Laurel Chandler is a lawyer who had to return to her hometown, Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, after losing a case of child abuse, for lack of evidence. After her defeat she got divorced and depressed, therefore she dedided to take refuge with her older sister Savannah and her aunt Caroline.
Nevertheless, she seems to be a magnet for difficult cases. There’s an intelligent and meticulous killer torturing and slaying women all over the French Triangle. All the victims had doubtful reputation and their corpses were left in the bayou. There had been no victims in Bayou Breaux until Annie, the daughter of the owners of a bar named Frenchie’s Landing, appears dead. The parents ask Laurel for help and she begins to investigate the case. As the story unfolds, we realize that the killer is messing with Laurel and with her obsession with justice.
Because of this obsession and an incident in her aunt’s garden, caused by a beautiful dog named Huey, she meets Jack Boudreaux, a horror Best Sellers’ author and musician who lives without bandages and likes to have fun with beautiful women. Laurel wants justice and her garden fixed, Jack wants to know why he’s so interested in Laurel and why she’s strong and fragile at the same time. They both have terrible secrets and have suffered terrible experiences.
I must confess that at the beginning I was bored. I thought the characters were weak and dramatic, but as I continued reading, I realized that the story was a great story and the characters weren’t as weak as I thought. I liked that Laurel was an intelligent, capable and strong woman who had a very fragile side. And that Jack was bad and good at the same time, with a dark past and great and scary imagination.
The psychological part of all the characters was very interesting. For example, Vivian, so obsessed with appearances and with herself that she didn’t realize what happened with her daughters. Or Savannah who thought she was only good for sex after being constantly abused by her stepfather. Or Stephen Danjermond, the golden boy who had everything. Everyone had a good opinion of him, but nobody really knew him.
I also liked that the French Triangle and the bayous were the story’s narrative space. I’ve always thought that those places are great for mystery stories. For me, they can be magical and very mysterious for their history.
At the end I really enjoyed this novel and I’m considering adding it to my favorites list. I recommend it!
Thanks for the recommendation Pau!