I have so much to say about this book and Greg Herren! First, I had the pleasure of meeting him through our mutual friend Ellen Byron, and he was just the nicest! Second, I cannot believe this is a debut in the Cozy Mystery Genre.

Being a local, I am an extremely tough critic of books set in and around the New Orleans area, even by some who are local. While I know giving people what they want is all part of the reading experience, I feel extra is not always better. WE do not eat crawfish, beignets, or red beans and rice every day. WE do not speak French or with a Cajun accent in and around the actual city of New Orleans. And, no, WE do not wear Mardi Gras beads or practice Voodoo!!! The stereo type kills me and the minute I hit it in a book, I am done. I am sure it is the same with people all over the world when they read about their area.

Greg did a fantastic job of describing The New Orleans where people live, work, shop, and eat. I too shop at the Rouses and Breaux Mart supermarkets and eat at Reginelli's Pizza (btw, their meatball sandwich with garlic aioli and provolone cheese is incredible). I get coffee at CC's and no we don't go to Cafe' du Monde regularly.

So now that everyone knows how I felt about the setting, let's get into the story. I adore Valerie and her best friend, Lauren. That is the same relationship I have with my best friend, we just walk into each other's house, make ourselves comfortable and take over lol. Valerie is still grieving the loss of her husband and is now battling empty nest since her twins left for college, when she receives a cryptic inheritance from her deceased husband's long-lost uncle that no one new about. From there, things really get wild. Having a mortal enemy, she didn't even know she had, inheriting a house and business from someone she didn't know existed, to finding a dead body... It's safe to say Valerie is no longer bored in her day-to-day life. However, things take a dark turn when she realizes she could be the next victim.

I loved this book so much!! Even though it is full of deceit, lies, secrets, and murder, I still found it refreshing (weird right lol).

I look forward to much more from this series and in the Cozy Genre from the author. I received a digital copy for review from NetGalley and I also purchased the audio version. The narration was great.

Highly Recommend!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the descriptions of New Orleans and how it talks about living in Big Easy.
That said I loved Valerie and her friends, hated the bad guys and had a lot of fun.
I know I loved a book when i check when a new one will be out and what the author wrote before.
A solid mystery, an entertaining story, a complex plot involving secrets from the past and old family feuds.
Loved the storytelling and the style of writing.
Valerie is a no nonsense woman and doesn't feel the need to risk her life senslessly.
A well plotted and fast paced story, Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A Streetcar Named Murder is the first book in the A New Orleans Mystery series by T. G. Herren.

The story was well-written and moved at a decent pace. The characters just didn’t draw me in. The main character, Valarie, two brothers-in-law and a sister-in-law who must have a very profitable construction for her to have two boys in college and not have a job outside the home.

This book is alright; just not my cup of tea.

A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren is the debut of A New Orleans Mystery series. I thought the author captured New Orleans. I like that she included the history of the city and events. We get to learn about krewes and their origins as well. Valerie Cooper, the protagonist, is a widow of five years. Her twin boys are enjoying their first year of college. My feelings about Valerie are mixed. I want to like her, but she got on my nerves at times. I wanted her to be less wishy washy. The one time she was brave was when she should not have been. Her friend, Lorna, is a force of nature. I am amazed that the two are friends, especially after learning how they met. Lorna came over to introduce herself to Valerie shortly after the family moved in. The twins were running amok (terrible twos time two), and Valerie was worn out. Lorna quickly got the boys in line (gave them orders) and then the two ladies enjoyed the wine that Lorna brought with her. I would have taken the wine and sent Lorna packing. I found the story to be a slow starter. The mystery did not take place until slightly past the halfway mark. By the time the murder occurs, it was obvious who would die and how. The solution to the whodunit was easy to figure out. I believe the information was supposed to be a twist, but it can easily be discerned long before the reveal. The mystery is wrapped up at the end, so I was not left with any lingering questions. I did feel that there was too much repetition in the story. I lost track of how many times we are told Valerie is a widow, that the family does not know why Arthur was estranged from the family, and that Lorna writes romance novels. The pacing was slow. The overly detailed descriptions and lack of action are the cause (do we really need to know what each person is wearing down to their tie tac or every detail of how Valerie makes her mac and cheese). There is mild foul language and the consumption of copious amounts of wine. There is some humor courtesy of Lorna. As you can tell, A Streetcar Named Murder was not a hit with me. A Streetcar Named Murder is a Southern cozy mystery with an enigmatic inheritance, a rude realtor, an unusual knife, a krewe party, a dying declaration, a disheveled detective, and a surprising revelation.

