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Miss Fortune Mystery #2
Lethal Bayou Beauty
No one in Sinful liked Pansy Arceneaux, but who hated her enough to kill her? When aspiring actress Pansy Arceneaux returns to Sinful, Louisiana, to head up the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival, CIA assassin Fortune Redding knows she's in for trouble. Her undercover identity as a former beauty queen makes Fortune the perfect choice to chair the event with Pansy, but Pansy's abrasive personality makes it impossible to get through a single rehearsal without a fight. When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune is the prime suspect. Armed with only her wits and two conniving seniors referred to locally as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune launches an investigation to find the real killer before her cover is blown.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2013
2248 people are currently reading
2831 people want to read
About the author
Jana Deleon
104 books4,243 followersNew 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 1,018 reviews
November 7, 2025
Miss Fortune ermittelt in ihrem zweiten Fall.
Mit ihrer Undercover-Identität als ehemalige Schönheitskönigin leitet Fortune zusammen mit Pansy Arceneaux einen entsprechenden Wettbewerb. Die beiden Frauen können sich nicht leiden; Streit ist vorprogrammiert.
Dann wird Pansy getötet, und Fortune ist die Hauptverdächtige!
Ein bisschen schräg, ein bisschen verrückt, aber unglaublich unterhaltsam. Ich mochte das Buch und hoffe, es werden noch viele weitere Bände folgen!
Mit ihrer Undercover-Identität als ehemalige Schönheitskönigin leitet Fortune zusammen mit Pansy Arceneaux einen entsprechenden Wettbewerb. Die beiden Frauen können sich nicht leiden; Streit ist vorprogrammiert.
Dann wird Pansy getötet, und Fortune ist die Hauptverdächtige!
Ein bisschen schräg, ein bisschen verrückt, aber unglaublich unterhaltsam. Ich mochte das Buch und hoffe, es werden noch viele weitere Bände folgen!
January 23, 2014
The characters in this series are absolutely outragious, allow you imagination to carry you through the "mishaps" and I don't think the Three Stooges could slap stick this as well as the Forune, Gertie and Ida Belle. I thought the first book was great, I could not control my laughter, it was never ending. I read somewhere a reader was disappointed because there wasn't any romance. I say, who cares, with all the mishaps, there isn't enough time, or give it time, it'll happen, but enjoy yourself till you get there, and if it doesn't. . .it's all good!
May 3, 2021
This is second in a series and a lot of the emotional connections and some of the character and plot arcs carry over. I recommend reading in order.
Having read the first, you know what to expect in this one. The hijinks are similar, though a bit muted because Fortune has kind of found her pace and pushes back more on the sillier plans of her octogenarian gal-pals. Which I found an improvement as it allowed me to connect better with the characters.
The pot of this one is a bit more scattered, though, and that offsets some of the growth in the characters. So it's about the same as the first for me coming in with a solid four stars and the note that it's very much a taste-based rating and if you don't engage with that aspect, you're likely to bounce off it pretty hard.
A note about Chaste: This is still chaste. Deputy Yummypants is still uncertain about Fortune so I'm still not sure if he'll develop into a romantic partner. It'd be nice either way, I think.
Having read the first, you know what to expect in this one. The hijinks are similar, though a bit muted because Fortune has kind of found her pace and pushes back more on the sillier plans of her octogenarian gal-pals. Which I found an improvement as it allowed me to connect better with the characters.
The pot of this one is a bit more scattered, though, and that offsets some of the growth in the characters. So it's about the same as the first for me coming in with a solid four stars and the note that it's very much a taste-based rating and if you don't engage with that aspect, you're likely to bounce off it pretty hard.
A note about Chaste: This is still chaste. Deputy Yummypants is still uncertain about Fortune so I'm still not sure if he'll develop into a romantic partner. It'd be nice either way, I think.
May 22, 2015
The merry, senior, unassuming old ladies of the Sinful Ladies Society, better known in town as the Geritol Mafia, got CIA agent Fortune Redding into mischief upon her arrival in town to hide out from an angry arms dealer. Things turned out very differently from the bored-to-death stint that was planned for her period of hiding out. Instead, Fortune and the seniors were chased by police, been stalked by a killer, killed the stalker, and solved a five-year-old murder.
