Listen free for 30 days
-
Louisiana Longshot
- A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 1
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Series: Miss Fortune Mysteries, Book 1
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £18.29
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Lethal Bayou Beauty
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When aspiring actress Pansy Arceneaux returns to Sinful, Louisiana, to head up the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival, CIA assassin Fortune Redding knows she's in for trouble. Her undercover identity as a former beauty queen makes Fortune the perfect choice to chair the event with Pansy, but Pansy's abrasive personality makes it impossible to get through a single rehearsal without a fight. When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune is the prime suspect.
-
-
Nowhere Near As Good As the First
- By Jessica Wolfe on 18-12-18
-
Trouble in Mudbug
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law's death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana. Unfortunately, death doesn't slow down Helena one bit. DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into - especially as it seems someone wants her dead.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Liz1873 on 28-01-18
-
Rumble on the Bayou
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deputy Dorie Berenger knew the day would go from bad to worse when she found a stoned alligator in the town drunk’s swimming pool. Then DEA agent Richard Starke shows up in Gator Bait, Louisiana, giving out orders and insults faster than you can cast a fishing line. Dorie knows the residents of Gator Bait aren’t going to talk to a stranger, but she stuck with Richard until he catches his bad guy. With no other alternative to restore peace to the town, Dorie agrees to help Richard and in the process, uncovers decades of secrets that have been hiding deep in the Louisiana bayou.
-
-
A Perfect Stand-alone Novel for Fans of the Miss Fortune Genre
- By Carôle on 25-02-19
-
Malevolent
- Shaye Archer Series, Book 1
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Julie McKay
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone wondered about Shaye Archer's past. Including Shaye. Shaye Archer's life effectively began the night police found her in an alley, beaten and abused and with no memory of the previous 15 years, not even her name. Nine years later, she's a licensed private investigator with a single goal - to get answers for her clients when there aren't supposed to be any. And maybe, someday, answers for herself.
-
-
Engaging story
- By kate on 29-12-17
-
Wrong Side of Forty
- Marina at Midlife, Book 1
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was a day like any other day for Marina Trahan...until she caught her husband in bed with another woman. Before that eye-opening wake-up call, Marina would have described her life as average or uneventful, maybe even boring. But now, chaos and confusion reign supreme. She’d expected to slide through midlife with her unwanted extra pounds, chin hair, and hot flashes and move somewhat gracefully into elastic-waist pants and having no verbal filter.
-
-
Wrong side of forty
- By Cryptic Fairy on 18-05-20
-
Backrush
- A Tempest Island Novel, Book 1
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tempest Island has weathered the worst of storms and still stands proud, providing its residents with the healing power of the sea and sun. When Alayna Scott’s life falls spectacularly apart, both professionally and personally, the executive chef’s only thought is getting back home to the island and her aunt Bea. Between the two, she hopes to put the past behind her and figure out how to move forward.
-
-
Backrush
- By Mrs. C. Hunt on 25-01-22
-
Lethal Bayou Beauty
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When aspiring actress Pansy Arceneaux returns to Sinful, Louisiana, to head up the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival, CIA assassin Fortune Redding knows she's in for trouble. Her undercover identity as a former beauty queen makes Fortune the perfect choice to chair the event with Pansy, but Pansy's abrasive personality makes it impossible to get through a single rehearsal without a fight. When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune is the prime suspect.
-
-
Nowhere Near As Good As the First
- By Jessica Wolfe on 18-12-18
-
Trouble in Mudbug
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law's death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana. Unfortunately, death doesn't slow down Helena one bit. DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into - especially as it seems someone wants her dead.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Liz1873 on 28-01-18
-
Rumble on the Bayou
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deputy Dorie Berenger knew the day would go from bad to worse when she found a stoned alligator in the town drunk’s swimming pool. Then DEA agent Richard Starke shows up in Gator Bait, Louisiana, giving out orders and insults faster than you can cast a fishing line. Dorie knows the residents of Gator Bait aren’t going to talk to a stranger, but she stuck with Richard until he catches his bad guy. With no other alternative to restore peace to the town, Dorie agrees to help Richard and in the process, uncovers decades of secrets that have been hiding deep in the Louisiana bayou.
