Review: Bayou Justice

Bayou Justice is the debut release from talented author (and my friend!) Robin Caroll and avoids so many of the mistakes common to first efforts.

From the first line of chapter one, I was swept into the story and setting. CoCo LeBlanc just wants to protect the alligators that line the Louisiana Bayou outside her home, but finds her wrestling another body away from a gator. Luc Trahan, the grandson of the man she finds, wants to find justice but is reluctant to pursue it with his ex-fiancee. Together they must fight to find the killer before the killer strikes again.

This book is so tightly woven into the Louisiana Bayou that it could not take place anywhere else. It would be impossible to have the same story take place in Washington DC or Indiana. And the setting propels the story forward by providing a rich array of subplots.

Coco and Luc are well-developed characters with enough history between them to keep the romance and suspense interesting. Add in the fight between voodoo and Christianity, and there's enough conflict to populate several books.

I enjoyed this book, and think you will too if you are looking for a book balanced between romance and suspense.