Louisiana Books

This is the most amazing, heartfelt piece of literature I have ever read in my fourteen years. I have read and re-read thousands of books, but never has one left me as speechless nor as breathless as Johnny Voodoo. I reccomend this novel to anyone who is in dire need of a good cry, or just wants to read something out of the ordinary, and something so incredibly written that it stops your heart, if only for a second with the many words forming such an experiance, such an indescribable tale. It is one of the best, if not the best novel you will ever let your eyes wander on.

this book is my fav book ever its sooo SWEET i love johnny i wihs for him to be my real bf!well i hope u enjoy the book as muhc as i did!it's sad it went outta print:'(

'Johnny Voodoo' might be the best book i've ever read. The author does a good job of.. 1. drawing you in to the book, so you fee like you're actually right along there with Dedrie 2. Incorperates romance w/o makng it mushy 3. There's both depression and hapiness. it's an awesome book that I think everyone should read.

This book was very intriuing. I was so interested and fascinated with it that I read it in one day. I highly recommend it. Two thumbs up!

Johnny VooDoo was by far one of the best books I have read. Not many books will get me reading to the point where I don't want to stop until it's finished. Dierdre is an outcast in her town. She just moved there and she has no friends. She feels all alone between her home and school worlds and her mother had died years before. Then she meets Johnny and everyhting changes for Dierdre and she learns a valuable lesson. True love always lasts. But is the love between her and Johnny true love or is it just a game. Will their love last?

This is a wonderful book for children of all ages. It is an uplifting story of a little pony who went through a tough experience and now helps others. She proves that with hope and love you can make the world a better place. We donated this to the elementary school library.

I read about Molly in a magazine and ordered the book for a 3rd grader whose right leg was removed because of cancer. I also ordered a copy for the school library. The part that said the other ponies touched her 'new leg' and then knew it was still their friend, Molly....wow!!! That is what happened at school. The students saw the 'new leg', said, 'WOW--it is purple." then the school day went on!!! I LOVE this book and hope to meet Molly one day!

This is the incredible story of Molly, a Pony of the Americas, who survived for 2 weeks with no care after Hurricane Katrina. Then she was rescued and taken to a farm, where she was attacked by a brutal dog. Her leg had to be removed. She was fitted with a prosthetic device--complete with a smiley face on the bottom of her "hoof." She was very patient while she was fitted. Now she goes to nursing homes and children's homes and brings a smile to their faces. It brought tears to my eyes. I love the pictures too. What a magnificent story!!

This book is wonderful. It is had to find books with prostetic limbs, my son was so happy to see Molly wearing one. This book was well put, with beautiful photos.

We purchased the books to donate to a local hospital's childrens department. This book shares the hardships of a brave little pony who worked with her doctors and owner to overcome a monumental medical problem. It goes on to show that even after the loss of her leg the other ponies still accepted her and and shows that she is still able to live a happy life. It's an inspiration for children facing major medical problems.

Also available in a hardcover edition (0970472986, $24.95), culinary author and chef Carl Walker draws upon his Creole and Texas styles of cooking that made Brennan's of Houston a very successful restaurant. Capitalizing on fresh ingredients, all of the recipes comprising this mouth-watering collection are kitchen-compatible and "user friendly". Enhanced with color photography, the recipes range from Chili-Fried Gulf Oysters; Creole Barbecued Shrimp; and Braised Red Cabbage; to Champagne Fennel Cream; New Orleans-Style Pralines; and Creole Bread Pudding Souffle. A master-piece of its kind, Brennan's Of Houston In Your Kitchen will prove to be an invaluable and popular resource for even the most novice of kitchen cooks seeking to replicate gourmet quality dishes for their family dining table!

Absolutely wonderful southern and creole recipes. I haven't cooked anything from this book that hasn't received rave reviews. You can't go wrong!

