I remember mentioning this series to a friend when I first discovered it. She indicated then that although it is named "a scrapbooking mystery" that there are better series out there--after reading this, I tend to agree with her. Scrapbooking is barely mentioned--so it might be better labelled a papercrafting mystery or a crafting mystery. (Ladies in this book make jewelry, stamp candles, decorate a frame with paper and rubber stamp, make map favors, and make programs/menus. Only once is scrapbooking mentioned--when two ladies have run out of scrapbook page ideas. One needed one for a baby layout and I forget what the other one was. It sounded like Carmela used similar ideas for both needs, just with different colors.)

I've never quite understood New Orleans and Mardi Gras--different groups (krewes) working on floats--apparently there are a number of parades on Fat Tuesday? Without understanding a lot of that, much of the undercurrent is lost on me.

There's a subplot of looking for Lafitte's treasure.

There's really no wrap-up. The murderer's identity is discovered, but we don't really see the denouement of the capture/arrest. I'm not really sure we're given the clues to solve whodunit until the author reveals it--even the characters seem to feel that way. ( )

This series is picking up! ( )

It has been a while since I have read any of the books by Laura Childs, so I was pleased to see this one (and another that I still have to read yet) on the shelf.

I had read one of the earlier books of the scrapbooking series, but appear to be reading out of order (rare for me!).

New Orleans is in full Mardi Gras swing. Carmela and her good friend Ava are invited to a party hosted by their friend Jekyl who is a designer of floats that are used for the Mardi Gras procession.

During the party in the French Quarter of the city Jekyl's float partner is murdered. Carmela unable to resist a good mystery is determined to find the culprit.

Meanwhile it appears that there is a Russian illegal drink maker in town, a hunt for missing treasure, a rather irritating ex husband and a potential romance with a policeman all added to the mix of this cosy mystery.

As always, Laura Childs has managed to weave a gentle murder into the pages of the book. A nice read for a summer's day. ( )

I enjoy this series, I like Carmela and Ada and the entire cast of characters who inhabit the French Quarter in New Orleans. Since the series is set post-Katrina it contains some insights into the devastation that Hurricane Katrina brought to that glorious old city.

In this episode Carmela and Ada are hunting a murderer as well as a treasure. Policeman Babcock is busy warning them to stay out of things while Carmela and Ada are blithely ignoring him at every turn. There were a couple of TSTL moments that kind of bothered me but on the whole they were just checking things out and not throwing themselves into too much danger.

I'm looking forward to the next in the series, just to see how things are going in their lives and down in N'awlins.

( )