That all happened in the first week of her arrival. Fortune needed to stay hidden and take care of the house she has been allocated by her boss. Get the inventory for the sale of his niece's house going. But Pansy Arceneaux arrives in town, and before the girls could say 'GOTCHA! another murder is committed. Yes, but this one is going to be a challenge. One of them is implicated and on the brink of being arrested.
Well, they had to do something, right? They promised themselves: “…no islands of stink, no redneck bars, no trespassing at Deputy LeBlanc’s house, and no riding naked in cars.” Yeah right. It won't be exactly the same, but the comedy of errors will continue, and chaos will drive the deputy sheriff almost off the very badly corrugated road of the Geritol Mafia's interference in his investigation. To top it all off, People are crueler—more desensitized to things that would have shocked them ten years ago—and the dark secrets that people kept years ago seem to be bubbling up.”
And dear old Gertie cannot see without her glasses. She insists on driving her old Cadillac though. It resulted in four of Mayor Fontleroy's reelection signs being flattened, and one of the old car's tire's punctuated.
Well, the town, Sinful, Louisiana, is kind of angry. A mob is gathering in front of the sheriff's office. The town is sizzling, and not from the heat.
Hilarious, quirky, entertaining and cramped with illogical action.
Without a very strong sense of humor you won't survive this murder investigation.
That all happened in the first week of her arrival. Fortune needed to stay hidden and take care of the house she has been allocated by her boss. Get the inventory for the sale of his niece's house going. But Pansy Arceneaux arrives in town, and before the girls could say 'GOTCHA! another murder is committed. Yes, but this one is going to be a challenge. One of them is implicated and on the brink of being arrested.
Well, they had to do something, right? They promised themselves: “…no islands of stink, no redneck bars, no trespassing at Deputy LeBlanc’s house, and no riding naked in cars.” Yeah right. It won't be exactly the same, but the comedy of errors will continue, and chaos will drive the deputy sheriff almost off the very badly corrugated road of the Geritol Mafia's interference in his investigation. To top it all off, People are crueler—more desensitized to things that would have shocked them ten years ago—and the dark secrets that people kept years ago seem to be bubbling up.”
And dear old Gertie cannot see without her glasses. She insists on driving her old Cadillac though. It resulted in four of Mayor Fontleroy's reelection signs being flattened, and one of the old car's tire's punctuated.
Well, the town, Sinful, Louisiana, is kind of angry. A mob is gathering in front of the sheriff's office. The town is sizzling, and not from the heat.
Hilarious, quirky, entertaining and cramped with illogical action.
Without a very strong sense of humor you won't survive this murder investigation.
February 16, 2022
This is book 2 of the Miss Fortune series. It's a great series! If you enjoy Stephanie Plum or even Her Royal Spyness, you should give this a try. It's set in the south in Sinful Louisiana and it's ridiculously funny! Miss Fortune is an undercover, hiding out CIA operative who gets tangled up in the local drama, of which there is plenty. The antics of Ida Belle and Gertie and all the other residents are awesome! I laughed out loud several times and I will definitely continue with book 3!
March 11, 2017
4.25 stars!
November 30, 2020
Characters are hilarious 😂 esp. Gertie 😂 plot twist was awesome 😁
August 14, 2017
No one in Sinful liked Pansy Arceneaux, but who hated her enough to kill her?
2.5 stars. Lethal Bayou Beauty is the sequel to Louisiana Longshot. This time around Pansy Arceneaux, ex-beauty queen and aspiring actress returns to her hometown, Sinful Louisiana to help with the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival. No one likes Pansy, who has been through almost every guy in town, even the married ones, so when she ends up dead no one is surprised.
While Lethal Bayou Beauty was amusing at times, I didn't like it quite as much as Louisiana Longshot, which did actually make me laugh out loud once. Mostly I feel like this series relies too much on dumb humor derived from unbelievable situations. There are too many bumbling mistakes made by the main character and she is completely unprepared to pose as an ex-beauty queen/librarian. What kind of spy would fail to do her homework to make the role convincing? Also who in the world doesn't know who Lady Gaga is? You'd have to be living under a rock to have never heard of her. Fortune would also have to at least know of some TV shows. Maybe Fortune had her head buried in the sand when she was playing assassin in the Middle East. This series has completely failed to convince me that Fortune is a CIA agent or a real person at all for that matter.
