SASHÉ BOUDREAUX

A cozy mystery series kicks off with heaping helpings of small-town charm.

The first installment of McQ’s series opens with a backstory that quickly establishes its hero’s flamboyance, fortitude, and faith. Born “on the back side of a bayou in the middle of a thunderstorm” and winning the local “Miss Crawdad Pageant” three years running in her youth, Sashé Boudreaux finds purpose providing “hushpuppies, makeovers, and justice” to her neighbors in Cypress Grove, Louisiana, her tiny backwater of a hometown. When Harold Landry, one of the shut-ins she delivers home-cooked meals to, goes missing one Tuesday morning, Sashé’s “good instincts” kick into gear: “Nobody misses my Tuesday tapioca. Nuh-uh. Not on purpose.” Friendly chats with friends in the community—including Arleen, a retired cop who drives the town shuttle; Delphine, who runs the recycling center; and Elaine at the post office—reveal that no one has seen Landry since Thursday night bingo. Rumor has it that he may have been mixed up in clandestine activities with a couple of other local oddballs: a reclusive retired archaeologist and a traumatized Vietnam vet. Meanwhile, Bobbie Rae, who sells homemade goat-milk soaps and reads people’s auras at the farmers market, has been experiencing weird, ominous dreams, and her bad-boy boyfriend, Trey (whose older brother is doing time in nearby Angola prison), is acting strange. A hidden network of underground tunnels once used by Civil War–era bandits and a hunky new sheriff add intrigue and excitement to the mystery. McQ pours on the Southern charm extra thick, peppering the dialogue with “y’all,” “Lordy!,” “criminy,” and homespun phrases like “hotter’n Hades.” The characters wash down generous helpings of delicious, down-home food with copious quantities of sweet tea (with extra sugar). But what at first seems like over-the-top cornpone is rescued by a plot that ties modern-day evils to historical atrocities and a cast of endearing, plucky characters who rise above stereotypes and genuinely look out for each other. Brief author’s notes at the end discuss the novel’s historical context.

Quirky characters, small-town charm, and links to contemporary issues and historical events enliven this series debut.