-
-
A Perfect Stand-alone Novel for Fans of the Miss Fortune Genre
- By Carôle on 25-02-19
-
Malevolent
- Shaye Archer Series, Book 1
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Julie McKay
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone wondered about Shaye Archer's past. Including Shaye. Shaye Archer's life effectively began the night police found her in an alley, beaten and abused and with no memory of the previous 15 years, not even her name. Nine years later, she's a licensed private investigator with a single goal - to get answers for her clients when there aren't supposed to be any. And maybe, someday, answers for herself.
-
-
Engaging story
- By kate on 29-12-17
-
Wrong Side of Forty
- Marina at Midlife, Book 1
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was a day like any other day for Marina Trahan...until she caught her husband in bed with another woman. Before that eye-opening wake-up call, Marina would have described her life as average or uneventful, maybe even boring. But now, chaos and confusion reign supreme. She’d expected to slide through midlife with her unwanted extra pounds, chin hair, and hot flashes and move somewhat gracefully into elastic-waist pants and having no verbal filter.
-
-
Wrong side of forty
- By Cryptic Fairy on 18-05-20
-
Backrush
- A Tempest Island Novel, Book 1
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tempest Island has weathered the worst of storms and still stands proud, providing its residents with the healing power of the sea and sun. When Alayna Scott’s life falls spectacularly apart, both professionally and personally, the executive chef’s only thought is getting back home to the island and her aunt Bea. Between the two, she hopes to put the past behind her and figure out how to move forward.
-
-
Backrush
- By Mrs. C. Hunt on 25-01-22
-
Dead Man Talking: A Cozy Paranormal Mystery
- The Happily Everlasting Series, Book 1
- By: Jana DeLeon
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meteorologist Zoe Parker put Everlasting in her rearview mirror as soon as she had her college degree in hand. But when Sapphire, her eccentric great-aunt, takes a tumble down the stairs in her lighthouse home, Zoe returns to the tiny fishing hamlet to look after her. Zoe has barely crossed the county line when strange things start happening with the weather, and she discovers Sapphire's fall was no accident. Someone is searching the lighthouse, but Sapphire has no idea what they're looking for.
-
-
Great start to a mystery series
- By Teddy on 17-01-18
-
Poppy Done to Death
- By: Charlaine Harris
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Not just any woman in Lawrenceton, Georgia gets to be a member of the Uppity Women Book Club. But Aurora Teagarden's stepsister-in-law Poppy has finally been invited, only to die on the day she's to be inducted. Sordid stories of infidelity in Poppy's marriage points to a rash of suspects, but Aurora's passion for the truth drives her straight into the path of a killer....
-
-
Thoroughly enjoyable
- By Veronica Bruce on 20-07-15
-
Lowcountry Boil
- A Liz Talbot Mystery
- By: Susan M. Boyer
- Narrated by: Loretta Rawlins
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer. But when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated.
-
-
Series has potential; narrator needs work
- By Sharon on 14-12-19
-
The Lost Women of Lost Lake
- By: Ellen Hart
- Narrated by: Aimee Jolson
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A man who claims to be a journalist has arrived in Lost Lake with an old photograph and some questions for Tess that go back decades. His questions have put her on edge, and when he shows up peeking through her kitchen window, everyone else is right there with her. As beloved as Tess is, there are plenty of people who don't care about any so-called journalist and are happy to protect her, but how far are they willing to take it? And when will they need answers to questions that that only Tess can provide?
-
-
Missing Jane and cordelia
- By ChrystalClear on 27-05-15
-
Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel
- Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery, Book 1
- By: Rose Pressey
- Narrated by: Margie Lenhart
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's summertime in Honeysuckle, and everyone is lazing in the shade with a tall glass of lemonade. Everyone except Raelynn Pendleton. She's stuck working at the local store to make the rent while her no-good ex-husband lives it up with a floozy. When she inherits a Victorian house, Raelynn jumps at the chance to turn her life around. How can she afford the upkeep on such a huge place? Simple. She'll run it as a hotel.
-
Shakespeare's Landlord
- By: Charlaine Harris
- Narrated by: Julia Gibson
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When cleaning lady and karate student Lily Bard discovers the dead body of her landlord, her plan of leading a quiet life becomes complicated. Accused of murder, she realizes that finding the true killer may be the only way to prove her innocence. Using the easy access her job gives her, Lily investigates the people of tiny Shakespeare, uncovering skeletons in closets, and ultimately, the killer...
