Cajun Nights

I feel a little silly writing a review of a book that is so out of print you may never find it again. But on the off-chance it comes back into print, this little write-up will be waiting for it. Aside from the silly title (there are only two confirmed Cajun characters in the whole book and not a single cajun night), "Cajun Nights" is a wonderful book and a wonderful introduction to a short-lived series. Kit Franklyn has been hired as a suicide investigator by the Orleans Parrish medical examiner, Andy Broussard, a no-nonsense, lemon-ball-popping eccentric. Her hiring is fortuitous, as New Orleans has been suffering a rash of murder-suicides that may or may not have been caused by a centuries-old curse. Author D.J. Donaldson writes New Orleans as though he loves it - is descriptions of locations and familiar landmarks are careful and respectful. Using Kit, a relative newcomer to the city, her is able to introduce us to New Orleans in a way that is fresh and doesn't come off sounding like a travelogue. Cajun Nights is an entertaining book that will keep you happily turning pages until the end. The plot seems far-fetched at first, but makes perfect sense by the time we reach the final page and Donaldson writes well without bogging us down in needless details.