Louisiana Fever - Review

Louisiana Fever by D.J. Donaldson

Rating: 4 Stars
Source:  Received from the Publisher

Description:  When Criminal Psychologist Kit Franklyn goes to meet the mysterious man who has been sending her flowers he stands up, says her name and then falls over dead.  When another man is brought in the morgue with similar symptoms to Kit's mysterious admirer, Medical Examiner Andy Broussard begins to suspect that something deadly may be spreading through New Orleans.  As more victims turn up and Kit disappears the pressure is on to discover what exactly is going on.

Genre: Mystery
Why I Picked This Book:  I love New Orleans and was thrilled to have the chance to read a forensic based mystery set in the city.

My Impression:
Pros:  This was a quick read.  The pace was fast and consistent.  The mystery was interesting and unpredictable.  It was less of a whodunit and more of a how are they going to get caught.  As readers we know more about what is happening then any of the investigators and I found myself wanting to yell into the book to tell Broussard what he was missing. The characters behave like responsible intelligent adults that they are with the exception of Broussard's rivalry with the expert in contagious diseases Blackledge.  However, the rivalry felt natural and didn't interfere with the work.  While this is definitely not a cozy and is a pretty intense read it isn't an emotionally difficult read.  Think an early episode of Bones or a forensic heavy NCIS.  While this is the 5th book in the series I was able to jump in with this one with absolutely no confusion.  I might have felt more connected to the characters if I had read the series in order but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying this mystery.

Cons:  Some of the autopsy scenes went a little long.  I found myself skimming some of them.  I could have used less detail.  I also would've liked a little more sense of place.  While the references were definitely New Orleans I didn't really get the New Orleans feel that I would've liked.  This was most likely because of the nature of the plot.  Quite a bit of the story takes place inside labs versus out on the streets.

Overall:  I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.  While there are some murders this doesn't read as a standard murder mystery nor does it read as a medical thriller. Instead it manages to take the best of both and have the story spin out in a fascinating setting.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  Since the Kindle editions for this series are $.99 for the month of October I'll be getting the rest of them and getting to know Broussard and Franklyn a bit better!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you like mysteries this is definitely a book and a series worth reading!