-
-
Compelling listening
- By PatM on 29-10-16
-
One for the Money: International Edition
- Stephanie Plum Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Janet Evanovich
- Narrated by: C. J. Critt
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You've lost your job as a department store lingerie buyer, your car's been repossessed, and most of your furniture and small appliances have been sold off to pay last month's rent. Now the rent is due again. And you live in New Jersey. What do you do? If you're Stephanie Plum, you become a bounty hunter. But not just a nickel-and-dime bounty hunter - you go after the big money. That means a cop gone bad.
-
-
Awful. Unfunny. Awful.
- By markfromlodz on 20-03-22
-
The Case of the Damaged Detective
- 5-Minute Sherlock, Book 1
- By: Drew Hayes
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello, Carol Monda
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A dance club full of bodies. Cause of death - a mystery. The lone survivor - a man, raving like a lunatic, wearing only a deerstalker hat. Now, the man who calls himself Sherman Holmes is being studied like a lab rat by a top-secret government agency. How is it he can be barely clinging to reality one minute - yet be a seeming genius the next? Within his brain might just be the greatest scientific breakthrough of the millennium, if anyone can figure out how to access it. Enter the agent code named Watson.
-
-
A great bit of escapism and fun.
- By AudiobookDevotee on 08-03-21
-
Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection
- By: Stephen Fry - introductions, Arthur Conan Doyle
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 71 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and five collections of short stories.
-
-
******* SORT OUT THE NAVIGATION ***********
- By William on 31-03-20
-
Sinfully Delicious
- A Two Broomsticks Gas & Grill Witch Cozy Mystery, Book 1
- By: Amanda M. Lee
- Narrated by: Jill Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stormy Morgan left her hometown of Shadow Hills, Michigan, with one goal: To write the great American novel and strike it rich. Now, without a book contract, she’s back at her family restaurant in a one-stoplight town...and she’s convinced things couldn’t possibly get worse. That feeling only lasts until her first shift, when on a trip to the storage building behind the restaurant, she literally trips over a body. Stormy is a woman - or maybe a witch - lost in a sea of magic and despair...but murder might just lead her out of it.
-
-
Fan listen
- By Kindle Customer on 23-01-21
-
The Great Witches Baking Show: Books 1-3
- Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set
- By: Nancy Warren
- Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Under the Great British Baking Contest competition tent, there's more at stake than winning the title of Best Baker in All of Britain. For amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson, there are mysteries to solve, secrets and lies, even murder. As a fledgling witch, Poppy's having enough trouble controlling her sponge cake, never mind trying to control her powers.
-
-
Pretty good fun cosy mystery
- By Mrs.SJK. on 17-02-22
-
Written in Dead Wax
- The Vinyl Detective, Book 1
- By: Andrew Cartmel
- Narrated by: Ben Allen
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He is a record collector and a connoisseur of vinyl, hunting out rare and elusive LPs. His business card describes him as the Vinyl Detective, and some people take this more literally than others. For example, the beautiful, mysterious woman who wants to pay him a large sum of money to find a priceless lost recording on behalf of an extremely wealthy yet shadowy client. And so begins a painful and dangerous odyssey in search of the rarest jazz record of them all....
-
-
BRILLIANT
- By Viv on 07-11-16
Summary
It was a hell of a long shot....
CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever - in Sinful, Louisiana. With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play.
Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed. Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub the Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late.
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Louisiana Longshot
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Fleetwoodboy
- 12-05-16
don't mess with the wrinklies they're certainly not old in the head
Strong funny story from start to finish . Plenty of action and nice little story twists. The dialogue was hilarious at times and interesting enough for me to listen to the whole book in a day. Good enough for me to read more in this series . Well recommended by me as its worth its 5*rating .
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Mrs j.a.Neal
- 19-06-17
Good mystery interesting characters.
Enjoyed the characters good story and well narrated.will be looking out for more from this author.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jessica Wolfe
- 18-12-18
An Entertaining and Unusual Detective Story
I was looking for something light and amusing to counteract my bleak commute and this was perfect. The narration is great and the story is both entertaining and well crafted. Romance takes a definite back seat, though there is a handsome deputy in the background. This is more in of an outrageous escapades story than a romance. There are some nice twists and surprises and the characters are well crafted. I inhaled all of the books available in this series in about two weeks and pretty much enjoyed them all, but this first book is one of the strongest.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jam
- 23-08-18
Fun Bayou Detective Mystery
Exciting. Perfect narrator. Laugh out loud. Great characters. Atmospheric setting. Just bought the next book in the series.....