Despite my complaints I like other things about this series enough to give it another chance, like the Louisiana charm and Ida Belle and Gertie, the outrageous ladies of the Geritol mafia, so I'm still keeping this series on my to-read list for now.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
2.5 stars. Lethal Bayou Beauty is the sequel to Louisiana Longshot. This time around Pansy Arceneaux, ex-beauty queen and aspiring actress returns to her hometown, Sinful Louisiana to help with the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival. No one likes Pansy, who has been through almost every guy in town, even the married ones, so when she ends up dead no one is surprised.
While Lethal Bayou Beauty was amusing at times, I didn't like it quite as much as Louisiana Longshot, which did actually make me laugh out loud once. Mostly I feel like this series relies too much on dumb humor derived from unbelievable situations. There are too many bumbling mistakes made by the main character and she is completely unprepared to pose as an ex-beauty queen/librarian. What kind of spy would fail to do her homework to make the role convincing? Also who in the world doesn't know who Lady Gaga is? You'd have to be living under a rock to have never heard of her. Fortune would also have to at least know of some TV shows. Maybe Fortune had her head buried in the sand when she was playing assassin in the Middle East. This series has completely failed to convince me that Fortune is a CIA agent or a real person at all for that matter.
Despite my complaints I like other things about this series enough to give it another chance, like the Louisiana charm and Ida Belle and Gertie, the outrageous ladies of the Geritol mafia, so I'm still keeping this series on my to-read list for now.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
April 12, 2025
Just as much fun as the first book. I am always delighted to discover a funny series where I get the humour. It's hit or miss for me. But I am going to delay a good while before tackling book 3, as I think it would be awfully easy to overdose on it.
Fortune, our CIA agent in hiding, just can't stay out of trouble. Part of the problem is her choice of friends. Ida Belle and Gertie are very bad influences as well as fabulous accomplices. Fortune, who previously had been happy with guns, explosives, and testing both of those with her co-workers, is discovering there is more to life.
DeLeon plays Fortune's ignorance of regular life for all it's worth. It leads her to make hilarious mistakes which are then amplified as Ida Belle and Gertie attempt to “help" her. Everything those two are involved in gets turned to slapstick, which tickles my funny bone. Honestly, where has this version of me come from? How is it that I'm actually enjoying something this silly?
So, I'm taking a break from the series to hopefully keep it fresh for me as a reader, but I'll be revisiting Sinful, Louisiana again. Soon, I hope.
Fortune, our CIA agent in hiding, just can't stay out of trouble. Part of the problem is her choice of friends. Ida Belle and Gertie are very bad influences as well as fabulous accomplices. Fortune, who previously had been happy with guns, explosives, and testing both of those with her co-workers, is discovering there is more to life.
DeLeon plays Fortune's ignorance of regular life for all it's worth. It leads her to make hilarious mistakes which are then amplified as Ida Belle and Gertie attempt to “help" her. Everything those two are involved in gets turned to slapstick, which tickles my funny bone. Honestly, where has this version of me come from? How is it that I'm actually enjoying something this silly?
So, I'm taking a break from the series to hopefully keep it fresh for me as a reader, but I'll be revisiting Sinful, Louisiana again. Soon, I hope.
February 23, 2025
iN A NUTSHELL
'Lethal Bayou Beauty' was a hoot: sheer, joyful, irrepressible escapism. The plot worked (with a very willing suspension of disbelief on my part). The characters were engaging. The action was fast-paced and the humour had me chuckling. It was a perfect lighthearted comfort read.
Lethal Bayou Beauty (2013) is the second book featuring CIA assassin Fortune Redding who is hiding out undercover in the (very) small town of Sinful, Louisiana. Fortune’s supposed to be keeping a low profile but she's not doing a good job of it, In her first week in Sinful (described in ‘Louisiana Longshot‘). Fortune was recruited into an informal murder investigation by The Sinful Ladies, a group of single older women who run the town behind the scenes and found herself involved in breaking and entering, boat theft and a fatal shooting,
‘Lethal Bayou Beuty‘, carried straight on from the first book and was just as much fun. Fortune doesn't see herself as what she calls 'a girly girl' but her cover story has 'Beauty Queen' on her resumé so she finds herself dragooned into her worst nightmare: helping to prepare little girls to take part in a beauty pageant. In the process, she clashes with Pansy Arceneaux, a local beauty queen turned wannabe Hollywood actress who has returned to town unexpectedly. I loved seeing the whole 'make me beautiful' process through Fortune's horrified and mystified eyes.
