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Ghost-in-Law #1
Trouble in Mudbug
Scientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law’s death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana. Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into � especially as it seems someone wants her dead. Keeping his secrets while protecting Maryse proves to be easier than fighting his attraction for the brainy beauty. ( This book is part of the author’s backlist, originally released in print in 2009 by Dorchester Publishing)
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 27, 2009
3606 people are currently reading
7276 people want to read
About the author
Jana Deleon
117books4,082followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get there by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretched out over the water where Jana spent many hours reading books.
Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.
Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.
She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.
Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.
Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.
She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,420 reviews
December 10, 2022
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4 Stars
This book was so much fun! I had hoped that this book would keep me entertained at the gym and it did that job so well I found myself listening to it not only at the gym but on my way to the gym and really anytime I was in the car. This book isn't anything serious and was a bit silly at times but it was exactly what I was looking for.
Maryse attends her mother-in-law's funeral like any good person would do, even though she is estranged from her deadbeat husband, Hank. Maryse would love to get a divorce if she could find Hank so that he could be served with papers. During the funeral, Maryse sees her mother-in-law, Helena, get out of the coffin and nobody else seems to see it. She is shocked to learn that she has been named in Helena's will and even more shocked to find out what she has inherited.
Luc is in Mudbug investigating an anonymous tip concerning illegal dumping in the bayou. He is an undercover DEA agent and moves himself into Maryse's office by posing as a zoologist. As Maryse has one bad thing happen to her after another, Luc realizes that more may be going on than he first realized.
This book was incredibly funny at times. I can only imagine what Maryse would have looked like as she talked with a ghost that nobody else could see. The ghost, Helena, became funnier as the book progressed and by the end of the book I just loved her. The situations the characters found themselves were always amusing.
I thought the mystery was quite interesting. This book had some twists and turns that I was not expecting at all. There were at least two times during the book that I was absolutely shocked. I love that this light-hearted story was able to keep me guessing. The romance in this book didn't take over the story and I liked the chemistry between Luc and Maryse.
I listened to the audible edition of the book and thought that the narration was wonderful. The narrator added to the story. Her character voices were distinctive and the pacing of her speech was wonderful. I think that Johanna Parker was the perfect narrator for this story.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted book. This is the first novel by Jana DeLeon that I have had a chance to read but I definitely plan to look for her work in the future.
4 Stars
This book was so much fun! I had hoped that this book would keep me entertained at the gym and it did that job so well I found myself listening to it not only at the gym but on my way to the gym and really anytime I was in the car. This book isn't anything serious and was a bit silly at times but it was exactly what I was looking for.
Maryse attends her mother-in-law's funeral like any good person would do, even though she is estranged from her deadbeat husband, Hank. Maryse would love to get a divorce if she could find Hank so that he could be served with papers. During the funeral, Maryse sees her mother-in-law, Helena, get out of the coffin and nobody else seems to see it. She is shocked to learn that she has been named in Helena's will and even more shocked to find out what she has inherited.
Luc is in Mudbug investigating an anonymous tip concerning illegal dumping in the bayou. He is an undercover DEA agent and moves himself into Maryse's office by posing as a zoologist. As Maryse has one bad thing happen to her after another, Luc realizes that more may be going on than he first realized.
This book was incredibly funny at times. I can only imagine what Maryse would have looked like as she talked with a ghost that nobody else could see. The ghost, Helena, became funnier as the book progressed and by the end of the book I just loved her. The situations the characters found themselves were always amusing.
I thought the mystery was quite interesting. This book had some twists and turns that I was not expecting at all. There were at least two times during the book that I was absolutely shocked. I love that this light-hearted story was able to keep me guessing. The romance in this book didn't take over the story and I liked the chemistry between Luc and Maryse.
I listened to the audible edition of the book and thought that the narration was wonderful. The narrator added to the story. Her character voices were distinctive and the pacing of her speech was wonderful. I think that Johanna Parker was the perfect narrator for this story.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted book. This is the first novel by Jana DeLeon that I have had a chance to read but I definitely plan to look for her work in the future.
July 30, 2016
Review written July 30, 2016
3 1/2 Stars - A cozy mystery with a hilarious old-lady ghost
A sweet, amusing and cozy mystery. 9:19 hrs ($2 WSfV) audiobook narrated by . � Trouble in Mudbug is the first adventure in a series set in the southern US in the Bayous of Louisiana.
