Barbara Colley Review

(2008) Wash and Die

Charlotte LaRue is unhappy with Joyce Thibodeaux, ex-wife of her is-he-or-isn’t-he beau Louis, who's recently taken over her guest room. Still, Charlotte is shocked and saddened when her New Orleans home is the site of Joyce’s murder. And Charlotte is royally ticked off when the partner of her niece Judith Monroe, a NOPD detective, suggests Charlotte and Louis may have joined forces to get rid of the ex.

Joyce had arrived in New Orleans right out of alcohol rehab. With that troubled past, it’s no surprise to Charlotte when a family heirloom goes missing and she spots Joyce leaving a pawn shop. It’s a pawn shop with a very scary owner, who is downright hostile when Charlotte seeks to buy back the watch. Joyce, the owner of Maid-for-a-Day, decides to do some nosing around at the hospital where Joyce went through detox – thinking the secrets of Joyce’s murder are to be found there. Deciding that the best way to snoop in the hospital’s psych ward is to “hide in plain sight,” Charlotte drags in her cleaning tools and starts to mop the floors.

Wash and Die is the seventh Charlotte LaRue mystery and I’m stunned that I hadn’t discovered this series sooner. Charlotte is an absolutely charming senior sleuth and Wash and Die is a solid mystery, with A-1 writing and great plotting. I would rank Ms. Colley right up there with the stars of the cozy mystery field. Why she’s not better known is a puzzle.

By Diana. First published in the Cozy Library February 28, 2007.