This is the first Micky Knight book I’ve read and it’s number 12 in the series. I’m flabbergasted that I’ve never read one before as I’ve read all the contemporary authors. Total missed opportunity because judging by this book, I’ve been missing out. The Smallest Day is an excellent read. Well paced, engaging suspense, some twists and turns to keep you on your toes. A perfect mystery novel. I especially liked the respectful way the bereavement was handled. I now have eleven books to read, so that’s made me happy.

I have read many of the books in the Micky Knight Mystery series by the uber talented J.M. Redmann. It has been a while since I read one of her books and this one felt like coming back home. Redmann writes strong characters, great suspense, and lots of twists and turns. This latest book was no disappointment. Between protecting a NYC Rabbi who just witnessed the murder of her wife, to being hired by her high school bully, Micky has her hands full. With her PI bag in hand, she takes us on a journey into the darker side of her beloved New Orleans and scopes out the....well I can't spoil it for you, now can I? Join Micky and her recurring cast of friends in this latest adventure. It's a wild ride you are sure to enjoy!

Micky is hired to protect a Rabbi from NYC after having partner killed right beside her. Micky’s goal is to keep her safe and hidden away while others look for the killer. The killers arrive in Town and now Micky not only has to protect her, she has to find the killer before he finds them.
Goodreads

3.5 ⭐️ This is a story about PI Mickey Knight and takes place in New Orleans, LA. This was my first read in this on going series and I'm sorry I missed the earlier books. Mickey is smart and dedicated to her job. She is asked to be a bodyguard for a female Rabi from New York who is moved to NOLA to keep her safe from the right wing terrorists who have murdered her wife. The killers were trying to kill Sarah, but missed and shot her wife instead.

This book is written in first person and goes into great detail about the streets and locations in NOLA. It has her cousin and best friends in the story and her ex Cordelia. Having visted NOLA, I enjoyed and the scenic detail. The story had some twists and turns in it while Mickey went about solving the murder and the mystery of her old high school friends. There is no romance in the story, which was fine with me.

Thanks to Net Galley and BSB for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Gripping, thought provoking and enjoyable. No more to say except Read it! (You don’t need to have read the others in the series, but I have been reading them over the many years of the series and do recommend them)

This is the 12th Mickey Knight mystery and as usual it quite compelling, enjoyable. and does not fall short. Buckle up and get ready to go on a ride with Mickey. Well done!! I recommend

Thank You NetGalley , Bold Strokes Books and the author for this ARC copy.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


PI Mickey is at it again when she is charged with keeping a woman safe who was a victim of a crime. Rabbi Sarah is mourning her wife after surviving a crime that killed her wife she doesn’t have a lot of trust in people but she has to put her trust in Mickey who not very good at emotions but with the help her friends she navigates as she investigates we get glimpse of what people would just to hate as the truth is revealed. Again love this series I would love a crossover with Ali Vali Cain Casey and Sept Savoie

J.M. Rodman’s The Smallest Day is a compelling mystery that grips readers from the start with its emotional depth, social relevance, and unforgettable characters. Centered around the investigation of a disturbing hate crime, the novel doesn’t just deliver suspense—it challenges, provokes, and lingers long after the final chapter.

At the heart of the story are strong, multifaceted female protagonists whose resilience and determination anchor the narrative. Rodman writes them with authenticity and strength, allowing their voices to carry the emotional weight of the plot while offering readers powerful, thought-provoking perspectives.

The mystery unfolds with measured intensity, as each clue brings with it a new layer of truth—and new questions. What sets The Smallest Day apart is its fearless engagement with timely themes of prejudice, justice, and moral complexity. It’s not just a story about solving a crime; it’s a story about confronting the systems and silence that allow such crimes to occur.

Tense, intelligent, and emotionally resonant, The Smallest Day is both a gripping read and a meaningful commentary on the world we live in.

This was my first Mickey Knight book, and by the end she felt like a cherished old friend. Mickey has been charged with protecting a rabbi named Sarah who has been the victim of a terrible hate crime. Sarah has been moved to New Orleans for her protection. The rich descriptions of New Orleans’ character and culture would make anyone want to visit.