Not "world shattering" but well done (terrific narrator) and good enough.
*
In this #1 installment are the main characters the scientist Maryse Robicheaux and the dangerous goodlooking DEA Agent Luc LeJeune....and of course Maryse's former mother-in-law Helena Henry. By now a hunting ghost who wants to solve her mysterious (murder poisoned?) dead.
There is a good "whodunnit" mystery, some action and a droolworthy hero. Light on smex but truly fun and romantic. My own favorite was of course the ghost Helena as we will meet in future books. I enjoyed and chuckled now and then. Will probably continue this series at some point.
*
I LIKE - funny older ladies and light romance
3 1/2 Stars - A cozy mystery with a hilarious old-lady ghost
A sweet, amusing and cozy mystery. 9:19 hrs ($2 WSfV) audiobook narrated by . � Trouble in Mudbug is the first adventure in a series set in the southern US in the Bayous of Louisiana.
Not "world shattering" but well done (terrific narrator) and good enough.
*
In this #1 installment are the main characters the scientist Maryse Robicheaux and the dangerous goodlooking DEA Agent Luc LeJeune....and of course Maryse's former mother-in-law Helena Henry. By now a hunting ghost who wants to solve her mysterious (murder poisoned?) dead.
There is a good "whodunnit" mystery, some action and a droolworthy hero. Light on smex but truly fun and romantic. My own favorite was of course the ghost Helena as we will meet in future books. I enjoyed and chuckled now and then. Will probably continue this series at some point.
*
I LIKE - funny older ladies and light romance
February 12, 2022
I am disappointed. I loved the title and the book cover. I even found some of the story funny and silly. Then...I'm not a prude, and I probably am able to overlook the sex scenes more than most would, after all I read m/m romances, but where these scenes "belong" in my m/m romances, they stuck out like a sore thumb in this little mystery with the cute title and cover. The language was also way, way, way out of place. I bet it was from just slightly, to extremely offensive to 98% of the people that read, or tried to read, this. I guess it boils down to that I don't understand why authors ruin a good story by doing this. If this is the type of dialog and scenes they want to present, they need to change the genre they are writing in.
May 30, 2017
This was just an okay cozy mystery. I had a hard time following the plot and didn't think the writing was all that great. I at least got it as a freebie though. I don't have any intention of continuing with the series.
The first part of this book started off promising. We have Maryse Robicheaux going to her mother in law's funeral. Trouble is that Maryse is two years estranged from her husband and doing her best to serve him with divorce papers. She's hoping he will show up so she can finally be rid of him. Problem is that while she's waiting for the funeral service, the ghost of her mother in law pops up. This of course leads Maryse to wondering if she's losing it. When she's shown not to be, she is forced to figure out who murdered her mother in law and while. If that's not enough due to her mother in law's will leaving her a highly valued property, someone appears to be gunning for her too.
Maryse works for the state and is doing her best to come up with a cure for cancer based on the plants she finds around the bayou. When she goes to work and finds Luc LeJeune (Native American and I think Creole) at her office telling her that he is there to work and they will need to share a space. Of course romance between the two is given, though I have to say that I was not that impressed by Luc as a love interest. He was a bit too He-Man for me.
I honestly fell asleep twice reading this. I think that the book just dragged way too much. The dialogue was also pretty stilted. I laughed a few times when there were any scenes between Maryse and her mother in law Helena though. Helena gets some awareness after she's dead which just makes you sad she didn't get it beforehand.
The book ultimately doesn't solve who murdered Helena which means there's another book (or based on what I saw on ŷ, 5 more books).
I won't be continuing this series though. I usually like to read series books, but this one was a bit of a chore for me.
The first part of this book started off promising. We have Maryse Robicheaux going to her mother in law's funeral. Trouble is that Maryse is two years estranged from her husband and doing her best to serve him with divorce papers. She's hoping he will show up so she can finally be rid of him. Problem is that while she's waiting for the funeral service, the ghost of her mother in law pops up. This of course leads Maryse to wondering if she's losing it. When she's shown not to be, she is forced to figure out who murdered her mother in law and while. If that's not enough due to her mother in law's will leaving her a highly valued property, someone appears to be gunning for her too.
