Byron pulls you into a story and keeps you there. I love the rich history of the Plantation country that is woven through the storyline. The characters are as rich and colorful as the landscape. and the bawdiness of Mardi Gras adds extra spice. Throw in a murder in the sleepy little town and you have an interesting, page turning story. I really liked the treasure aspect while Maggie worked on restoring the painting. It added an interesting element. Lots going on in this book, and thoroughly enjoyed the momentum.

Marci Gras Murder is a terrific murder mystery. I loved the plot and the setting. The author is new to me and I anticipate reading more of her books. I recommend to fans of a good mystery.

This is a story about Mardi Gras and Gumbo in a little town called Pelican. While the town might be little, the celebrations and cooking contests are most certainly not. Nor are the contests taken lightly. The contests are as important as one’s blood line. This is a story about some families still of a mind that good blood lines are more important than good people.

Right in the middle of the Pelican contest highlights, Maggie’s dad loses his well-seasoned jumbo gumbo pot. Can you imagine? Not only does someone take their best jumbo gumbo pot but it is also the pot that it has taken years and years to get all of that burny crud on there to season it. What a loss huh? Actually, if my mom read this she’d be mad at me for making fun of how long it takes to season a good iron skillet. Nonetheless, you have to like a little gumbo to get this gist of this. Before I leave this part of the review, I do want to remind you that gumbo has okra in it, just in case you have forgotten. Ew.

I think from the above paragraphs you can see that many of the scenes as well as the characters were well-defined enough for me to have a pretty good picture of life in Pelican and of Maggie’s family.
I hope I’ve given you the impression that this is a light-hearted, quite sarcastic and funny cozy. I love sarcastic and I love light-hearted so it was truly my kind of story.
This is a part of a series titled “A Cajun Country Mystery”. Looks online like they all have good reviews so I think you should check them all out.

***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. An old fashioned Southern murder mystery set in Louisiana , it made me laugh and gasp all at the same time. Loved the description portrayed in the story. Flooding, murders and mayhem., beauty pageant judging and family made this a great story.

Maggie Crozat spends her days working at her family's Crozat B&B and Doucet Plantation, which once belonged to her mother's family but has now been deeded to the state and opened to the public for tours, of which she is one of the guides.

But her life is changing once again: there's been recent floods that has left some homes inhabitable, and others who are cleaning up after the floods, of which Maggie and her family are doing. It's not a good sight when the body of an elderly man floats beneath all the debris, and an even worse sight when it's discovered that he wasn't the victim of the flood. But without any identification found on him, it's anyone's guess as to who he is or the motive for his death.

Then also she's been temporarily relieved of tour duty to restore a painting at Doucet that was also damaged by the flood; and when she begins she notices another painting underneath, one that could tell a tale on its own.

She's also been dragooned into standing in for her grandmother as a judge for the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen contestants, and she's doing her best to get out of that - and not succeeding - while discovering that being a contestant isn't what it's proclaimed to be.

At the last, her relationship with police detective Bo Durand may be in jeopardy since learning that he might not want any more children (due to the fact that his son has Asperger's Syndrome) and Maggie definitely wants at least two, and now they're barely speaking, and probably wouldn't be if it weren't for the murder.

But then another murder soon occurs, and it's one of the pageant committee members who may also have known something about the man who washed up after the flood. Maggie feels the need to give justice, but what is the connection with these two men, and will it get her killed before she can find the answers?...

Once again we are visiting the small Louisiana parish that Maggie Crozat calls home, this time during Mardi Gras season. And once again, the locals have their own unique way of celebrating the event. With her father tirelessly preparing his gumbo day after day in order to perfect it, Maggie thinks she's had enough of the concoction while her mother is unhappy that he's invaded her kitchen; and her friend Gaynell is making Maggie a costume for the Mardi Gras Run, which she has said she'll participate in.

Even Bo's son is getting in on the action, helping make the masks which are so adept at hiding peoples' faces that even their own relatives can't recognize them. It seems one and all are having fun during the time-honored event.

But when murder strikes one of the judges and the others are threatened, Maggie begins to wonder if it's not the pageant that's the issue, but the Orphan Train exhibit that was to go up at the historical society. And it makes for a very good mystery indeed as we watch her sift through clues and find the evidence to unmask a killer.

