Mississippi River Mischief is the 9th Scotty Bradley mystery by Greg Herren. Released 14th Nov 2023 by Bold Strokes Books, it's 264 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
This is a very well written, slightly gritty destination PI mystery set in and around New Orleans. The author is exceptionally adept at setting, and the descriptions of the area felt so real, the humidity, heat, and history soaked streets draw the reader into the story. It's no surprise the author is intimately familiar with the setting, being a resident himself.
The murder of a corrupt politician who was neck-deep in shady dealings draws Brady in, to help in proving that a friend's teenaged student was innocent of the crime. There was a 4 year (real life) hiatus in this series, so the first couple chapters are background. Once the story gets moving, however, it's engaging and readable.
There's a light paranormal element, MC Scotty is a complex character; he uses ESP and tarot for meditation. The procedural aspects are relatively straightforward, but nevertheless competently constructed, and the denouement and resolution are well crafted.
There is significant M/M moderately explicit content included, the publisher is a well known gay-friendly printer. MC Scotty is part of a somewhat complex throuple, and his partners figure significantly in the storyline.
The plot, denouement, and resolution are self contained in this novel; it works well as a standalone. There are now 9 works in the series, so it would be a good choice for a long binge/buddy read. The spicy content means that it's probably not a good choice for work/commute, and it might prove problematic for public library acquisition, depending on local restrictions, bans, etc (in the USA at least).
Four stars. It's nice to see this long-running series get a boost (book 1 was released in 2003).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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