Maryse works for the state and is doing her best to come up with a cure for cancer based on the plants she finds around the bayou. When she goes to work and finds Luc LeJeune (Native American and I think Creole) at her office telling her that he is there to work and they will need to share a space. Of course romance between the two is given, though I have to say that I was not that impressed by Luc as a love interest. He was a bit too He-Man for me.
I honestly fell asleep twice reading this. I think that the book just dragged way too much. The dialogue was also pretty stilted. I laughed a few times when there were any scenes between Maryse and her mother in law Helena though. Helena gets some awareness after she's dead which just makes you sad she didn't get it beforehand.
The book ultimately doesn't solve who murdered Helena which means there's another book (or based on what I saw on ŷ, 5 more books).
I won't be continuing this series though. I usually like to read series books, but this one was a bit of a chore for me.
June 12, 2017
Rating: 4/5
***Minor spoilers***
At the funeral of her mother-in-law, Maryse doesn't really mourn. In fact, her mother-in-law did nothing but trouble her and give birth to the man who was useless, up and left her, and refuses to sign the divorce papers. She thinks she's finally free when suddenly, Helena, her "dead" mother-in-law, steps right out of her coffin and doesn't realize she's dead. And the only person who can see her is Maryse. That's not all, though - Helena claims that she was murdered, and that the claim that she died of an asthma attack was a lie. Maryse must balance this issue with her time at work as a botanist, and another issue arrives. Someone shows up at her office and says that he was sent by the state to work there, and Maryse must share her office with him. What she doesn't realize is that for some reason, this man, Luc, is very interested in the research she's doing in the bayou.
I picked this book up for a challenge, and it ended up being a lot better than I expected. It was a calm, quick read that was easy to read and had a lot of elements I enjoyed. My favourite character would probably be Helena. At first, she's pretty suspicious, but she grows on you quickly. The scenes with her tend to have little bits of humour thrown in, which was great. There was a tiny bit of romance in there too, but not overpowering. It was enough to satisfy you, and furthered the characters involved. Maryse was a good protagonist, but not my favourite character. She was intelligent and wouldn't take crap from anyone, but her independence wasn't excessive (meaning she wasn't too proud to take some help).
Another thing I enjoyed was how there were different mysteries in the book which got tied together. While not everything was solved by the end of the book, I suppose this is why this is a series. I do wish that we got more of a conclusion to
***Minor spoilers***
At the funeral of her mother-in-law, Maryse doesn't really mourn. In fact, her mother-in-law did nothing but trouble her and give birth to the man who was useless, up and left her, and refuses to sign the divorce papers. She thinks she's finally free when suddenly, Helena, her "dead" mother-in-law, steps right out of her coffin and doesn't realize she's dead. And the only person who can see her is Maryse. That's not all, though - Helena claims that she was murdered, and that the claim that she died of an asthma attack was a lie. Maryse must balance this issue with her time at work as a botanist, and another issue arrives. Someone shows up at her office and says that he was sent by the state to work there, and Maryse must share her office with him. What she doesn't realize is that for some reason, this man, Luc, is very interested in the research she's doing in the bayou.
I picked this book up for a challenge, and it ended up being a lot better than I expected. It was a calm, quick read that was easy to read and had a lot of elements I enjoyed. My favourite character would probably be Helena. At first, she's pretty suspicious, but she grows on you quickly. The scenes with her tend to have little bits of humour thrown in, which was great. There was a tiny bit of romance in there too, but not overpowering. It was enough to satisfy you, and furthered the characters involved. Maryse was a good protagonist, but not my favourite character. She was intelligent and wouldn't take crap from anyone, but her independence wasn't excessive (meaning she wasn't too proud to take some help).
Another thing I enjoyed was how there were different mysteries in the book which got tied together. While not everything was solved by the end of the book, I suppose this is why this is a series. I do wish that we got more of a conclusion to
February 28, 2017
The first book in the Ghost-in-Law series by Jana Deleon. Maryse Robicheaux is a botanist and married to Hank. But Hank left her two years before and she hasn't seen him since. But she attends her mother in law funeral and sees the woman's ghost. Helena Henry believes she was murdered and insists that her daughter in law help her find her murderer. But Maryse has a few of her own problems, such as someone trying to kill her. Now she is forced to share her office space with Luc Lejeune, a zoologist. Or is he? Luc is undercover investigating toxic dumping in the Bayou and the powers that be believe Maryse is involved.