This is one of the greatest cookbooks ever produced. Chef Walker's preparation techniques as well as the "Chef's Tip's" throughout the book allow you to make these dishes exactly as they do in the restaurant. Even the recipies that are common in alot of other cookbooks take on a uniqueness in this book that makes it a "must have" book for anyone interest in creating good food. I was fortunate to be able to take a cooking class with Chef Walker called "Breakfast at Brennan's". One of the dishes he prepared was "Eggs Hussard", from page 72 in this book. Wow!The best egg dish I have ever tasted. It even makes the popular Eggs Benedict seem bland with comparison. Using the recipe from this book, I have prepared "Eggs Hussard" for family and friends with the same results and taste as that prepared by Chef Walker. I have also prepared several other recipies from this book with equal success. Chef Carl is truely a gifted chef and he fully shares his recipes, techniques, and tips in this great cookbook.

Brennan's is a famous New Orleans restaurant started up in the 1940s. The family opened up a sister restaurant in Houston in 1967. The cuisine served in the Houston branch has become well known in its own right, and is affectionately known as "Texas Creole"

When a cookbook comes from a restaurant, its important to know if the restaurant is any good. Brennan's is one of the best restaurants in Houston. The food, ambience, service and live music are all excellent and although there is a dress code and the waiters wear suits, it isn't pretentious or snobby. I liked the food there so much that I bought this cookbook so that I could make some of the dishes at home! By the way, it is not diet cuisine - most of the dishes are rich and well seasoned, with lots of nuts, butter, cream and oil. Totally fattening, extremely filling and very satisfying.

The book has a good number of color photos, mostly of the food but also some of the interior. It also includes some information about the history of the restaurant. Some restaurants keep their signature dishes secret, but not Brennan's - in this cookbook you will find the recipes for many well-known specialities such as Creole Bread Pudding Souffle and Bananas Foster. There are chef's tips included with the recipes, and overall the book is very user friendly.

This book is highly recommended, both for its faithful recreation of the restaurant's dishes, and for the overall excellence and originality of its recipes.

LIST OF CHAPTERS:

Introductions
Best of Beginnings - Lagniappes, Drinks& Appetizers
From the Garden and Beyond - Salads & Soups
Breakfast at Brennan's - Creole Jazz Brunch
Chef Carl Recommends - Meats & Poultry
Brennan's Favorites - Seafood
Accompaniments - Sides, Sauces & Seasonings
Grand FInales - Fantastic Desserts
Our Texas Creole Story
Source Guide & Index

SAMPLE RECIPES to tempt your palate and give you an idea of the style of cuisine:

Salmon & Smoked Corn Salsa
Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with Crabmeant Mango-Papaya Relish
Gulf Seafood Pontchartrain
Texas Bobwhite Quail
Jicama Slaw
Southern Pecan Crusted Catfish
Smoked Salmon Cheesecake
Texas Cornbread Pudding
Cajun Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Ancho Pepper and Cumin Sweet Potato Smashers
Spiced Pumpkin Seed Chicken
Bayou Gumbo
Roasted Peanut Soup with Honey-Cajun Shrimp
Risotta Jambalaya
Creole Bread Pudding Souffle (this is to die for!)

This beautiful 192-page book is a triumph for Chef Carl Walker. This eclectic and inventive collection of recipes has been carefully accented with full-color photographs and personal anecdotes. It is a wonderful gift for fans of Brennan's, and even for home cooks who have never made their way to Houston.

The book is organized by course: Beginnings (Lagniappes, Drinks, and Appetizers), Garden and Beyond (Salads and Soups), Breakfast, Meats and Poulty, Seafood, Accompaniments (Sides, Sauces and Seasonings), and Fantastic Desserts.

Each recipe features an expected yield, list of ingredients, paragraph-style instructions on how to prepare the ingredients, and a Chef's Tip. The Chef's Tips include technique suggestions, ingredient substitutions, and reminders on how to prepare the raw ingredients.

The desserts section is especially decadent. For example, the Chocolate Praline Cheesecake is a masterpiece by Pastry Chef Melissa Piper Reilly. This luscious dessert uses a chocolate crumb crust filled with caramels, pecans, and chocolate-laced cheesecake filling.

This beautiful cookbook will be a delight for chefs and bakers alike. Enjoy!

The book, The Smuggler's Treasure is a very good book. I love the characters, Elisabet Holder and Marie. Marie and Elisabet meet each other in the story and become good friends. They both go to New Orleans together because Marie works at a bakery store and Elisabet's Aunt wanted Elisabet to help Marie. Elisabet has no family but her Aunt and Uncle. This book is a really good book. What I really liked about this book was that the character Elisabet was very bright and intelligent. What I don't like about the story was when her uncle died.