Our main character is Valerie Cooper, widow, mother of two grown boys, living comfortably in New Orleans but still grieving for her husband and her empty nest. A major bequest from her husband's uncle, a man she never knew, makes her realise she still has a life to lead. Of course this is a cosy mystery so she pretty soon discovers a dead body, meets a charming detective and nearly gets herself and her best friend killed.

Overall I enjoyed the book very much. The mystery was good although I guessed the secret and the culprit pretty quickly. I enjoyed the characters and the dialogue was good. However there was far too much description. Pages of it. A simple trip from home to a shop took pages of how Valerie looked, what she wore, why she does not look good, which streets she drove down, what the place she is visiting looks like from the outside, what it looks like from the inside...... you get the picture. In fact the author makes sure you do! I prefer it if a little is left to my imagination.

Still a very readable mystery especially if you enjoy lots of detail. Three stars.

This was a good start to a new series. The setting is New Orleans - what's not to like about that? Valerie is ready for a new chapter since her husband died and her sons have left the nest. It comes to her in the form of a letter telling her that she and her sons have inherited a majority partnership in New Orleans Fine Antiques. Her late husband's estranged uncle is the source and she didn't even know he existed. Things get really complicated when she discovers that her new business partner is a relative of the woman who is hounding her to sell her house. When that same woman, Collette, turns up dead at a party Valerie attends that makes Valerie the prime suspect. In true cozy mystery fashion, Valerie and her friend Lauren start their own investigation to reveal the killer.
I loved the setting and the antiques theme. The puzzle was complex enough to keep me wondering to the final pages and Valerie was a likable main character. I'll be adding this series to my list to see what else is in store for Valerie.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This has promise to be a great series but it wasn’t there yet for me. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and learning about all the characters. The setting was interesting but I felt like the story kind of dragged. I will definitely read the next one in the series though!

I liked the whole premise of Valerie inheriting a business and not having known her husband's uncle and I liked the key characters a lot. Her friend Lorna cracked me up! Who wouldn't love a bestie like her, right? Dee was a good character too and she made for a nice workplace companion for Valerie. Val's sons were such characters, they were so funny in places.

I did feel in parts of the book that it got overly wordy and maybe a bit too descriptive of past events to the point that I had to hunt for the dialogue that was presently going on. Then I found a few name discrepancies and minor plot discrepancies, none of which I made a note of and none of which terribly affected the outcome or my enjoyment. But it's something I felt I needed to point out. Maybe it was just to set the tone for this first book and give tons of backstory. The description of the town and shops was just about right, and I could almost feel like I was right there in NOLA. And that's my favorite way to travel, by reading. :)

I was right about something that turned out to be a good plot twist. There were a few people I didn't want to be the killer, so I was happy at that outcome but the person I guessed wasn't right. That was one hairy showdown with Lorna right there in the thick of it with Val, so they both succeeded in outsmarting the perp. The book releases Dec. 6, 2022.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Valerie Cooper is trying to move through life following the death of her beloved husband, as well as her twin sons leaving for college. One day she receives a letter that she and her sons are the beneficiaries of an estranged uncle’s last will and testament. Part of the inheritance is Rare Things, an antiques company. Valerie decides to work part-time at the store, but her new partner is also the father of Collette, the woman who wants to sell Valerie’s house, and a mean woman.

Valerie’s friend Lorna is invited to a Mardi Gras party, and she drags Valerie along. The costume party, however, turns deadly as Valerie finds Collette with a dagger in her chest. A dagger that was at Rare Things.
After the death, Valerie is shocked to learn the dead woman hated Valerie, and sets about trying to discover why. Unfortunately, that also makes Valerie the obvious suspect, but could she also be a potential victim?