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie
- 12-04-18
Definitely not a one shot wonder of a book!!!
I first read this on the kindle and JUST had to own the audio book too. I have listened to the story serval times now and have even gone on to purchase other audio books in the series.
This is a brilliant start to the series of Miss Fortune books. They are stand alone stories and the murder/crime is solved at the end of each book, however there are a lot of returning characters and I personal think it is best to read them in order so START WITH THIS ONE, you wont be disappointed if you like funny crime cappers.
Fortune is in hiding from a bad guy and the only why to stay alive is to go under cover in a town called Sinful, as an ex beauty queen turned librarian, the only problem is the name Fortune stands for 'soldier of fortune' and she has no idea how to be a girly girl. After breaking the law and getting caught by the deputy before she has even crossed over the town lines, Fortune thinks this could be her toughest mission ever and that is before she finds the dead body in her back yard.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Allan
- 10-04-17
Absolutely great book bought it by mistake but love that
I clicked on the wrong book when I purchased this but as I had it I listen to it and it is absolutely great to listen to thoroughly recommend it and will be buying the next one in the series as soon as I finish this review
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Granny Gardener
- 21-10-18
Great characters
I hope this first book is the start of a good series. It is amusing in places with interesting characters, murder mystery, action & hints of romance.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brook10033
- 15-01-18
great mystery
Great story, it has everything. Well defined characters, good descriptions, humour and interesting weather. Small towns never sounded so exciting before.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carôle
- 15-04-22
Keep a low profile in an out of the way town…
This starts off innocently (but perplexingly) enough - a failed CIA undercover assignment and a leak at CIA HQ. So far, so run of the mill. The only way to sort things out, is to send Fortune Reading to a back of the woods, small bayou town called Sinful. All that she has to do is sit tight, out of trouble, and keep a low profile. How hard can that be in a small town, populated with old people?
Then her dog, finds a bone…
This book is a breath of fresh air (except at Island No.2)! Full of quips and questions and this is only the beginning!
Read superbly by Cassandra Campbell. Such a great read!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patricia Hurley
- 19-03-22
fun and escapism
Good narration
pacy
and laugh out loud audio book
Great entertainment. I would recommend
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Catherine
- 09-02-18
Disappointed but trying next in series
Mostly fun. Neither as silly and light-hearted as some cozies, nor dark. Miss Fortune is the least interesting character, but because the little old ladies are such fun, I’m going to to check further books in the series.
32 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Pamela
- 08-06-16
Clever, funny and fun
Finding Miss Fortune was a happy accident. While a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, I gave up on Evanovich's audio books because the reader is so awful (and so NOT New Jersey). Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune is equally silly, but the character line-up of Fortune, Ida Belle, Gertie, Carter LeBlanc and the rest are so appealing that you find yourself willingly going along for the ride with their hairbrained antics. The narrator (voice actor) Cassandra Campbell does a great job of capturing each character uniquely in all the southern glory. The books are not 'deep' and Fortune, however much she may be conflicted about being an assassin is no "troubled soul." She is more of the "woman with a gun" model who's ready to lock and load and take on any challenge. In a bizarre kind of way, given that few of us are trained in armed combat, sharp-shooting or other deadly arts, Fortune is very endearing and a little inspiring. I love that her two best friends are octogenarians. Gertie is forever the comic relief (sometimes to overkill), but the real trump card for me is Ida Belle. The characterizations, between the text and skill of the narrator, quickly engage your imagination and empathy and are hugely enjoyable. Read them in order as the story progresses. They are terrific long car-ride or computer (or walk the dog) books. I'm a fan of the Miss Fortune series, but could not make the leap to DeLeon's Mud Bug series which had too much romance and silly, not enough character development.
136 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- green ice cream garden
- 22-08-16
Not great lit but at $4.95 no loss
For a $4.95 investment, this book was good entertainment and I'm willing to move on in the series.
25 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Marion
- 09-07-16
Had potential...
I almost returned but kept hoping it would develop into something more substantive. The action increased but the basic plot drifted into the subplot and abruptly ended. The narrator read the dialogue with exaggerated sarcasm as if every few lines should have been in "finger quotes." Ok for listening while folding laundry or doing dishes. Nothing more. Will not be following Miss Fortune's escapades in crime-solving.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dawn
- 21-06-16
I loved it
Jana DeLeon has written quite the original story. She has created one of the strongest female protagonists I've encountered in books. I cannot say too much about her as I don't want to spoil the story. Cassandra Campbell does a wonderful job of distinguishing one character from another. Her voice is beautiful and brings the story to life. I highly recommend this book.
