Death Tidies Up
by Barbara Colley
February 2003
ISBN 1-5756-6875-0

 

It's October in New Orleans, and most residents of the city's historic Garden District are rejoicing in the brief reprise of cooler fall weather — a rare occurrence in steamy south Louisiana. But murder-solving maid Charlotte LaRue isn't one of them — not this year...

Between running her maid service (the successful Maid-for-a-Day) and fretting about her upcoming birthday (the dreaded 6-0), Charlotte LaRue doesn't have much time for gossip. But New Orleans' latest dust-up is hard to ignore — especially since it involves Marian Hebert, one of Charlotte's new clients. Turns out Marian's now-deceased husband once worked for his best friend Drew Bergeron's real-estate agency — and when the business deal soured, so did the friendship. The whole sordid affair came to an unfortunate end when Drew died in a plane crash — and Bill Hebert was killed in what some people insist on calling an accident. Others are convinced it was murder.

Pretty juicy stuff, right? Charlotte doesn't think so. She's trying her best to forget all the rumors — she has more important things to worry about these days. Like vacuuming, window-washing...and her new job at the old Devilier house. The gorgeous historic home is being transformed into luxury apartments, and Maid-for-a-Day is in charge of the cleanup. Should be easy enough, Charlotte thinks — until she finds a barely-cold corpse in one of the closets.

The police are sure the dead man is Drew Bergeron. Funny, considering Drew supposedly died years ago — and Charlotte distinctly remembers attending his funeral. Talk about messy. Suddenly all that gossip about the Heberts and Bergerons seems incredibly timely — and Charlotte wishes she'd listened just a little bit closer...

 

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RT Book Club - 4 Stars! "DEATH TIDIES UP is a fun, speedy read that dares the reader to keep up. The novel is extremely well plotted, and Colley handles her characters with a deft pen and grace. 4 Stars!" ~ Romantic Times

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"Colley's second book about Charlotte LaRue is an engaging and fun story. It doesn't leave a first-time reader feeling lost, nor does it over-explain events of the previous book. The characters interact well and react realistically to the events around them. This is a perfect example of a developing writer, who can tell a great story with heartfelt emotion and interesting situations. It's the right choice for someone who wants to curl up and devour a tale in one sitting." ~ The Best Reviews Web Site (Reviewed by Vicky Gilpin)

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"Charlotte herself is a keeper. Colley . . . has created a New Orleans series in the British "cosy" tradition, and it grows from an amusing concept. Spending a couple of hours with Charlotte is an entertaining way to put off sorting that closet or scrubbing down the tiles." ~ The New Orleans Times-Picayune (Diana Pinckley)

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"Colley's second Charlotte LaRue adventure includes a pleasant, easy-paced narrative, familiar New Orleans surroundings, and an appealingly down-to-earth sleuth. Fans of Southern cozies will enjoy." ~Library Journal

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"DEATH TIDIES UP is an attractive amateur sleuth-police procedural that reader will relish because the engaging staff, especially the charming star, makes for fun reading. The cozy style who-done-it will hook the audience because of the warm cast . . . Barbara Colley provides an entertaining cozy that will send the audience seeking the first LaRue novel, MAID FOR MURDER . . . " ~ Harriet Klausner

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