I have not read any of T.G Herren’s novels prior to this one.

The story has a lot of potential, but I could not see it as a series, more as a standalone. The mystery was threefold. Who was Uncle Arthur? Why did Collette hate Valerie? And who killed Collette? I found these questions intriguing and kept reading because I wanted to see the answers. I was sufficiently satisfied that each was answered and there were no loose ends.

However, there was quite a bit of repetition. I don’t believe it was necessary to say over and over that Valerie was a widow. Instead, I wish that the author had explained earlier and better how Valerie become a widow. It also would have made the connection with Collette clearer because I had many questions as to how she couldn’t possible have known about such-and-such.

Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren in the first book in the New Orleans Cozy Mystery Series. I found this a charming read with a fun setting of New Orleans. The author has captured all the culture, mystery and food of New Orleans.
The protagnist Valerie was a likable character as she goes through major life changes, inheritance of a business and solving a murder. of a nemisis. The charcters were richly drawn to the story and added fun to the story. I like that the sleuth was not the majority of the book as the author took time to develop her charcters and the setting. This is a cozy I look forward to returning to . Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity . I highly recommend this delightful fun cozy series.

I know I don't like a book when I dread having to pick it back up and keep reading. I had no investment in the characters, especially Valerie Cooper, who strikes me as someone who needs a swift kick in the pants and a backbone. Her friend Lorna was much more to my liking but even she got irritating after a bit. This book was one big snooze and didn't hold my interest. I struggled to finish.

A surprise inheritance takes Val in unexpected directions in this nice start to a new cozy series. She's a widow whose kids have moved out and the idea that she's inherited not only money (woohoo) but an antiques business is exciting, And in New Orleans no less. And then a frenemy is found murdered. Those who like a cozy that starts off fast should know that this builds up to the crime- scene setting as it were. Val's friend Laurel -not a fan and I'm surprised that one of her comments when Val's kids were toddlers made it through the editorial process. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one has potential.

A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren in the first book in the New Orleans Cozy Mystery Series and it is Fabulous!

It incorporated all the best of cozies; well developed characters that quickly become friends and make you want to come back to the series, wonderful descriptions of the food, architecture, and atmosphere of New Orleans, and lots of suspects and a few red herrings to keep the reader engaged in the mystery.

But, even better, at least to me, it didn’t have the main character, Valerie, going over the suspects over and over again and analyzing their motives. While there is some of that (and a bit too much of why didn’t my husband tell me about his uncle…) you actually get a lot more of Valerie exploring New Orleans, going to various events, and giving us insights into the history, food, and the shops/neighborhoods around the city. This made for a wonderful story and I can’t wait for book two in the series.

One thing that some long time readers of cozies may find a bit different in regards to this one is that the murder doesn’t actually take place until half way into the book. I didn’t mind it though because we were learning more about the characters and all the wonder that can be found in New Orleans. But that shouldn’t keep you from reading A Streetcar Named Murder by T.G. Herren.

Herren’s not only written incredibly likeable characters, Valerie’s so someone I’d be friends with and her best friend Lorna is laugh-out-loud funny, but crafted a well-balanced mystery filled with clues, suspects and red herrings. I very much enjoyed this first book in the New Orleans Mystery series especially the fall vibes, great food descriptions, and New Orleans atmosphere and look forward to reading more.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Valerie Cooper is a young widow & empty nester in NOLA with twin sons just off to college. Valerie is shocked to learn she is the heir of her late husband Tony's estranged uncle Arthur's antique business. Having plenty of free time, Valerie decides to learn the antique business and finds herself enjoying her time being an active partner at Rare Finds Antiques. But Valerie is bothered by her school association frenemy Collette who keeps pestering "the widow Cooper" into selling the family home. Valerie doesn't want to sell.

When Valerie goes with her best friend Lauren to a pre-Halloween costume party for the women’s Mardi Gras club, she stumbles over Collette’s body. Valerie recognizes the jeweled dagger sticking out of Collette's chest as an item she handled at Rare Finds & fears she is the prime murder suspect.