This was recommended to me by a friend and I found it to be a fun read. Plenty of humor and lots of interesting characters, a bit of mystery and written in a pleasing style. My only real complaint is the romance portion. It took a while for the couple to get together and they didn't have all that much page time in my opinion. But it was enjoyable and I will definitely read the rest of the books in this series. Also, I should note that there are unresolved issues but not a cliffhanger.
This was recommended to me by a friend and I found it to be a fun read. Plenty of humor and lots of interesting characters, a bit of mystery and written in a pleasing style. My only real complaint is the romance portion. It took a while for the couple to get together and they didn't have all that much page time in my opinion. But it was enjoyable and I will definitely read the rest of the books in this series. Also, I should note that there are unresolved issues but not a cliffhanger.
April 17, 2021
I decided to check out another Jana DeLeon series while waiting for Miss Fortune #19 to be available in audio. I must say I really loved this book and was hooked right from the start. I didn’t pay any attention to the series title (Ghost In-law) and I didn’t read the blurb before downloading the audiobook. Needless to say, I was as surprised as Maryse when Helena Henry’s ghost climbed out of her casket. I really enjoyed the mystery, romance, and action. Looking forward to listening to the rest.
August 9, 2018
I am a big fan of this author's series and went into this book with high expectations. From a strictly bare-bones plot perspective, I actually like this one a bit better. The evil ghost mother-in-law made for some amusing moments and the botanist, curmudgeon heroine was likabe.
Unfortunately, outside of the bare-bones plot, there wasn't much going on. Oh, sure, there are several murder attempts, but all stem from a fairly predictable place when you stop to think about what the book doesn't want you focusing on. When the would-be murderer gets revealed, I barely remembered who he/she was. The motivation felt extremely stretched.
However, I have tolerated less in the Louisiana Longshot series. What really ruined this one for me was the romance. It is a heck of a lot more steamier than her other series, and not in a good way. I wanted to tear my hair out with the amount of times the heroine thinks about her boy toy's butt. The chemistry is extremely forced. They are both head-over-heels in "love" but with little justifiable reason why. I think the romance had potential if it weren't so ridiculous.
I might find the sequel out of loyalty to the author but my enthusiasm for this series just crashed and burned.
Unfortunately, outside of the bare-bones plot, there wasn't much going on. Oh, sure, there are several murder attempts, but all stem from a fairly predictable place when you stop to think about what the book doesn't want you focusing on. When the would-be murderer gets revealed, I barely remembered who he/she was. The motivation felt extremely stretched.
However, I have tolerated less in the Louisiana Longshot series. What really ruined this one for me was the romance. It is a heck of a lot more steamier than her other series, and not in a good way. I wanted to tear my hair out with the amount of times the heroine thinks about her boy toy's butt. The chemistry is extremely forced. They are both head-over-heels in "love" but with little justifiable reason why. I think the romance had potential if it weren't so ridiculous.
I might find the sequel out of loyalty to the author but my enthusiasm for this series just crashed and burned.
August 2, 2023
Maryse Robicheaux’s husband took off two years ago and she hasn’t heard from him since. She has been paying off his debt to his mother, though. Now her mother-in-law, Helena Henry, has passed away and Maryse feels like things will get better. That feeling doesn’t last long though. Helena Henry is back in ghost form and tasks Maryse with helping her find her killer.
This is a great cozy mystery filled with humor and surprises. Maryse is a strong independent woman who is determined to get on with her life and continue her research in the bayou when Helena comes back and puts all that on hold. The will reading scene is amusing and starts most of Maryse’s problems.
Luc LeJeune falls for Maryse pretty quickly, but his attention to detail and quick thinking helps her out quite a bit. She is unlike any girl he has ever dated and she intrigues him. They make a cute couple.
Someone wants Maryse dead throughout the book and when that person is revealed I was shocked. Definitely not who I was thinking it was.
I really look forward to continuing this series. The characters are great and the humor is spot on.
