From Publishers Weekly
The spirit of Tennessee Williams's Big Daddy hovers over Smith's winning fourth Talba Wallis mystery (after 2004's
Louisiana Lament), in which the hip African-American PI goes undercover as a maid to investigate a shady New Orleans judge, Francis Champagne (aka "Daddy Buddy"). Armed with housecleaning lessons from her mama, Miz Clara, and her righteous detecting skills, Talba discovers more than she bargained for in Buddy's mansion. Besides providing an absorbing portrait of the decline of the Louisiana shrimping industry, Smith does a wonderful job exploring Buddy's family menagerie: Royce, his alcoholic son; Lucy, his depressed teen daughter; and his weary mother, Adele Reedy, who tries to provide Lucy the much-needed nurturing Buddy would rather lavish on Kristin LaGarde, a wealthy young businesswoman. A Mardi Gras party celebrating Buddy's engagement to Kristin leads to the exposure of his crooked shenanigans—and of Talba's true identity. When Buddy turns up dead, Kristen hires Talba to find the murderer. This spicy gumbo of steamy mystery, saucy humor and piquant social commentary should appeal to discriminating crime fans.
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From Booklist
Talba Wallis, a New Orleans poet and apprentice private eye, returns for a fourth time, trading in her travels through the Big Easy and Louisiana for the equivalent of an archaeological dig into the corruption revealed in one judge's crumbling-genteel household. Wallis goes undercover by getting hired as Judge Buddy Champagne's housekeeper; her real purpose is to investigate claims that the judge has been arranging to have drugs planted on several opponents of his odiferous shrimp-cleaning business. Wallis' stay in the judge's home is part social critique of holdover racist attitudes, part satire, and part reprise of the skewed household in Tennessee Williams'
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the homage reflected in the title. There is plenty rotten in the judge's affairs--but then his honor is found murdered. Action shifts from proving the judge is dirty to finding his killer, and with the shift in focus, the fun, frenetic pace of a typical Talba Wallis caper is restored. This is an effective mix of household drama, political corruption, and old-style murder mystery.
Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
