Publication date: January 2013 by Astor +Blue
Source: Publisher for an honest review
Description:
Andy Broussard, the plump and proud New Orleans medical examiner, obviously loves food. Less apparent to the casual observer is his hatred of murderers. Together with his gorgeous sidekick, psychologist Kit Franklyn, the two make a powerful, although improbable, mystery solving duo.
Strange lesions found in the brain of a dead man have forensic pathologist Broussard stumped. Even more baffling are the corpse’s fingerprints. They belong to Ronald Cicero, a lifer at Angola State Prison… an inmate the warden insists is still there. Broussard sends psychologist Kit Franklyn to find out who is locked up in Cicero’s cell. But an astonishing discovery at the jail and an attempt on her life almost has Kit sleeping with the crawfish in a bayou swamp. And Broussard, making a brilliant deduction about another murder, may soon be digging his own grave.
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My Take:
As was the case with the previous Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn book I read, Louisiana Fever, I was quickly caught up in a mystery that kept getting more complicated and dangerous with each page.
Sleeping with the Crawfish follows the events of Louisiana Fever, and Kit is still trying to recover from the trauma and lost confidence that resulted from her kidnapping in Louisiana Fever. Kit feels that she isn't up to the rigors of working with Broussard and that she isn't intellectually up to the challenge. Broussard and everyone else knows this isn't the case, but they have all been unable and/or unwilling to push the issue with her up this point.
In an attempt to show Kit that she can handle the job, Broussard asks her for what he thinks will be a very small, simple favor. But naturally, Kit walks into a much more difficult and dangerous situation than either of them knew. Honestly, I felt quite sorry for Kit -- she seems to get the short end of the stick every time. Although, I felt things evened out a bit since Broussard did end up in the field and encountered a bit of trouble himself in this one.
Kit goes to the prison to verify exactly who is in the prison cell - seems simple enough. As soon as she arrives she get some unexpected news regarding the prisoner. And then a strange series of events begins to unfold - too many coincidences to be sure. Things are not what they seem in this little town where the prison warden and the funeral director are family.
This was definitely a fun, fast-paced read. I enjoyed the story and the returning characters, Broussard and Kit naturally, but also the always funny and lovable Grandma O. If you enjoy a good mystery, some Southern charm and food, and good old-fashioned corruption, you will probably enjoy Sleeping with the Crawfish.