This is a great cozy mystery filled with humor and surprises. Maryse is a strong independent woman who is determined to get on with her life and continue her research in the bayou when Helena comes back and puts all that on hold. The will reading scene is amusing and starts most of Maryse’s problems.
Luc LeJeune falls for Maryse pretty quickly, but his attention to detail and quick thinking helps her out quite a bit. She is unlike any girl he has ever dated and she intrigues him. They make a cute couple.
Someone wants Maryse dead throughout the book and when that person is revealed I was shocked. Definitely not who I was thinking it was.
I really look forward to continuing this series. The characters are great and the humor is spot on.
March 9, 2018
Ehhhh, a cute story but not as funny as the Miss Fortune series, also by this same author. The characters here also lack the sheer force of personality that those in the Miss Fortune series have. The one thing that this series has more of that I wish Miss Fortune had is a bit more attention to the romance aspects . Here we have Maryse, a botanist, and Luc, an undercover DEQ agent (I had to google DEQ and learned it's the Department of Environmental Quality...just as an FYI). They were okay but I thought the scenes between Maryse and her ghost-in-law, Helen, had more spark. The mystery aspect was just okay.
May 24, 2018
A cute premise and a new series to enjoy... a win-win. I haven't read this series before so I went in not knowing anything. I like doing that to see if the author can grab me. I enjoyed this book. Funny dialogue, a roving MIL ghost and a handsome detective. The mystery was solid and the sexy romance was great. The ending kind of confused me but I think I'll go ahead and read more to see what happens next.
My Rating: 4 stars
My Rating: 4 stars
August 11, 2018
הרבה דברים משובשים בחיים של מאריס עוד לפני מותה הפתאומי של חמותה הערפדית, הלנה: הנרי, בעלה נעדר מזה שנתיים מבלי שהזפיקה להגיש לו מסמכי גירושין, אביה נפטר מסרטן, המחקר שלה על צמחי מרפא לא מתקדם כמו שצריך, היא מכסה את החובות של בעלה לחמותה והיא שורדת במסתור שלה עד חלוף זעם.
כשהלנה מתה באופן פתאומי ומאריס מגיעה להלוויה, דבר לא מכין אותה לעתיד לבוא. היא מוזמנת להקראת הצוואה ושם היא מגלה שהלנה הורישה לה את השמורה.
ואז היא מגלה שהלנה נרצחה.
מה עוד יכול להשתבש, חוץ מזואולוג מושך בשם לוק שמצטרף אליה למעבדה?
ספר משעשע לפרקים, עד תום הספר לא מגלים מי רצח את הלנה למרות שישנם מספר מועמדים סבירים שמתגלים כחפים מפשע. כנראה את הפתרון לתעלומה נגלה בספר הבא.
יש יותר מקריצה לעולם הפראנומאלי ואיך שהוא העלילה לא הופכת למגוחכת. הדמות של מאריס חמודה וכך גם של לוק. הלנה החמה מהגיהנום אינה נוראית כל כך וסהכ נהנתי מהקריאה ומהעלילה, אם כי יש בה מספר אספקטים מופרכים לחלוטין גם לתעלומת מתח.
כשהלנה מתה באופן פתאומי ומאריס מגיעה להלוויה, דבר לא מכין אותה לעתיד לבוא. היא מוזמנת להקראת הצוואה ושם היא מגלה שהלנה הורישה לה את השמורה.
ואז היא מגלה שהלנה נרצחה.
מה עוד יכול להשתבש, חוץ מזואולוג מושך בשם לוק שמצטרף אליה למעבדה?
ספר משעשע לפרקים, עד תום הספר לא מגלים מי רצח את הלנה למרות שישנם מספר מועמדים סבירים שמתגלים כחפים מפשע. כנראה את הפתרון לתעלומה נגלה בספר הבא.
יש יותר מקריצה לעולם הפראנומאלי ואיך שהוא העלילה לא הופכת למגוחכת. הדמות של מאריס חמודה וכך גם של לוק. הלנה החמה מהגיהנום אינה נוראית כל כך וסהכ נהנתי מהקריאה ומהעלילה, אם כי יש בה מספר אספקטים מופרכים לחלוטין גם לתעלומת מתח.