When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune becomes a suspect in the eyes of the whole town and the local Deputy is under pressure to arrest her or face a lynch mob, leaving Fortune no choice but to solve the murder herself.
What I liked most about this book was how irrepressibly joyful it was. The mystery was complicated enough to be interesting but it was mostly a vehicle for putting Fortune and The Sinful Ladies into impossible situations that made me laugh and let me get to know them better.
This is a series with a strong ensemble cast and Jana DeLeon does a great job in slowly building their individual personalities, sharing their backstories and creating a rapport between them that constantly feeds humour and friendship into the narrative.
One of the things I enjoyed is this 'episode' was discovering that Fortune has no knowledge of popular culture. She'd been so focused on carrying out assassination missions around the world that she'd never gotten around to taken-for-granted things like watching television. Her attempts at self-education gave the story another comedic twist.
I'm a fan now. I know the stories are formulaic and unrealistic but that's actually part of what makes them great lighthearted, escapist, comfort-reading fun.
'Lethal Bayou Beauty' was a hoot: sheer, joyful, irrepressible escapism. The plot worked (with a very willing suspension of disbelief on my part). The characters were engaging. The action was fast-paced and the humour had me chuckling. It was a perfect lighthearted comfort read.
Lethal Bayou Beauty (2013) is the second book featuring CIA assassin Fortune Redding who is hiding out undercover in the (very) small town of Sinful, Louisiana. Fortune’s supposed to be keeping a low profile but she's not doing a good job of it, In her first week in Sinful (described in ‘Louisiana Longshot‘). Fortune was recruited into an informal murder investigation by The Sinful Ladies, a group of single older women who run the town behind the scenes and found herself involved in breaking and entering, boat theft and a fatal shooting,
‘Lethal Bayou Beuty‘, carried straight on from the first book and was just as much fun. Fortune doesn't see herself as what she calls 'a girly girl' but her cover story has 'Beauty Queen' on her resumé so she finds herself dragooned into her worst nightmare: helping to prepare little girls to take part in a beauty pageant. In the process, she clashes with Pansy Arceneaux, a local beauty queen turned wannabe Hollywood actress who has returned to town unexpectedly. I loved seeing the whole 'make me beautiful' process through Fortune's horrified and mystified eyes.
When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune becomes a suspect in the eyes of the whole town and the local Deputy is under pressure to arrest her or face a lynch mob, leaving Fortune no choice but to solve the murder herself.
What I liked most about this book was how irrepressibly joyful it was. The mystery was complicated enough to be interesting but it was mostly a vehicle for putting Fortune and The Sinful Ladies into impossible situations that made me laugh and let me get to know them better.
This is a series with a strong ensemble cast and Jana DeLeon does a great job in slowly building their individual personalities, sharing their backstories and creating a rapport between them that constantly feeds humour and friendship into the narrative.
One of the things I enjoyed is this 'episode' was discovering that Fortune has no knowledge of popular culture. She'd been so focused on carrying out assassination missions around the world that she'd never gotten around to taken-for-granted things like watching television. Her attempts at self-education gave the story another comedic twist.
I'm a fan now. I know the stories are formulaic and unrealistic but that's actually part of what makes them great lighthearted, escapist, comfort-reading fun.
February 15, 2017
Are you ready for the great Sinful Beauty Pageant throw down? Just when CIA Agent in hiding, Fortune, thinks things are going to settle down, she is now embroiled in the annual Sinful Summer Festival Main Event. This year it's a Beauty Pageant and since Fortune is impersonating former beauty queen/librarian Sandy-Sue, she is tapped to be one of two experts. Her arch rival is Pansy Arceneaux, a real beauty queen and actress home in Sinful, LA for a much needed break from her fantastic career in Hollywood. This can be nothing but trouble. Throw in murder with Fortune as the lead suspect and you have the Sinful Ladies Society on the case.
I really love this series. It's a cozy mystery and the plot is just great with light mystery and humor. There is also a budding relationship between Fortune and the Deputy. The SLS is a group of older ladies who had mad skills back in the Vietnam era and still know a thing or two about how to conduct an investigation.
I really love this series. It's a cozy mystery and the plot is just great with light mystery and humor. There is also a budding relationship between Fortune and the Deputy. The SLS is a group of older ladies who had mad skills back in the Vietnam era and still know a thing or two about how to conduct an investigation.