The story has political undertones but does not attempt to explain the inexplicable…hate crimes. It does a good job of reflecting the consequences of hate crimes, not only on the victims but the whole community. Sarah is a sympathetic character and her grief is palpable.

This plot twist that tied Mickey’s cases together was surprising, but completely believable. Overall, it’s a good story, well written, and an easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book.

The 12th Micky Knight - as good as ever
Since 1990 Jean Redman chronicles with PI Micky Knight our lesbian and queer history. Her books are always tightly packed, well written, good mysteries with a political undercurrent, firmly set in New Orleans / Louisiana culture and with plenty of found family. If you have not yet met Micky Knight, gruff, with rough edges, but good people and her friends, it might be high time you do.
The 12th book in the series tackles a hate crime - a hate crime committed not only against a lesbian but a prominent leader, a rabbi of the Jewish community. A hot-button topic at this moment of time.
What sticks out throughout the book is the raw grief of rabbi Sarah who has to flee from her community in NYC and how Micky (reluctantly at first) and then her friends rally. Not glossing over with a quick healing for a grief-stricken widow but the tender start of mourning and possibility.
The evil is creeping in slowly: disgruntled small men with britches too big, people only following orders, bullies - the anatomy of a hate-crime is laid open in all its ugliness. Small increments which amount to murder. Brilliantly done.

PS.: The book focuses on right-wing, so-called Christian white supremacy it doesn‘t bear thinking but it came to mind that a Jewish rabbi might be in danger from more than that rather obvious direction.

I received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.

I can’t not give Micky a 5* review. She’s my favourite PI and I’ve followed her career from her cases in the bayou when she nearly died. It’s hard to believe Micky is a creation. She’s been around for a while, she ages and matures, and she just feels so real. Part of me thinks if I went to New Orleans, I could pop into her office to say hello. Or bump into her ‘accidentally’ at one of Torbin’s drag shows.

This is her twelfth adventure and Ms Redmann is assured in her handling of multiple threads while keeping all the various characters moving forward through the plot. There’s no ‘fillers’ here. It’s a tight plot from the first page, when Micky is lined up to be a bodyguard for a rabbi, to the last few pages when we find out the who and the why. The ending is satisfying and nicely finishes this story while leading us on to the next ~ which I’m hoping Ms Redmann is busy writing.

The rabbi, Sarah, has come to NO to escape an attempt on her life which killed her wife, Leah. She’s mourning, she’s raw, she’s lost in so many ways, and she doesn’t know who to trust. Micky is happy being muscle but less comfortable being a shoulder as it’s out of her depth to do ‘emotions’. But we know that Micky has her circle of friends who all come through for her.

The author is well versed in spinning a story while making a subtle political point and this is no different. We get an insight into hate groups and their methods and control. How naïveté can be coerced into doing criminal acts. How desperate people can do desperate things. But also, to quote Arendt, the ‘banality of evil’. Who becomes a target is hard to assess in the current world and the plotting pulls us along while showing us how school bullies, and people for whom wealth is a weapon, manipulate (or try to) the ‘little people’.

Micky is morally strong, she has her own very clear ethics on what is acceptable, and she always does the right thing, even if that means not making promises. Sarah is a lovely character, the usual gang all get their screen time. Cordelia is there wiping blood off Micky as she usually has to. I’m looking forward to book 13.

If you haven’t come across Micky Knight and you like detective fiction with strong female characters, do yourself a favour and start at book one and work through to this one. I envy you meeting Micky for the first time, and I know you’ll be hooked.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

This is the next installment of Mickey Knight books.
Mickey has been asked to keep an eye on Rabbi Sarah whose wife was recently killed. The question is was her wife the real target or was it Sarah.
Sarah is reluctant to have a guard but at the same time ahe’s still mourning her wife.
Things are going to take unexpected turns until the truth finally hits.

This is another enjoyable read by J.M. Redmann and you won’t be disappointed.