As Valerie tries to clear her name, she quickly learns that Collette had a lot of enemies and that long-held family secrets and greed are the motives behind her death.

The story started a bit slow but eventually had a good set of possible suspects and engaging characters for this new mystery series set in NOLA.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own.

A Streetcar Named Murder is straying a bit from the codes of the genre. Ultimately, I’m giving it 4 stars, but that was an unexpected turn of event because the whole first half of the novel was dragging on sooo much. I must admit that I almost stopped reading it multiple times. Luckily, I pushed through because I still enjoyed the settings (New Orleans around Halloween time) and the mysterious vibes about the family inheritance .

For the first half of the novel, it’s all about the main character navigating her daily life in New Orleans, struggling with financial troubles and finding out about an untimely inheritance from a unknown relative on her dead husband’s side of the family. The book did not feel like a regular mystery at all… It was also a bit all over the place, writing style-wise (too many repetitions overall). I was beginning to wonder whether it had been mislabelled.

Halfway through, the murder finally happened and the investigation could begin. The whole plot took off and the pace picked up. The writing style was a lot more neat and flowy, on par with the style of the genre. That second part was really good on all accounts: writing style, twists and red herrings and unexpected finale, I couldn’t put it down. Quite the dramatic change of pace!

I do wonder how come the first part wasn’t edited more and reduced to the essential to allow for the murder plot to unfold much earlier and take center stage. It almost feels like the second half was the actual initial book and the author had to add the first half as a filler to make it longer. Anyway, that’s how I experienced the weird shift and structure. Usually the murder happens in the first 10% of the book…

Regardless of this, I do recommend the novel for the very strong second half!

I am happy to have read and to review #AStreetcarNamedMurder by T.G. Herren, courtesy of #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks.
I found everything about this book to be worth the read, from the main character Valerie's slate of personal discoveries that turn her world as she knows it topsy-turvey, to the wonderful descriptions of the New Orleans settings, to the mystery of who killed the victim and why. The revelations keep adding up, making for a fascinating, multi-level mystery that keeps the reader guessing right to the very end.
I was, however, surprised that the actual crime took until the 53% mark in the book to occur, and found some of the descriptive segments surrounding food to be somewhat tedious.
Overall, this book is well-written, fun to read, and an excellent first book in A New Orleans Mystery series. I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.

I really liked the New Orleans setting. We get a lot about her neighborhood and the places she walks. This helps create a cozy feel.
I like the way that Valerie is growing after grieving for her husband and being an empty nester. She isn’t sure who she is anymore, but she is willing to learn and try new things. That was a great way to bring in her inheritance that helped her find something to do as well as push her to deal with some grief and pain.
The murder and victim were both complicated. That made for compelling reading. I figured out who the murderer was a little earlier than normal, but there was still a little bit of mystery surrounding it.
All of the characters felt like real people who were struggling with something. So complicated mystery, great characters and cozy setting!

Really excited to read more in this series! Love the NOLA setting, loving our MC, and the mystery was solid and fun; plus there will definitely be more to unpack with her uncle. Cannot wait to read more!

This is the first book in a new cozy series set in New orleans and following Valerie Cooper, a widower with twin boys who have just left home for collage.
Valerie discovers she's inherited part of an antique shop and property and her sons have inherited the rest of the estate of her late husband's wealthy uncle. This uncle had been estranged from the family and Val never even knew he existed. It's quite a shock, but it help with her money worries and gives her something to do with her newly free time, working at the antique shop.
Things get interesting when she discovers a connection between the inheritance and Colette, the "mean girl" from the parent group at her kids former high school. Colette seems to hate Val for no reason and begins to inject herself into her life. A murder occurs and things get even more dangerous for Val when she finds the body and is pulled into investigating.
I loved Val, the setting and the secondary characters. There looks to be more to unpack from her uncle's estate for future books, some budding romantic options and I can't wait to see where the next book leads.
Looking forward to the next installment!