August 7, 2023
Not a bad start to the series. Helena was really mean but it was nice to see her evolve over the book. The killer was a surprise and his reason was just ughhh
June 24, 2020
This was another fun series starter from Jana Deleon.
August 8, 2018
This was a fun read. A cranky ghost following her ex-daughter in law. Wow my worst nightmare. LOL 😜
September 13, 2020
Actually 3.5 stars
Scientist Maryse Robichaux is having a rough week. She'd been hoping that her husband (a wanted criminal), would show up at his mother's funeral so she could finally serve him with divorce papers. Instead, she ends up being followed everywhere by her mother-in-law's ghost. Her inheritance has made it profitable for certain people to kill her, leading to the destruction of her car and house. She can't even get relief at work, where a mysterious new colleague is sharing her tiny office. Maryse is trying to solve her mother-in-law's murder so her ghost will go away, but it's difficult when people keep trying to kill her.
is a cute, funny cozy mystery. I like the characters and the plot is interesting and unique enough to hold my attention. It's very good, but not amazing enough for me to want to pay $4.99 for the sequel.
Scientist Maryse Robichaux is having a rough week. She'd been hoping that her husband (a wanted criminal), would show up at his mother's funeral so she could finally serve him with divorce papers. Instead, she ends up being followed everywhere by her mother-in-law's ghost. Her inheritance has made it profitable for certain people to kill her, leading to the destruction of her car and house. She can't even get relief at work, where a mysterious new colleague is sharing her tiny office. Maryse is trying to solve her mother-in-law's murder so her ghost will go away, but it's difficult when people keep trying to kill her.
is a cute, funny cozy mystery. I like the characters and the plot is interesting and unique enough to hold my attention. It's very good, but not amazing enough for me to want to pay $4.99 for the sequel.
July 5, 2018
3.5 Stars... This was a fun mix of humor, mystery, and romance with a ghostly twist... I will say that the first half of this read was a little slow, but it picked up in the second half with the unveiling of secrets and past moments that influenced these characters� personalities... Helena was definitely my favorite with her true southern “spirit� all wrapped up in feistiness with a heart of gold... I will definitely continue on with the series and am eager to see what shenanigans Helena gets herself mixed up in:)
February 12, 2015
Not bad but 50 pages too long.
In a nutshell Maryse is a botanist working in the Bayou in Louisiana. On the side she is looking for a mysterious plant that might be a cancer cure. After her mother-in-law dies, she discovers she has inherited a large chunk of bayou and then people start trying to kill her. Luckily the aforementioned mother-in-law has not crossed over and together with an agent from the DEQ (yeah I had to look it up too) they are determined to keep her alive long enough to protect the fragile environment.
It's pretty good, was entertaining and good fun but the ending unravelled and honestly became a bit of a mess. So what started as a 3.5 ~ 4 Star book died in the ass and ended up as a 2.5 ~ 3 Star book.
In a nutshell Maryse is a botanist working in the Bayou in Louisiana. On the side she is looking for a mysterious plant that might be a cancer cure. After her mother-in-law dies, she discovers she has inherited a large chunk of bayou and then people start trying to kill her. Luckily the aforementioned mother-in-law has not crossed over and together with an agent from the DEQ (yeah I had to look it up too) they are determined to keep her alive long enough to protect the fragile environment.
It's pretty good, was entertaining and good fun but the ending unravelled and honestly became a bit of a mess. So what started as a 3.5 ~ 4 Star book died in the ass and ended up as a 2.5 ~ 3 Star book.
June 19, 2016
This was my first Jana Deleon cozy mystery and I thought it was funny as hell and had a great mystery. I found the ghost of Maryse's mother-in-law to be outrageous but hilarious. Her antics while learning to be a ghost are priceless. Poor Maryse hated Helena in life and now she's stuck with her ghost until she solves her murder. Unfortunately Maryse is a botanist not a detective so solving the murder might take a while. I particularly liked sexy Luc LeJeune and thought his character was very well-written. I will definitely be reading more of this series and more of this author as a little levity goes a long way.
August 18, 2015
This was a cute cozy mystery with a side of paranormal thrown in. It was pretty good up until the end that I thought was forced and not likely. Parts were very funny and Johanna Parker did a good job narrating.