40 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Suzanne
- 21-02-16
Listened while driving on a trip
What fun! This book made driving much less tedious. And at times I was laughing out loud by myself in the car. I love Janet Evanovich. How am I just now finding out about Jana DeLeon? Thank you Audible.com.
27 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kenneth Cotton
- 18-06-16
Wonderful story full of humor and mystery
Fans of Stephanie Plum's characters would probably feel right at home with this female CIA assassin in hiding and all her quirky neighbors. Great narration really brought the characters and story to life.
36 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Elaine Dahlgren
- 12-06-16
Louisiana Longshot
It was hilarious! It was suspenseful! It keeps reader interested. Looking forward to reading another of the author's books.
32 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Townsend
- 14-07-16
Funny, if you treat it as farce
I have to start with the narration: Cassandra Campbell has never been anywhere near Louisiana bayou country. In the first place, “Louisiana” is pronounced with only four syllables: loo-zee-anna. Nobody, I mean nobody in bayou country sounds like any of these people. They don’t have stereotypical southern accents (if anyone anywhere does). And you don’t pronounce the “c” in LeBlanc (like a Mont Blanc pen). And that’s just for starters. Why can’t ANYBODY take the trouble to look up the pronunciation of Atchafalaya? Sheesh, can’t these people at least listen to a tape or something before they try to represent an ethnic group? At least listen to Will Paton narrate the Dave Robicheaux books. Louisiana accents are as varied as New York City accents, so most of us are going to quibble with any not exactly like what we grew up with, but Paton gets it close enough, soft enough to be generally pleasing and worth emulating. I don’t expect a “foreign” character to get it right, but she would at least hear people pronouncing their own names correctly.
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system: treat this as a fantasy set in some mythical location that just happens to have the same name as our beloved state, and then it becomes truly silly mind candy – not very nutritious but hey, dessert isn’t supposed to be. Worth the listen just for the wonderful neighbor, Gerty, with whom I immediately fell in love. And having been raised Southern Baptist in South Louisiana, I laughed out loud at the mere mention of Sinful Baptist Church with its group of Sinful Ladies. The ladies are what makes the book such a joy. And this is a book about strong, funny women. The men are strictly background noise.
The main character is, well, not even vaguely believable. A CIA assassin who’s squeamish about sleeping in a dead woman’s bed and can’t keep her mouth shut to maintain a cover identity two hours into town? And puh-leeeze, you might find a town called Sinful somewhere out west, but NEVER in Louisiana – the culture is much too religious to play games with something like that. Much more likely to have a saint’s name. Alright, author Jana DeLeon is from the western side of South Louisiana, not quite as Catholic as you get closer to Texas. Let it go; it’s like the accents - if you treat this as pure farce, it doesn’t matter.
So why did I get such a kick out of this piece of fluff? Because what Jana DeLeon got right is the quirky sense of humor of the Cajun culture, which they have generously shared so that it is pervasive throughout the state (at least the southern half). Never give a straight answer if you can think of a sarcastic one. Never tell the straight truth if you can think of a more interesting “story”. This is not called lying; everyone recognizes it for what it is and plays along. “Is that illegal here?” “Only on Tuesdays. Unless there’s a full moon.”
And then there are the “pudding wars” – oh, yes, I have lived multiple versions of this game. In most places it was called “beat the Baptists”. If you don’t already know what that means, listen to the book and prepare to laugh. I you do know, you’ll laugh out loud at the version played in Sinful. DeLeon reeled me in completely when she got to the description of the ramshackle “camp” on Number Two. Yes, this is called “fun” in the Sportsman’s Paradise. No spoilers, but let’s just say that the bayous, waterways, buildings, and (oh my, yes) the bar “out in the parish” (as opposed to in town) are wonderfully accurate.
I’m not rating this on literary merit but on how much fun I had listening to it. To be honest, I listened while sick in bed, in no mood to be “challenged” in any way. I will definitely listen to the next book in the series; hope it continues to delight. Four stars for story, a grudging two for narration because I have heard worse.
71 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- booklover
- 25-02-16
Quite Enjoyable
very enjoyable...good plot...great characters that you will enjoy getting to know...surprises at the end...not stereotypical
22 people found this helpful