Ms. Byron takes us on another lovely journey into Cajun Country and all its quirky inhabitants, pulling us into the story from the first chapter and keeping us entertained throughout. It's a tale of, as the deceased judge said, secrets and lies; but oh, more secrets and lies than we could have imagined, and seeing how far someone would go to keep them is a nice taut tale indeed. When the ending comes and the murderer is finally revealed, it reveals that even those among us that appear the most sane may also have the most to hide.

I truly enjoyed reading this and hope that this series will continue on for a good long time. Maggie and her family and friends grow on you, and it's wonderful to visit with them whenever I can. I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

This was great book and fun to read. It was a page turner and I couldn't put the book down! Lots of suspects for the murder but one person did it, loved the characters. There are recipes included in the book as added bonus!

I so love this series! It hasn't let me down yet!!

It starts off with a prologue about a huge flood that hits Pelican and uproots several citizens but it also washes up a dead body, but nobody knows who he is. Why was a stranger kill in Pelican?

It's Mardi Gras time and Pelican knows how to do it up big time. Maggie is excited as she loves this time of year and this year she will be participating in the Mardi Gras Run. There is also a Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen pageant and when her Gran gets sick she passes on the judging gig to Maggie who really didn't want it. Then one of the judges for the pageant is killed and Maggie can't help but wonder about a few things, like why is the victim's wife acting so nonchalant about the whole thing, saying they must go on with the pageant. Then some other things happen and it seems that maybe the pageant isn't really meant to be this year. Gerard wasn't a nice man and there was several suspects for Maggie to try and sort through.

This is just a great series and I really love all the characters. Maggie has a passion for being an artist while working as a tour guide at Dolcet, but this time we get a bit more of her artist side as they find a painting under a painting that could lead to a treasure! Bo who is one of the detectives and also Maggie's boyfriend is awesome, I was a bit worried about their relationship in this one but all is fine! Phew! Maggies whole family is great and so are her friends. I will have to say that the one that has showed the most character growth which is great because I really wasn't liking him and that is Rufus. Rufus has always had it out for the Crozat family as his family always blamed them for the reason nobody in their family can seem to find true love. Things have progressed with him especially in the last book and this one and he is starting to get on my good side. :)

Great mystery all around because I didn't really have it figured out or the whys of it either! It's a great cozy series and if you like southern cajun style fun then you need to try this series!!

i enjoyed reading the book, if you like suspense, with Cajun flare you will like the book i was given a copy of the book but this is an honest review.

Wow! What a fun read! There are so many twists and turns in the newsy mystery. I loved reading it and could not put it down. The characters are not what you expect and that is what makes Mardi Gras Murder so great. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a mystery and fun read!

Oh to live in a small town like Pelican, Louisiana. Situated near the Mississippi between Baton Rouge and New Orleans it celebrates its French heritage full speed ahead. Maggie Crozat, her family, and friends are gearing up for Mardi Gras: parade, beauty pageant, gumbo cookoff, etc. The town is also still cleaning up after a massive flood. One unknown body turned up after the flood, shot, not drowned. The Pelican P.D. is working out of temporary quarters as its station is being repaired. Maggie has to take her grandmother's place as a judge in the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen pageant, much to her dismay. Things get hairy when one judge is murdered and another poisoned and hospitalized. Maggie has to balance the pageant, murders, and her relationship with her boyfriend Bo who has suddenly become reticent about their future. This is a very enjoyable addition to the Cajun country series. And fabulous recipes!

Maggie lives in a cottage at Crozat Plantation B&B , her family's home and business. A horrible flood hits Pelican, LA, dropping 15" of rain in only 24 hours onto the little town. It leaves loads of damage across town, and a body on the Crozat Plantation B&B grounds. Weeks later, the body is still identified, but definitely a homicide victim. Then after an off-hand comment by Maggie about the body makes Gerard Damboise, the head of the Historical Society, act squirrelly, he is shot to death. Meanwhile, Maggie is attempting to prepare for Mardi Gras, has taken her grandmother's place judging the pageant, is tasked with cleaning up an old painting damaged in the flood, and posing very difficult questions to her boyfriend, Bo.

