
Bayou Book Thief
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Narrated by:
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Amy Melissa Bentley
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By:
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Ellen Byron
About this listen
A fantastic new cozy mystery series with a vintage flair from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron.
Twenty-eight-year-old widow Ricki James leaves Los Angeles to start a new life in New Orleans after her showboating actor husband perishes doing a stupid internet stunt. The Big Easy is where she was born and adopted by the NICU nurse who cared for her after Ricki’s teen mother disappeared from the hospital.
Ricki’s dream comes true when she joins the quirky staff of Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, the spectacular former Garden District home of late bon vivant Genevieve “Vee” Charbonnet, the city’s legendary restauranteur. Ricki is excited about turning her avocation—collecting vintage cookbooks—into a vocation by launching the museum’s gift shop, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware. Then she discovers that a box of donated vintage cookbooks contains the body of a cantankerous Bon Vee employee who was fired after being exposed as a book thief.
The skills Ricki has developed ferreting out hidden vintage treasures come in handy for investigations. But both her business and Bon Vee could wind up as deadstock when Ricki’s past as curator of a billionaire’s first edition collection comes back to haunt her.
Will Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbooks and Kitchenware be a success…or a recipe for disaster?
©2022 Ellen Byron (P)2022 Penguin AudioCritic reviews
“Fans of Byron’s award-winning ‘Cajun Country’ mysteries will enjoy her return to New Orleans with an engaging, fun cast of characters.”–Library Journal
“BAYOU BOOK THIEF is a murder-mystery set around a shop for vintage cookbooks that includes a dash of a diverse cast of likeable characters, each with a pinch of eccentricity. This is a story with humor, expertly paced, and with more twists than a corkscrew. Cheer for a loveable heroine in Ricki James. Watch out for those peacocks. Nobody does New Orleans like Ellen Byron.”–Gabriel Valjan, author of the Company Files and Shane Cleary Mysteries series.
“Rickie James-Diaz and her quintessential New Orleans friends are bound to captivate readers as they wander their way through mayhem and murder! Don't miss this first in a new series!”–Terrie Farley Moran, Agatha Award-winning author of the Read 'Em and Eat Mysteries
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Ok - a little trite
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Great First In Series
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Fun mystery!
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My first book by Ellen Byron
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There were a number of subplots including 2 murders with plenty of suspects. The plot was well developed and the way the murders were solved was surprising. I never suspected the killer.
There is a separate mystery in that Ricky was abandoned as a newborn in a New Orleans hospital. Fortunately a maternity nurse took her home and raised her. They later moved to Los Angeles. Now Ricky is trying to find some relatives.
These characters are wonderful and well developed and I look forward to seeing what happens to Ricky and the rest of the main characters.
The narration was well done and brought the story to life.
Great New Cozy Set in The Big East
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New Orleans culture
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So why 5 stars here? Because Byron does it so well while accurately portraying a city I love. The characters are just the right blend of lovable, mysterious, and detestable. The plot twists around on itself so artfully as to keep us guessing all the way. The big reveal is the best in the history of cozy mysteries, had me laughing with delight at how cleverly it played out. I love the food and restaurant talk - New Orleans is where you meet for lunch so you can talk about where to go for supper. I have family that has lived in the Garden District and in the Irish Channel and I could picture the streets as Ricki moves about. (And yes, there are speed monitoring cameras everywhere, especially school zones, in effect even when school is out, and most locals have a collection of tickets.)
This just made me happy. Great job, Ellen Byron, and I’m starting Book 2 immediately.
Best NOLA-based cozy since Frances Parkinson Keyes
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It was ok
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A fun start to a new series by a favorite author and set in NOLA. It doesn't get any better! New quirky characters populate this cozy set in the beautiful Garden District. The whodunit is well done, the background works well to introduce those characters who will continue, and there are plenty of laughs.
Amy Melissa Bentley is the very perky narrator
New series
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New Orleans cozy
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