This is one of the best mysteries I have ever read!! It never had a dull moment. And it's great because you learn about some of the history of our country while getting an entertaining read. I HIGHLY reccomend this book and other books in the American Girl series (especially the Addy books)!!

The Smuggler's Treasure, Sarah Masters Buckey

Elisabet Holder, is the main character in the novel, The Smuggler's Treasure. She is sent from Boston to New Orleans to live with Aunt, because her dad was captured by the British. This takes place in 1814, when America was fightening against the British. Elisabet forces herself to find the smuggled treasure to earn her dad's freedom. In my attention was grabbed right from the beginning. As the book progresses Elisabet realizes the treasure has been hidden in her own house. This book is a great book for people who like mysteries. I liked this book because every chapter has a mystery to it. I would recommend this book to girls.

An archetypal prince-to-pauper story, The Smuggler's Treasure acquaints the 10-years-and-older reader with a child protagonist whose financial and emotional security change drastically upon the British capture of her father. Opening with Elisabet voyaging toward New Orleans from New England, the book details not only geographical and historical elements of America in 1814, but throws the protagonist into the discomfort of working as a commoner in her aunt's bakery after living the life of a high-society Northerner. Strangely, the novel rushes Elisabet into quick acceptance of her new financial status after a few token days of refusing to give up wearing her thick, hot, woolen dresses of the North. Soon, the heat takes its toll and Elisabet symbolically attires herself in the thin cottons of the South, and immediately the culture shock and grief disappear-just in time for the author to highlight the adventure of pirates, clues, and treasure. Although unrealistic in its character portrayal, and in its speed in tidying away the parental crisis, the book does effectively engage the reader (juvenile or adult) due to the fast plot movement, tantalizing swamp adventure, and the hovering danger.
As the first in Pleasant Company's History Mystery Series, The Smuggler's Treasure serves to entice young readers thriving on excitement. The publishers picked well when selecting it as the heralding book of the series since The Smuggler's Treasure far excels over the rest in the series due to the provocative excitement of Elisabet's struggle against Pirates and her independent ransoming for the freedom of her father.
Sure to be a positive factor with parents, teachers, and librarians, the book's historical "Looking Back" end-section provides accurate photographs, drawings, and facts about Louisiana, the War of 1812, and Pirate Smugglers. Historical documentation provides a framework for the interested child to weigh the difference between fact and fiction and allows teachers an accessible way to frame discussions on history.
The black ink engravings heading each chapter complement the historical nature of the book while the painterly, color illustrations on the cover, frontispiece, and map attract the eyes due to the atmospheric, dramatic, diagonal compositions. It is, however, unfortunate that cover illustrator, Troy Howell, conveys the frightened, scrambling Elisabet with a zombie-like gaping mouth and staring, vacant eyes. If the reader can successfully look past the first cover-expression, and dive right into the intrigue, mystery, and fast-paced adventure of The Smuggler's Treasure, the boy or girl reader is guaranteed to close the book with renewed curiosity about the real-life drama of pirates and the contented satisfaction of an adventure well written.

This is another in the History Mystery series from American Girl, in which a young American girl is confronted by a mystery that will tax her resolve and her ability. This is the story of eleven-year-old Elisabet Holder, an eleven-year-old girl living in New Orleans in 1814. Her father had been impressed into the British Navy, stolen off his own ship, and when Elisabet learns that her uncle had died leaving behind a hidden treasure map, she begins looking for it, so that she can sell it and buy her father's freedom. But, there's someone else looking for the map, and Elisabet is walking into more trouble than she can imagine!

The final chapter is a bit of a bonus, a look at life in America in 1814. This is an exciting story with everything that you could want - pirates, mystery, ghosts, and friendship. My fourteen-year-old daughter has been a fan of the American Girls stories for years, and both she and I greatly enjoyed this story. If you are looking for a great story for your American girl (or for any reader!), then this is the book for you. My daughter and I both highly recommend this book to you.

