In my humble opinion, Barbara Colley has the start of a potential hit mystery series on her hands with her first "Squeaky Clean Charlotte La Rue Mystery" novel, MAID FOR MURDER. 50-something Charlotte La Rue owns her own cleaning service and spends her days keeping the house in the historic Garden District of New Orleans clean. She loves her job, mystery novels and her parakeet, Sweety Boy, not necessarily in that order.

But Charlotte's life is about to turn very messy indeed. When one of her clients, super rich Jackson Dubuisson, is found brutally murdered in his study, Charlotte finds herself drawn into the lives of the surviving family members. Has she witnessed something vital to the investigation that she isn't aware of? With gossip and speculation about Jackson's possible extra-marital affairs running rampant amongst the rich and privileged of the Garden District, Charlotte must sift through all the clues to find the truth.

One of my pet peeves is an author who gets the "feel" of New Orleans wrong, but I loved the way Barbara Colley captured the charm and rich atmosphere of one of the most fascinating cities on the planet. Charlotte La Rue is a thoroughly likable lady. Her wit and compassion make her a well-rounded character you can't help but want to know more about. I'm looking forward to future Charlotte La Rue mysteries!