Don't Blame the Snake

Tony Fennelly is not merely an excellent mystery writer, but a sharp social satirist, as well. In fact, most of "Don't Blame the Snake", the latest Margo Fortier novel, is a distillation of the zeitgeist surrounding the O. J. Simpson trial married to a comical study of mystery conventions. The mystery itself, the identity of a murder suspect, is rarely discussed, though it hangs over the action like a dark cloud.Instead of a standard whodunnit, Fennelly offers her readers something more, an examination of our own foibles and eccentricities, particularly those surrounding the dark days of the Simpson Trial. Her characters treat the televised event like a Roman Circus, a train wreck from which we cannot look away. It took me back, made me remember those freaky, surreal days. That the novel is set on a cruise ship only makes the passengers' obsession with the trial funnier.Setting the action among the attendees of a mystery convention was also a stroke of genius. I got the impression Ms. Fennelly placed Margo and her husband, Julian, with the characters Fanny and Alice, two humorous and jaded midlist authors, as a way of expressing her own feelings about the world of publishers and writers. I especially enjoyed this insider's peek into the mysterious world of writers.Another aspect I enjoyed was Ms. Fennelly's concept of "Fictional New Orleans", a place where it's always Mardi Gras, the residents are always in costume and the Cajuns speak in Parisian French. As authors setting books in Fictional New Orleans is a pet peeve of mine, I got a particular belly laugh from the exchange between Margo and Julian. Their snide but friendly interplay is always hilarious.For the sake of mystery, Margo's pal, Lt. Frank Washington, is on board as a convention presenter. Before the cruise, Frank was investigating the death of a famous author by rattlesnake. While aboard, a publisher is also bitten by a snake. Coincidence? We think not. The best part of the mystery is that, this time, Margo isn't even TRYING to solve it. She just makes sense of the clues before anyone else.One complaint I have: Frank Washington is friends with Margo Fortier and with Fennelly's other protagonist, Matty Sinclair, yet the subject never comes up. Matty is New Orleans society. Margo is a society columnist. They MUST know one another . . . It doesn't detract from the books, but it is curious.As always, a new book by Tony Fennelly is an event to be celebrated by anyone who loves a sharp tongue, witty banter, and engaging characters. I recommend it highly and await the next installment.

Don't Blame the Snake was a fun mystery beginning with the prelude. From the moment a body is discovered in a New Orlean's hotel, with a rattle snake on the toilet seat the excitment begins. With most of the book set on a Mystery Cruise Ship, mystery readers will enjoy every word. You will also find yourself laughing out loud and remember, don't blame the snake!