Victorine

Gold Slippers is a sequel to "Blue Camelia" ,written in 1958 and set in Louisiana in the period between the world wars.To families of wealth and influence,life was kinder than it was to struggling farm families even though much effort was demanded of the sons in building rice empires,rice having been developed only comparatively recently in the South.Prosper Vilac is the scion of just such a family-hardworking in the family business but falls for a dance hall singer,Titine,who is out to use him to further her own ends.After a one night stand with Titine, Prosper becomes engaged to marry Victorine,a very suitable girl and one that his family approves of.Titine's body is discovered in Prospers rice mill and an investigation is set up to discover her killer.This is an old-fashioned book by todays standards,and proceeds at a leisurely pace,but Miss Keye's books have the charm of former days and I found it fascinating to revisit some of the Louisianan towns which I visited in person just a few months ago.