There is a LOT going on in this book. Having friends from LA, I know that Mardi Gras is quite the holiday so it seemed fairly realistic. I could've done without all the pageant crap, although I did like the way things turned out in the end. And why on earth did Maggie have to dump the whole: "If you don't want kids, we should end it now" thing on poor Bo? He's working on 2 murders, the cops are in temporary headquarters due to the flood, he has company because Rufus' place was flooded, and everyone has a bunch of Mardi Gras stuff to do. Then she piles more crap on him. The book alludes to them not even having had sex yet, but let's already talk babies. Oy vey. Probably the best part for me was the mention of "Southern Door Syndrome." Living in the south, this is a very real thing and very difficult to deal with!

Overall, this was pretty good.

This is the first book I’ve read in this series. I need to go back and start from the beginning! Interesting, realistic characters and a darn good mystery that kept me turning the pages wanting to know whodunit! Murders surrounding a Miss Gumbo Pageant made this a fun, fast-paced read!

Love this book! Love the cast of characters and the mystery. So many suspects! Love the recipes in the back. I really enjoy reading about this family and all the local history and traditions. Can't wait for the next book!

I have never read the author but the description seemed fun...but honestly I had a hard time getting into it ...probably had three to four weeks go by ..trying several times...but finally just sat down and decided I was reading this book and so glad I did ...after I really started quickly got into it.....felt it was possibly geared a little more towards a female audience but was still very entertaining for a guy ...overall a very fun book ..I would recommend it and look forward to picking up the other books in the series. Review can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37854421-mardi-gras-murder

It took me a few days to get into the book but that's more my fault than the author's. I enjoyed it and as it's not released until October, I won't ruin it by giving a blurb, there are other books in the series and I'd recommend checking them out.

A murder during Mardi Gras is nothing new, but a murder of a Mardi Gras Princess judge? That's a whole other matter! Lots of suspects, but only one could be the murderer. Likeable characters, wonderful description of the celebrations and a little history thrown in makes for a book to sit back and enjoy!

I so enjoyed this read......I do not go into the plot with my reviews, if you want the book’s synopsis, you can readily obtain one in many places. The characters are warm and likable. The setting in Louisiana evokes a feeling of small town comraderie without being “sappy.” A wonderful respite from big city newsie novels, allowing for “good ol’ southern comfort.” Not to mention, murders......and trying to uncover who did it. Favorite quote from the book, “We shouldn’t ignore the past. We should study it and learn and use what we learn to build a better future.” Good advice for today’s world. Oh, and the recipes included at the end are a bonus! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Another good entry in this engaging series.

Again, Byron incorporates lots of details that makes her series seem so realistic. Besides the titled Mardi Gras, she mentions second Mardi Gras which was new to me, a pageant, the after effects of the last hurricane and how everyone was affected, the orphan train (I heard about them in England during WWII, but not in the US), the real impact that family history plays in current events which seems a more southern than northern thing. etc.

There's a lot going on, but it was easy to follow and was interconnected well.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The story starts with a body that turns up behind the Crozat Plantation B&B at the same time that the town is preparing for their Mardi Gras celebrations and beauty pageant. Maggie Crozat's grandmother usually deals with the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen pageant, but now she is sick in the hospital and left it to Maggie to coordinate the event.

Maggie feels overwhelmed. She is not really a fan of beauty pageants and is determined to find out the identity of the body that turned up behind her family's plantation. So, she starts a little investigation of her own. Her relationship with Bo, the official cop in Pelican, is rocky, her father is busy trying to win the Gumbo cookoff and when things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, one of the judges at the beauty pageant is also found dead. Now Maggie and Bo have to rush against time to find out if these two murders are connected.

What I think worked well in this novel was Byron's wonderful characterization of the South. The descriptions of the people, the foods, the preparations for celebration--everything was so on point that it transported me back to Louisiana. I love New Orleans, and I really enjoyed learning more about that culture and the fact that although most people are familiar with the more over-the-top Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, smaller towns in Louisiana celebrate what's called Courir de Mardi Gras--which translates to "Fat Tuesday Run." I really appreciated all the research she put in writing this story and all the bonus recipes at the end of the book.

Mardi Gras Murder is book four of the Cajun Country Mystery series, but I was able to follow along fine--even though I haven't read the other books in the series. This is a great cozy mystery! I read the entire book in one sitting, and I really enjoyed the ending.

A well woven tale with a likable protagonist. Byron writes a well written mystery novel but also tells a tale of living in the South that feels like you could really be there. An interesting mix of characters are also thrown in and the story keeps your attention.

I would read another from this series.