After going to Hawaii this past summer and reading about how the sugar cane industry used slaves,I became interested in the Carib Islands and started reading about them. Slavery is such a huge issue and has been and really got it's start in the Islands,I came across this title in a read and thought it might be good.I was right, very good and informative.Descriptive and brings a lot of questions.

Solomon Northup's Twelve Years a Slave is a great read for anyone with the slightest interest in early American history. Northup's tale is intriguing and informative. Not only will the reader get a very interesting story from this work, but will also get a close look at the institution of slavery from the slaves' perspective like few other sources can. One important question Northup seems to be addressing is the reasons why slaves did not just run away. Why did they put up with such harsh treatment? Northup admits to having held these sentiments before being kidnapped and sold into slavery - but his attitude rapidly changes.

Not the typical slave narrative. This book was assigned for a class. I expected it to be much like the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, but Solomon Nortrup's experiences were much different. He was born free, and then kidnapped into slavery. This twist on the typical plot gives the reader new insights on slave/master relations, particularly since Northrup had previously experienced freedom and was educated at the time of his enslavement.

I, like another reviewer, read this about 8 years ago when in a college Civil War course. I never sold mine back because I knew I would want to read it again. I also immediately bought copies for my mom and a friend that is a descendant of Caribbean slaves. I can't believe this book isn't more widely known; in fact, it saddens me because Solomon Northup's story is so riveting and deserves recognition.

I was glued to the story from about the third chapter to the end. It was almost like a thriller or mystery because you want to know what happens! Much of it was heartbreaking, though. I had tears streaming down my face when he describes Patsey's predicament. The unending hope and love from his family really touched me, too.

I think this account is even better than Uncle Tom's Cabin for 2 reasons. First, the plot is not as disjointed. Second, and most importantly, everything in the account is true. What's even more amazing is that the author, despite being stolen from his family and forced into servitude, remains somewhat objective about his ordeal. He is a natural storyteller. You can tell Northup was extremely intelligant and observant. His prose is beautiful and easy to read despite being written in the 1850's.

Anyone with even a remote interest in American slavery or Antebellum/Civil War history should read this book.

I had to read this book for school and was very suprised because the story takes place in and around my hometown. I had always saw the "Northup Trail" signs but never knew what they were about until I read this book. I grew up in Avoyelles Parish so this story really hit home. It is an awesome but tragic story everyone should read.

I have read both of Ms. Blacks books. WoW! I can't wait to read her next book! They were worth every penny!! A nice unexpected extra...she autographs every book!! Thanks Ms. Black and keep'um coming! :)

Read this book in a day. Couldn't put it down it was so hot! When I started reading it and it started out being in a swamp, I was like what is this? Then OMG!!!!!! My heart was racing and I was quite aroused (not sure if that is the proper word to use or not?). Incredible story, well written with imaginative erotica events that would just.......

Make sure to read this book when you are in bed next to your lover. Enjoy, deserves more then five stars for sure!

You won't want to put this book down once you start. This is a great read!! It's very stimulating, there are parts in this book that you'll want to read over and over agin.

CAJUN HOT is a tremendously entertaining comedy of a romance. I was enthralled from page one right on through to the end. The story is hot and sexy as well and I was either fanning myself from the heat or chuckling over the antics of the characters. The general plot is pretty straightforward, but the route to get to the happy ending has some outrageous moments. The story keeps your interest and I was very disgruntled anytime I had to put the book away and do something else. Ms. Black's characters are rich and well-rounded. Sahara has some serious career goals and is not in the mood to take a detour for love; she is fun, likeable and amusing. Jacque presents himself as a laid-back, sexy Cajun, which he certainly is, but there is a lot more to him as well. The secondary characters really add to this story, both in humor and outrageousness. The sex scenes are explicit, extremely hot and contain elements of ménage, bondage and exhibitionism. I truly enjoyed CAJUN HOT and highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun, amusing and extremely sexy read!

