Although I’m not a native of New Orleans, it is one of my favorite cities to visit. Even among the craziest people in the universe during Mardi Gras or the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, she plays gracious hostess with unruly guests, invited and uninvited.
Gregg Herren does not use kid gloves discussing his home town. He portrays the Big Easy as the gritty, hot and humid city she is with her racist and corrupt politics. Tourists don’t escape unscathed as they are depicted in very unflattering light, as well. But this doesn’t mean that he dislikes the place. On the contrary.
Murder in the Rue Dauphine is rich with details of New Orleans and Herren’s love for her and her flaws shines through the words of his excellent mystery. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was reluctant to pick up another gay sleuth novel since I’ve never been able to connect with any of those earlier characters.
Herren’s hero, Chanse MacLeod, use his intelligence and investigative skills to solve a mystery that involves murder and blackmail. He is obviously an attractive man although Herren doesn’t specify this in simple terms. Despite his good looks, MacLeod never resorts to seduction or hustling to unravel the mystery. In fact, the only reason his shirt ever comes off is to keep it from getting sweaty while he walks through the hot and humid streets of the French Quarter.
The murdered man, in Rue Dauphine, hires MacLeod just hours before he is killed, to find out who is blackmailing his lover, a very rich, closeted, married with kids, high-profile person at the top of the New Orleans celebrity list. When he goes to meet with his new client, MacLeod stumbles upon his body.
Chanse admits several times that murder is out of his league while being drawn deeper and deeper into the circumstances and intrigue that surround the death of a man nobody seemed to like and had plenty of reasons to get rid of him. He tries to distance himself from the case, citing frequently, “I don’t do murders”. However, he gets caught up in the local gay rights movement and shot at twice. His best friends, a reporter and a gay cop, help him sift through all the clues that seem to cloud the issue rather than solve it.
As I mentioned earlier, I am not a native of Louisiana but I did connect with MacLeod through his snarky and sometimes jaded viewpoints. I was disappointed to find out who the murder was, since I felt an even deeper connection with him, when MacLeod confronts him about his hustling. The male prostitute responds with pent-up anger and bitterness, which boils to the surface in a scene where I found his words closely reflected many of my own personal thoughts. Creepy yet I felt vindicated in a small way.
Herren builds suspense up through a near riot in Jackson Square and keeps the action at a feverish pace to the end.
Murder in the Rue Dauphine is a novel for all mystery lovers, even the readers who are not interested in gay literature. His story remains well inside everyone’s comfort zone.
I really am looking forward to the next Chanse MacLeod mystery.