film community and within the LAPD. It additionally deals with the hardships any woman detective must endure to pursue a career with the LAPD. In STORMY WEATHER, Ms. Woods continues to develop her Charlotte Justice character. Detective Justice continues dealing with past issues such as the deaths of her husband and child. Charlotte is also struggling to continue building a relationship with her doctor boyfriend. In STORMY WEATHER, Paula Woods attempts to tell a complex story on several distinct levels. From this author's perspective, Ms. Woods is entirely successful.

SW was a well written mystery by Paula Woods and she has created a character who is very likeable and is highly driven in her job as an LA Homicide detective.

The book has way too much dialogue but not enough action scenes, however. Also, there were way too many characters in which to keep track making it hard to follow.