May 10, 2021
Literally laughed until I cried…
It’s hard for me to find the right mix to enjoy a cozy mystery. I prefer the sanitized crimes in this genre, but the stories can be too sweet. I like snarky humor rather than cutesy jokes. Most of all, the MC must be intelligent, skilled, or just lucky – or all three. Fortune Redding is hilarious, lethal, and creative (plus all the rest)!
Series note:
This is the second of twenty-primary works in this series. Start with book 1 so you’ll get Fortune’s CIA Assassin background and know why she’s hiding out in Sinful. Besides, book 2 jumps right into the story, only providing a brief recall on a couple of references to book 1, Louisiana Longshot.
Lethal Bayou Beauty is all about Fortune’s second week in Sinful, Louisiana. And this week’s as crazy as her first one. Now, that Gertie and Ida Belle, of the Sinful Ladies Society, who have been running the town covertly for forty years, know the truth about Fortune’s undercover situation, they don’t hesitate about bringing her into the fold. From the opening, “We have an emergency,” the action starts and continues to the very end of the book. And while I really enjoyed book 1, I liked this story line better.
When unpopular Pansy Arceneaux returns to Sinful, she uses her actress skills to head the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival. Gertie, Ida Belle, and Fortune end up among the helpers. Unfortunately, Fortune proves she is better suited for weapons and combat rather than prepping little girls for a beauty pageant.
And the next day...Pansy has been murdered.
Of course, the ladies launch their own investigation immediately.
Gorgeous Deputy Carter LeBlanc, former Marine, is hot on the trio’s heels as he tries to keep them clear of his investigation into Pansy’s murder. I liked that Carter finds it difficult to outwit Fortune, but he’s not characterized as a dumb shmuck – he’s clever and comes super close to catching them in the midst of their antics.
I keep rooting for a romantic relationship to develop between Fortune and Carter, though that line has not been crossed yet; I did find evidence of – I hope – a hint of a future one.
After a commotion at the local cafe, Fortune leaves for home. Gertie encourages her not to leave alone.
All secondary character arcs are continued from book 1. Their relationships to other characters are built upon, bringing them to life. Vivid descriptions of the town made me feel like Sinful could be a real place.
Many times, I found myself laughing until tears flowed because of the escapades Fortune and these spunky old ladies got up to. I relished their bantering, sarcasm, and deadpan humor. So far this has been a great series, one I plan to continue to read.
It’s hard for me to find the right mix to enjoy a cozy mystery. I prefer the sanitized crimes in this genre, but the stories can be too sweet. I like snarky humor rather than cutesy jokes. Most of all, the MC must be intelligent, skilled, or just lucky – or all three. Fortune Redding is hilarious, lethal, and creative (plus all the rest)!
Series note:
This is the second of twenty-primary works in this series. Start with book 1 so you’ll get Fortune’s CIA Assassin background and know why she’s hiding out in Sinful. Besides, book 2 jumps right into the story, only providing a brief recall on a couple of references to book 1, Louisiana Longshot.
Lethal Bayou Beauty is all about Fortune’s second week in Sinful, Louisiana. And this week’s as crazy as her first one. Now, that Gertie and Ida Belle, of the Sinful Ladies Society, who have been running the town covertly for forty years, know the truth about Fortune’s undercover situation, they don’t hesitate about bringing her into the fold. From the opening, “We have an emergency,” the action starts and continues to the very end of the book. And while I really enjoyed book 1, I liked this story line better.
When unpopular Pansy Arceneaux returns to Sinful, she uses her actress skills to head the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival. Gertie, Ida Belle, and Fortune end up among the helpers. Unfortunately, Fortune proves she is better suited for weapons and combat rather than prepping little girls for a beauty pageant.
I directed my three minions to my corner table and instructed them to take seats. I’d already forgotten their names, so I was henceforth referring to them as Target 1, Target 2, and Target 3.
And the next day...Pansy has been murdered.
Of course, the ladies launch their own investigation immediately.
Gorgeous Deputy Carter LeBlanc, former Marine, is hot on the trio’s heels as he tries to keep them clear of his investigation into Pansy’s murder. I liked that Carter finds it difficult to outwit Fortune, but he’s not characterized as a dumb shmuck – he’s clever and comes super close to catching them in the midst of their antics.
I keep rooting for a romantic relationship to develop between Fortune and Carter, though that line has not been crossed yet; I did find evidence of – I hope – a hint of a future one.