May 17, 2017
Loved it! A hilarious book with a touch of romance. Can't wait to dive in to the rest of the series.
October 28, 2017
Another bad freebie from Bookbub....
September 16, 2020
This was a cute, funny, and interesting read, all without trying too hard. The characters were interesting and the premise was just different enough from a lot of cozy mysteries to keep it interesting while also remaining very much a cozy mystery even so.
All of the characters were actually really likable, and has a way of making them funny personalities without trying too hard. Maryse is the type of character you immediately fall in love with, and all her friends are interesting personalities as well.
One interesting aspect of this that isn't in a lot of cozy mysteries is the ghost of the victim's presence in the story. Helena adds a lot that many people don't see in a variety of cozy mysteries, especially when they have her working as the lookout. The way her story unfolds is fascinating to me; she's a very multi-faceted character, and not what I expected from the summary at all.
I'm not sure if I'll buy immediately, like I have with other series. There doesn't seem to be much of a need to continue with these characters in the same way as some of my other series, and this honestly reads kind of like a standalone, where everything tied up nicely. I really only buy sequels when the story clearly continues, or at least some aspects do, and aside from Sabine's cancer scare and Helena continuing to look for her own murderer, I don't really see this story as having the need to continue. Nonetheless I really did like the story and characters, and I am interested to read more of Deleon's work.
All of the characters were actually really likable, and has a way of making them funny personalities without trying too hard. Maryse is the type of character you immediately fall in love with, and all her friends are interesting personalities as well.
One interesting aspect of this that isn't in a lot of cozy mysteries is the ghost of the victim's presence in the story. Helena adds a lot that many people don't see in a variety of cozy mysteries, especially when they have her working as the lookout. The way her story unfolds is fascinating to me; she's a very multi-faceted character, and not what I expected from the summary at all.
I'm not sure if I'll buy immediately, like I have with other series. There doesn't seem to be much of a need to continue with these characters in the same way as some of my other series, and this honestly reads kind of like a standalone, where everything tied up nicely. I really only buy sequels when the story clearly continues, or at least some aspects do, and aside from Sabine's cancer scare and Helena continuing to look for her own murderer, I don't really see this story as having the need to continue. Nonetheless I really did like the story and characters, and I am interested to read more of Deleon's work.
September 27, 2024
I am a big fan of the author's Miss Fortune series. So I was excited to read the first book in the Ghost-in-Law mystery/romance series.
This series takes place in Louisiana. The main character in this book is Maryse Robicheaux. Her mother-in-law, Helena Henry dies. And Maryse sees her as a ghost. They try to solve her murder.
I really enjoyed this book. The whole ghost thing is fantastic. I really liked the banter between Maryse and Helena. I did like the romance. However I think that this part of the book would work better as a closed door romance. The sexy scenes IMO did not go with the tone of the rest of the book.
I do look forward to reading the rest of this series. Although I'm a bit confused that it shows Sabine as the main character of book two.
October 20, 2017
As far as "cozies" go- this wasn't a bad start to this series at all... I had a few laughs here and there - JUST what 'the doctor ordered' . Every once in a while I am looking for a cozy for a change of pace- after reading all those psycho, killing, stalking, serial murders- ya just need something light- brain candy so to speak. As far as this goes- it grabbed me enough that I will read the second book in this series !
April 11, 2018
OK, this was fun and cute with a little paranormal twist. One question is left unanswered for us to want to go to the psychic friend's story to answer it and I might but it is not really my genre. All the same a cute romance so maybe will. Enjoyed it and read it all the way through. The genre is more chick-lit contemporary romance than paranormal since it only involves a secondary character ghost.
September 7, 2020
I ended up really liking this audiobook. The story was good, the characters were great. I loved the ending and the sneak peak of the next book.
March 30, 2018
Trouble in Mudbug by Jana Deleon was a fun cozy mystery with a few laughs, an intriguing mystery, an outrageous ghost and a great introduction to a new small town in Louisiana that kept me entertained for an afternoon. I will definitely be trying the next one in the series. I'm so glad my local library carries most of Ms. Deleon's book.
July 28, 2020
This a funny/nutty book that got pretty hot and heavy at one point. Whew! I was not expecting that lol. Overall I liked it a lot.
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