Sleeping with the Crawfish
By D.J Donaldson
**** Easy detective reading
D.J Donaldson takes his readers on an engaging ride of mystery through Louisiana and the Crescent City in his latest book, Sleeping with the Crawfish. His previous two books, New Orleans Requiem and Louisiana Fever introduce readers to New Orleans Medical Examiner, Andy Broussard, and his sidekick of sorts, psychological profiler Dr. Kit Franklin. Sleeping with the Crawfish rejoins the pair doing what they seem to do best, solving murders and almost getting themselves killed in the process.
Even without reading the first two adventures of Kit and Broussard-trust me they’re now in my “to read” pile-the stand alone Sleeping with the Crawfish introduces us to a world in New Orleans filled with mystery, greed, cover up and murder. The case at hand begins simply enough with Broussard contacting the warden at Angola Prison (Louisiana State Penitentiary or the “Alcatraz of the South”) regarding a body that has shown up on his table with a face and prints that match to a man who is supposed to be doing life behind lock and key. The warden’s response, of course, is that the man is still there.
So Kit is asked to meet with the warden and obtain prints and a picture of the man behind bars to compare them to the stiff on his table. Kit-who has taken a bit of a sabbatical from working cases and is now clerking at an art gallery below her apartment-agrees to go and obtain proof that the dead man on the slab in New Orleans isn’t who all signs are pointing him to be. What starts out as an easy trip down to Angola for Kit turns into a case that will reach even the attention of the governor. The question isn’t who the dead man really is; rather will Kit make it out with her life? AND that’s just the beginning!
Although I find Kit and Broussard to be interesting enough characters, I think if I'd read the first couple of books I would have found them to be more developed. Much more emphasis is placed on Kit in this book so I feel I know her better; whereas I can only think of a few details about Broussard. Again, I'm sure if I'd read the books prior to this-which I definitely plan on doing while they're all on sale for 99 cents-I would feel differently.
I enjoyed Donaldson’s writing. Because the two main characters are doctors there was quite a bit “science talk” as I’ll refer to it. Donaldson doesn’t just assume that the reader is well versed in medical or other scientific details. He makes sure the reader is a part of the story. As aforementioned, I do enjoy Kit and Broussard. When I think of Broussard, I actually imagine Ducky from NCIS. Overall, I would consider this one of those detective reads you would curl up with on a rainy day and finish the book by the time the clouds clear.
I am definitely going to read the other Broussard/Kit books, the next recently released in June, Bad Karma in the Big Easy. All of D.J Donaldson’s books are on sale in e-book format for 99 cents for the rest of the month. He also has a new book coming out called No Mardi Gras for the Dead. The books can be purchased using the links below. I definitely think this series of sorts is worth getting them while they’re on sale so you can read them all.
Amazon
B&N
A + B
By D.J Donaldson
**** Easy detective reading
D.J Donaldson takes his readers on an engaging ride of mystery through Louisiana and the Crescent City in his latest book, Sleeping with the Crawfish. His previous two books, New Orleans Requiem and Louisiana Fever introduce readers to New Orleans Medical Examiner, Andy Broussard, and his sidekick of sorts, psychological profiler Dr. Kit Franklin. Sleeping with the Crawfish rejoins the pair doing what they seem to do best, solving murders and almost getting themselves killed in the process.
Even without reading the first two adventures of Kit and Broussard-trust me they’re now in my “to read” pile-the stand alone Sleeping with the Crawfish introduces us to a world in New Orleans filled with mystery, greed, cover up and murder. The case at hand begins simply enough with Broussard contacting the warden at Angola Prison (Louisiana State Penitentiary or the “Alcatraz of the South”) regarding a body that has shown up on his table with a face and prints that match to a man who is supposed to be doing life behind lock and key. The warden’s response, of course, is that the man is still there.
So Kit is asked to meet with the warden and obtain prints and a picture of the man behind bars to compare them to the stiff on his table. Kit-who has taken a bit of a sabbatical from working cases and is now clerking at an art gallery below her apartment-agrees to go and obtain proof that the dead man on the slab in New Orleans isn’t who all signs are pointing him to be. What starts out as an easy trip down to Angola for Kit turns into a case that will reach even the attention of the governor. The question isn’t who the dead man really is; rather will Kit make it out with her life? AND that’s just the beginning!
Although I find Kit and Broussard to be interesting enough characters, I think if I'd read the first couple of books I would have found them to be more developed. Much more emphasis is placed on Kit in this book so I feel I know her better; whereas I can only think of a few details about Broussard. Again, I'm sure if I'd read the books prior to this-which I definitely plan on doing while they're all on sale for 99 cents-I would feel differently.
I enjoyed Donaldson’s writing. Because the two main characters are doctors there was quite a bit “science talk” as I’ll refer to it. Donaldson doesn’t just assume that the reader is well versed in medical or other scientific details. He makes sure the reader is a part of the story. As aforementioned, I do enjoy Kit and Broussard. When I think of Broussard, I actually imagine Ducky from NCIS. Overall, I would consider this one of those detective reads you would curl up with on a rainy day and finish the book by the time the clouds clear.
I am definitely going to read the other Broussard/Kit books, the next recently released in June, Bad Karma in the Big Easy. All of D.J Donaldson’s books are on sale in e-book format for 99 cents for the rest of the month. He also has a new book coming out called No Mardi Gras for the Dead. The books can be purchased using the links below. I definitely think this series of sorts is worth getting them while they’re on sale so you can read them all.
Amazon
B&N
A + B