He stepped closer to me and brushed a damp piece of hair from my chest, his fingers brushing lightly over the sensitive skin just above the breast-line of my dress.
After a commotion at the local cafe, Fortune leaves for home. Gertie encourages her not to leave alone.
“If you’re alone, you don’t have an alibi if anything else were to happen.” I shrugged. “Everyone I’d want to kill is in here eating lunch, so I’m good.”
All secondary character arcs are continued from book 1. Their relationships to other characters are built upon, bringing them to life. Vivid descriptions of the town made me feel like Sinful could be a real place.
Many times, I found myself laughing until tears flowed because of the escapades Fortune and these spunky old ladies got up to. I relished their bantering, sarcasm, and deadpan humor. So far this has been a great series, one I plan to continue to read.
May 19, 2024
These are just quacky fun! Never underestimate a senior citizen! You never know what their background might have been! (In this case, Vietnam veteran spies) Match them up with a CIA agent hiding from an assassination plot and who knows what might happen. In this case, another murder.
Fans of Richard Osman will love this series.
Fans of Richard Osman will love this series.
December 15, 2018
If you need or are ready for a light humorous mystery novel, this series may be for you. It is the second in the Miss Fortune mystery series. Fortune is a undercover agent for the CIA who now has a contract out on her by an arms dealer. Her bosses move her to a small town in Louisiana of 300 where she is suppose to be a librarian and ex-beauty pageant contestant. They tell her to keep a low profile.
The undercover isn't going well at all. She has been there for several weeks and has been involved in solving several murders with two 70 plus year old women who were undercover during the Viet Nam War area. They are the bane of the local sheriff who tries to keep them out of the investigations. There are many hi-jinks that don't always go well but they are very good at lying to the sheriff. He knows it.
It was a fun fast humorous relaxing read.
The undercover isn't going well at all. She has been there for several weeks and has been involved in solving several murders with two 70 plus year old women who were undercover during the Viet Nam War area. They are the bane of the local sheriff who tries to keep them out of the investigations. There are many hi-jinks that don't always go well but they are very good at lying to the sheriff. He knows it.
It was a fun fast humorous relaxing read.
November 20, 2016
Lethal Bayou Beauty by Jana DeLeon is the second book in the Miss Fortune Mystery series. A beauty pageant is being held in Sinful as part of the summer festival, and Fortune is asked to co-chair the event with Pansy, an aspiring actress who has recently returned to the town. When Pansy is murdered after an altercation with Fortune, fortune becomes the prime suspect. I laughed all the way through this book. It was very entertaining, outrageously hilarious and I loved everything about it.
April 26, 2020
This story had me laughing out loud a few times. Often, I find that books that try to be funny try too hard and miss the mark. This book was exactly my kind of humor. I particularly enjoy the comments made by the MCs. I'm always a sucker for good dialogue. 4.5 stars rounded up because I really that laugh.
April 4, 2017
What can I say. This book is a laugh a minute and so full of action I don't know how they breathe.
I do believe I was laughing before I hit the second chapter on this one.
Read it, it is well worth it and look there are more to read.......
Well 3 months later I rereading this series. I'm going to try to drag it out this time. I've done resonably well I only read two in a row before managing to stop myself from reading the rest.
6 months later. rereading and still loving it.
I do believe I was laughing before I hit the second chapter on this one.
Read it, it is well worth it and look there are more to read.......
Well 3 months later I rereading this series. I'm going to try to drag it out this time. I've done resonably well I only read two in a row before managing to stop myself from reading the rest.
6 months later. rereading and still loving it.
May 16, 2021
Just as awesome on reread. 3.5 stars
October 1, 2017
Another incredibly hilarious read to add to the series. I've laughed so hard that I swear I've peed myself multiple times. I absolutely love Ida Belle and Gertie, this author certainly knows how to write about old biddies who cause mischief wherever they go.
The story was fantastic and I was hooked from page one. The drama, the hilarity, the comic relief and everything in between was such a joy to read that I've been recommending these books left right and centre.
The biggest laugh of all is the misfortune of Fortune herself. She gets herself in so much pickle that you can't help but laugh at her.
Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.
The story was fantastic and I was hooked from page one. The drama, the hilarity, the comic relief and everything in between was such a joy to read that I've been recommending these books left right and centre.
