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Shadows in the Oaks by Christine Forrest
A mystery novel about the murder of the New Orleans newspaper publisher’s brother-in-law, Salazar Chavez. It takes place at the home of Penelope and Madison Peibody on St. Charles Avenue after a party ushering in the 1982 Mardi Gras season.
The deceased leaves his wife with unusual instructions on exactly how to plan for his funeral. This causes the Peibodys to question if Salazar hadn’t foreseen the events that led up to his demise. Chavez, Peibody’s brother-in-law, is employed by a Colombian coffee exporting company, Corteco, whose headquarters in the United States is located in the heart of the French Quarter on the corner of Bourbon and St. Peter’s Streets.
All investigations by local authorities into the murder lead to the victim’s wife, Georgana. Penelope believes that the NOPD ignores the obvious path to solving the murder, so she relies on her investigative reporting skills to find the truth. With each clue, Penelope discovers her life becomes more profoundly affected. She struggles to figure out whether a mysterious champion is really the murderer setting up her entrapment or acting as a true advocate.
Peni and her sister eventually find themselves hostage and, in a life-threatening predicament that leads her husband and the D.A. on a chase through the New Orleans warehouse district to rescue the two sisters from their would-be assassin.
CLBC- Multi-Genre Book Review:
Written with a thrilling, sensational style, Shadows in the Oaks by Christine Forrest is a spell-binding murder mystery, and crime thriller and is set in a suspenseful New Orleans locale and is filled with intrigue.
A gripping mystery unfolds when Salazar Chavez, the brother-in-law of newspaper publisher Penelope Peibody, is murdered during a party at the Peibodys’ home in New Orleans as the 1982 Mardi Gras season begins. Before his death, Chavez left his wife with strange instructions for his funeral, which leads Penelope and her husband, Madison, to wonder if Salazar had somehow predicted his own demise. Chavez worked for Corteco, a Colombian coffee exporting company based in the French Quarter. As local authorities focus their investigation on Salazar’s wife, Georgana, Penelope, frustrated with their approach, uses her investigative journalism skills to uncover the truth. The deeper Penelope digs, the more her life is affected, as she grapples with whether a mysterious benefactor is orchestrating her downfall or genuinely trying to help her. Eventually, Penelope and her sister are taken hostage, leading to a harrowing rescue mission through New Orleans’ warehouse district by her husband and the District Attorney.
Christine writes as a native New Orleans resident. Her writing transports readers to the French Quarter where Mardi Gras comes alive through every one of the senses. The way Christine writes a mystery kept me captivated; I loved the characters she created for this story, and the way she interposed them throughout this storyline. I think New Orleans was the best setting for this story also. The dialogue really made this book for me; I felt like I was sucked into the story immediately and I had such a hard time putting this book down until I knew how the mystery was going to be resolved.
Shadows in the Oaks by Christine Forrest is a well-written story filled with mystery, intrigue and an original, interesting, gripping plot. I think this book will be a story that most readers and fans of murder mysteries, crime thrillers, suspense and related genres will enjoy reading. I highly recommend Shadows in the Oaks by Christine Forrest, Book reviewed by Mary Rosenthal for CLBC. – Multi-Genres Book Reviews
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