This book left me breathing hot and feeling an insatiable wetness. I WOULD NOT recommend reading this in public... and make sure you have easy access to your lover!!! Cajun is HOT HOT HOT

What a treat it was to read this fine book of theatre comedies. I suppose my favorite was EXPOSITION BLVD. a tour de force for 4 actors. Set on that grand boulevard overlooking Audubon Park, O'NEILL takes us into the private lives of wealthy New Orleanians steering for power in the worlds of art and inheritance. Each delicious character is in love with the wrong mate and this topsyturvy condition hurls them into situations of surprise and frustration. A marvelously rich and funny play. I was overwhelmed by O'NEILL'S deep sense of character and place and her ability fo heighten suspense each moment. WISHING ACES and A LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN also kept me on the edge of my chair.

A LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN and other New Orleans comedies is a riveting collection of modern tales set in pre-Katrina New Orleans. This highly stage worthy pieces bring us to Jackson Square or the Garden District or Exposition Boulevard; haunts O'Neill knows well for she brings onstage the delightfully corrupt characters of New Orleans still wielding for power and love, still hiding their foibles behind repartee and bloody Mary's. What a humorous and charming collection of plays this volume contains. Most of the comedies have small casts and are steered by women. So easy to mount. So thrilling to stage.

I laughed myself silly reading these whimsical tales about New Orleans' jaded characters. I felt like I had entered the private worlds of the Garden District and Uptown New Orleans. O'Neill writes with power and mastery about her famous city. Characters are personal and provocative--the Tulane professor, the controlling matriarch, the desperate French Quarter actress. All the characters force their way onto the stage like Tennessee Williams' heroines and heroes; they call out to the reader to imagine their predicament and bring them to life. I can't wait to see these comedies on stage. Bravo O'Neill.

A LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN AND OTHER NEW ORLEANS COMEDIES is a sterling book of magnificent poetic plays. I got the books after seeing a number of O'Neill's plays and readings. So mesmerized was I by the characters that I attended the same plays several times and wanted to have the texts to study the intricate characters and poetry. O'Neill's fascinating characters sweep us to contemporary New Orleans with all the mystery and grandeur that city provides. EXPOSITION BLVD. AND A LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN offer tour de force roles and insights on that troubled city in all its roaring decay and delight. SENSATIONAL READS!

A LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN AND OTHER NEW ORLEANS COMEDIES is full of grace and charm in the Oscar Wilde fashion. Deeply rooted in New Orleans culture, the plays sing with humor and nobility. We see the fallen but somehow driven characters of the French Quarter vying for control and the austere family members or EXPOSITION BOULEVARD using tradition and wealth to vie for art, sex, and fame. O'Neill makes us see what in art as in life is ironic and outrageous. Her characters flower in their tropical environment seeming to flourish in complexity. The dramatic situations ripe with tension, create humor and interest at its dramatic best. I was spell bound. How fortunate to remember pre-Katrina New Orleans as she was. This anthology is a demonstration to skeptical Americans of the literary importance of Southern writers in the wake of Tennessee Williams.

I had met Loraine through our alumni club and heard her read from the book. She said it was about her grandmother's era and her family is from the South. I bought the novel and was enthralled with the story from the beginning. It has strong female characters, however it is not idealistic--it portrays the good and the bad of being a woman in the South in the 1920's. Definitely worth a read!

Love it, love it, love it. Despres does it again. She captures the south and sets the reader right down in Gentry, Louisiana to experience the story set in post WWI south firsthand.

Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny

I loved Loraine's first novel, "The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc", and this book did not disappoint. Set in the south, two generations prior to Sissy, Loraine's female characters present strength, perserverance, and mettle. Belle teaches us to follow our dreams and what we feel is right in our hearts. A entertaining book for both men and women.

I was assigned this book for my company's book club and I really enjoyed it. Not only does this book give us an entertaining read but it also gives us a lession of society during the 1920's. After reading about how the KKK terrorized people over a reason they had no control over, all I can imagine is how terrifying it must have been to live during that time and be of a non white non Christian "race". I also found myself truly engaged in the life of the characters, and the so called relationship between Belle and Brouee - at one point during the book I wanted to scream "kick him in the nuts!" during an altercation between those two. (I'm not a violent person - really!)
And don't think of this book as a chick book - I think men would also get a kick out of the humor of the story.

This is an excellent novel written by a cleaver woman who obviously grew up in New Orleans. I enjoyed it emensely and highly recommend it.