The biggest laugh of all is the misfortune of Fortune herself. She gets herself in so much pickle that you can't help but laugh at her.
Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.
March 1, 2018
Another fun adventure with Fortune and the Geritol Mafia, Gertie and Ida Belle. This time they're out to clear Fortune's name when a nasty former beauty queen ends up dead the day after Fortune was heard publicly threatening her. There are some inconsistencies, like how Fortune can be completely clueless about who Lady Gaga is but a few pages later know about The Jersey Shore reality show, and the mysteries are rather weak. That's okay though because reading about the zany antics that Fortune and her two septuagenarian comrades get up to is half the fun. My heart goes out to poor Carter, the local deputy. These three ladies are probably giving him high blood pressure.
March 14, 2020
2020 bk 90: Posing as a former beauty pageant contestant, school librarian, Espionage agent Fortune Morrow, er Sandy-Sue, is pressed into service for the local children's beauty pageant. Things do not go well. If you like slapstick comedy and the bad guys getting it in the end (and sometimes the front), then this will be an enjoyable read.
February 2, 2015
4.5 stars!
July 4, 2020
I laughed so hard reading this. The characters are even more funny than the first book.
March 23, 2023
This is book 2 in the Miss Fortune Mystery series. It's been a few years since I read the first book. But I remember it so well. This series is so fun and charming. And I absolute adore Fortune and her two partners in crime Gertie and Ida Belle.
These books are cozy mysteries. And they are so good! You could read this book as a standalone. But I would recommend reading them in order as they mention a lot of stuff that happened in book one. Plus it's the same characters so it's better to see them from the start.
This series is set in the small town of Sinful, Louisiana. Fortune is a CIA operative in hiding pretending to be someone else.
The shenanigans in this book is hysterical. And there is a hint of romance that I really hope develops in the subsequent books. I can't wait to read book 3 soon.
April 1, 2018
Lethal Bayou Beauty by Jana DeLeon was another fast paced, comical mystery that left me completely satisfied by the end of the book. So much that can go wrong when Fortune, Gertie and Ida Belle decide to investigate a murder and it usually does. The murder had me completely stumped and I was shocked when I read the reveal. I was laughing as I was frantically turning the pages to see what these three would do next. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon
October 9, 2022
Iludusvõistluse soengute tegemise stseenid on ühed grotesksemaid, mida ma lugenud olen. See oli valusalt jabur, mul oli lastest kahju ning Fortune'i suhtumine oli nii kohutav, et ma ei leidnud selle midagi naljakat. Kui aga laip kukkus ja kolmik mõrva uurima hakkas, tundsin ma tegelased taas ära ja nautisin peategelaste seiklusi.
January 12, 2026
Cozy mystery that is both a hoot and too silly and absurd at times. CIA assassin hiding out in the bayou is suspected of murdering a prodigal beauty queen/nympho. But there's 28 more of these books so I am game.
July 28, 2018
3*
Not seeing too much growth or character development in the main players. Many of the literary devices and themes remained almost unchanged in this instalment. Cute but this series hasn't set its hook in me yet. I will read be more to see if my feelings change.
Not seeing too much growth or character development in the main players. Many of the literary devices and themes remained almost unchanged in this instalment. Cute but this series hasn't set its hook in me yet. I will read be more to see if my feelings change.
October 19, 2019
Lethal Bayou Beauty is book 2 of the Miss Fortune Mystery series. Although this book could probably standalone, I think you will enjoy it much more if read after book 1.
I loved this book so much. I laughed really hard and often throughout the book. Plus, there is the very beginning of a potential romance forming between Fortune and Deputy Carter.
The narration was great. I recommend this as an audiobook.
Overall, I am rating Lethal Bayou Beauty as 6 stars!
I loved this book so much. I laughed really hard and often throughout the book. Plus, there is the very beginning of a potential romance forming between Fortune and Deputy Carter.
The narration was great. I recommend this as an audiobook.
Overall, I am rating Lethal Bayou Beauty as 6 stars!
November 19, 2021
3.8 ⭐⭐⭐
😂🤣 This silly story tickled my funny bone. The characters kept me laughing. Occasionally I enjoy adding some lighthearted fun to my reading. This fits the bill perfectly. 👍👍👍
😂🤣 This silly story tickled my funny bone. The characters kept me laughing. Occasionally I enjoy adding some lighthearted fun to my reading. This fits the bill perfectly. 👍👍👍
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