Publication August4, 2026
Having been to Mardi Gras, this book obviously grabbed my attention. I know I was exhausted by the time I came home but never once thought how exhausting Mardi Gras season must be for participants. Nor did I realize how complicated and potentially dangerous many of the elaborate floats could be. So, I came away from this one not only entertained but having learned something. A win-win for me.
Main character Ricki is likable if a bit insecure. As we learn her back story, we learn the probable reasons behind this. I don't want to go into the plot much but will say she is still juggling found family and her own family dynamics. She's also juggling a relationship which has some hurdles to jump in this story. Mostly getting past her own insecurities as Virgil, the romantic other half, seems solid. As we discover, his own past hasn't been smooth or easy, either, so they emerge as real people with real lives, not picture perfect characters that are hard to identify with. There is a fairly large cast but the author provides us with a list of the diverse characters and brief description up front. As one who has frequently struggled to sort out large casts and their relationships, thank you, Ellen Byron.
As noted, I discovered how complicated preparing for the Mardi Gras season can be, not to mention how lengthy and expensive. There's also a hierarchy of organizers. In this case, our victim is one of them. Who killed krewe captain Jax Fortier? As it turns out, there are several suspects, highest on the list his wife who Ricki immediately likes and sets out to help prove her innocence. There's also an old death, or was it a murder, to solve, as we watch the various characters interact and go into full Mardi Gras mode. There is a whole Mardi Gras culture, so to speak, and it was interesting to try to put my own experiences into perspective as I read. Anyway, Ricki is asking questions and, no surprise, becomes a target herself. Lots of twists and turns, all while we become more and more immersed in all things Mardi Gras ourselves. And, oh, there are recipes as well as humor. I mean, what would you give up for Lent?
Bottom line, this was a fun, relatively quick read full of not just information about Mardi Gras itself, but complicated family connections, found friends, romance, a desire for status, and testing who one can and cannot trust. Thanks #JoffeBooks for allowing me this early peek. It definitely brought back some fun memories although I now look back and marvel at how much I missed that was going on behind the scenes. Wonder what I ever did with my beads?
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