Wiley's The Life of Johnny Reb is on just about every American Civil War reading list you'll ever encounter. As well it should be. Sixty-five years after it was first published it is still in print. Wiley's research through thousands of letters and diaries has paid dividends to generations of Civil War enthusiasts, and will long continue to do so.

Although nothing in the last six decades has improved upon Wiley's magisterial profile of the average Confederate soldier, there has been recent scholarship on the historical-cultural milieu from which Johnny Reb emerged. Fischer's Albion's Seed, McWhiney's Cracker Culture, and even Webb's popular history of the Scots-Irish, Born Fighting, can be read with profit by anyone seeking to understand not only Johnny Reb's day-to-day travails, but his place in a larger historical context and how he got there.

Few books are written of the common soldiers of the wars. Most are written of the battles they faught in and the generals they served under. This is a nice exception.

A most insightful and highly informative study of the common soldier of the Confederacy. Well written and very well reseached.

A must have for anyone interested in the Civil war.

Well-researched and well-written, this book looks at just about every aspect of the southern soldier: recruitment, messing, billeting, leave, camp life, etc. An excellent book and one that has remained on my shelf ever since I read it. Useful as a reference and entertaining as a good read... how many books can say that?

Bell Irvin Wiley (1906-1990), a scholar of the American Civil War, is best known for his two early books describing the lives of common soldiers in the Union and Confederate Armies. His book, "The Life of Johnny Reb" appeared in 1943 and was followed in 1952 by its companion volume "The Life of Billy Yank". At the beginning of his career, Wiley tended to concentrate on the Confederate War effort and wrote his book on "Billy Yank" as a result of the fascination he developed from writing his initial work with the common soldier. Ironically, Wiley's book on "Billy Yank" is the stronger of the two in terms of detail, organization, factual material, and analysis. His book on the Confederate soldier remains an important effort, essential to understanding the Southern Civil War experience.

In the Preface to his book, Wiley points out the fascination that the campaigns and personalities of Lee, Jackson, Stuart, and other Southern leaders exert (and continue to exert) on students of the Civil War. He aimed in his book to discuss the life of the soldier "as it really was" including among much else "how the hungry private fried his bacon, baked his biscuit, smoked his pipe". His book succeeds in that aim. Wiley's book gave me a good picture of life in the Southern Army with all its privations and hardships. He does not romanticize his subject or, for all his affection for the Southern soldier, fall prey to "Lost Cause" mythology.

The book opens with a discussion of the enthusiasm of the Southern soldier during the early stages of the War -- largely resulting from the conviction that the War would be short and that the Yankees would go home. He discusses how the dream of a short, decisive conflict quickly faded and how the troops were left with the dangerous, boring, and dehabilitating business of soldiering. Some men continued througout with their convictions and enthusiasm but for most the War became something that could not end soon enough.

Wiley gives good pictures and stories of the tedium of life in the camps during the winter and during the long periods when the armies were not in combat or on the march. He describes the bad food, shoddy clothes, and low pay that were the lot of the Confederate soldier. He discusses the various ways the troops spent their time. ranging from the sins of gambling, drink, and vice to the repeated attempts at religious revivials. Wiley is sensitive to the instances of cowardice and fear in the Confederate war effort but he rightly praises the valor and courage, overall, of the Confederate soldier. They fought tenaciously and hard. Wiley discusses the loneliness of soldier life as the men in the lines went to great efforts to write letters home and thought of their wives and sweethearts.

I thought Wiley's discussion of the unsanitary conditions of the camps and the toll taken by disease and poor medical treatment among the best sections of the book. He also discusses well the ambivalent relationships that frequently developed between Johnny Reb and his enemy in blue. Although it became a total and brutal combat, the Civil War was marked by attempts at fraternization, and what later writers have termed the "brotherhood of men at arms." The feelings the combatants developed for each other became important in the reconciliation efforts following this devastating conflict. Wiley also offers a good discussion of the various types of shoulder arms used by the Southern troops during the war, their manufacture, and their limitations.

There is a great deal of anecdotal material in this book. The text is repetitive at times. But this book and its companion volume remain essential Civil War reading and will give the student a feel for life in the lines.

