Book review - BAYOU JUSTICE by Robin Caroll

Captain’s Log, Supplemental

Bayou Justice by Robin Caroll

A body in the bayou.

Alligator conservationist Coco LeBlanc knew real fear when she found a body in the clutches of her beloved beasts. Fear turned to horror when she saw that it was one of the Trahan clan—and he'd been shot in the back.

Her ex-boyfriend, Luc Trahan, had dumped Coco two years ago when she refused to give up her family's centuries-old voodoo traditions, and he didn't know about her newfound faith.

Now, as they and their families become prime suspects in the grisly crime, they'll have to work together to clear their names before the Cajun killer strikes again.

Camy here: This is such a great book!

It completely immersed this Hawaii-grown-California-girl in the Southern Cajun culture without making me feel like I’ve landed on another planet. The setting is like another character in the story, incorporating everything from alligators to Confederate history to voodoo.

CoCo is a spitfire and I loved her. This girl’s got a ton of wasabi—er, maybe I should say, Cajun spice! If you like strong heroines, this is the chick for you.

I also loved the strong family ties of both CoCo and Luc. Despite CoCo’s nonChristian family, she loves them fiercely and their bonds are strong. None of the sisters are afraid to tell another what they think of their actions, which cracked me up since it’s so much like me and my spiritual sisters in Christ. Luc’s family has its problems, but they’re loyal and caring for each other.

The suspense plot has tons of twists and turns. The mystery never lets up for a second—problems crop up left and right, new suspects, new motives. I felt like anybody could be the murderer up until the last few pages.

The ending (solving the mystery part) is a bit rushed, but everything resolves nicely.

This is a great book for a teen or preteen, because it’s got romance, suspense, and culture, and it’s completely appropriate for readers as young as 6th grade. I actually intend to hand this to a few of the junior highers and high schoolers I work with at church because I think they’ll really like it.