I read this book for a military history class and came away very glad I did. The book really lets you know what it was like to be a common soldier in a Confederate army. I agree with another reviewers sentiments that the book reads very much like a research paper, but a well written one at that. You won't always feel like you are right there, but you will come away knowing exactly what these men did, how they did it, and why. To understand the common Southern soldier in the Civil War, start here. Other books have been written since Wiley's, but this is still the place to start.

This is probably one of the best lesbian characters ever written. The problem is we haven't had a Micky Knight fix in years. Where oh where are you JM??....Please give us more Micky Knight and Cordelia!!!

I have all of the Mickey Knight series and i am hungry for more. As an avid reader of true crime, authors like Ann Rule, Roy Hazelwood etc, i was surprised at how well written these books were. I couldnt put them down.
Come on Ms Redman when is the next one coming out ???
Mickey Knight is brilliant. The storyline typical of the deep south and its age old mystery and the book seems to drag you willingly into the depths of its darkened corridors. The women appear real, not wishy washy like most lesbian heroines. The plot seems to easily weave its way through the book yet it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see just what is about to happen next. I have spent many a sleepless night reading these books. I just couldnt put them down once i started reading them. Oh for the tardis to take me to New orleans.

I only recently discovered Micky and have devoured all 4 novels over a span of 3 weeks. I adore hard-nosed Micky with all her foibles and weaknesses. Add to that an amazing cast of characters and you can't go wrong with this book or any of the previously published in the series. I recommend them all! I only pray that Ms Redmann keeps churning out more Micky Knight adventures. I, for one, am hooked! Bravo!

Finally this book is back in print. I read a friend's hardback copy, thinking the paperback would be out in a year or two. That was over five years ago. I was introduced to Micky Knight when
I picked up a mass market copy of THE INTERSECTION OF LAW AND DESIRE about ten years ago and looked for more books. Since the first two books were out of print, I waited for the next book in the series.
This excellent book about mothers and daughters kept me reading until my eyes wouldn't stay open. I finished it the following morning. Micky Knight has been described as "hard-boiled" by some reviewers, but I think that tough-veneered is a better description. In fact, she is extremely vulnerable. what I like most about Micky is that she doesn't just tackle ordinary crimes and shoot people and kick butt. Yes she does shoot a time or two, but it is usually not an easy thing for her and is almost always in self-defense and when she kicks butt, she doesn't bother to take names. Without giving away the plot, let me say this book is about daughters looking for their mothers -- including Micky.
Redmann writes complex plots and well-developed characters. There is a cast of friends beginning with Micky's lover Cordelia, and her ex-lover assistant DA Danielle Clayton (and her life-partner, Elly) Police Sargent Joanne Ranson and her life-partner Alex, Micky's cousin drag-queen Torbin and his life-mate Andy. We were introduced to them in the first of four mysteries and we learn a little more about them as the series progresses. There are some less likeable recurring characters, especially Micky's Aunt Greta and her despised cousin Bayard.
Micky Knight is a complex, usually likeable woman who cares deeply about others. If you haven't already read this book,do so. And read the three other Micky Knight books.

and it's a crying shame that they are not kept affordably in print--for one thing, it deprives Redmann of some very well earned revenue. In many ways, this 4th installment of Micky's adventures reads like the natural conclusion to the cycle of investigations opened by the first volume in the series, when we were introduced to a tough and beautiful lesbian babe-magnet with a smart mouth and endless compassion for those in trouble. She's physical (and even promiscuous--but the series is about how she gets tamed), she's achingly vulnerable, she's noble, she's got demons. Only in Lost Daughters do we meet her settled into a proper relationship, so the angst quotient is considerably lower than in the other books. Still, the conclusion to her search for her mother is unbelievably touching, and handled with just the right measure of reserve. Much as I'd love to see more of her, I wonder whether Redmann (whose website, ominously, appears to have vanished from cyberspace) is finished with her adventures. If she is, I just pray that she has another heroine in reserve for us to cheer on. Like the Meg Darcy books, with their lovingly depicted St. Louis locales, the Mickey Knight stories set us in a believable New Orleans, with its social strata, its weather, its flavors and smells.