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Scotty Bradley #7
Garden District Gothic
The city of New Orleans was rocked to its very shaky foundations when the body of six-year-old beauty queen Delilah Metoyer was found, strangled, in the carriage house behind her family’s Garden District mansion. The crime was never solved, and the Metoyer family shattered in the aftermath of the crime. Thirty years later, Delilah’s brother asks Scotty to finally find his sister’s killer…putting Scotty and his friends and family into the crosshairs of a vicious killer.
A Scotty Bradley Mystery
A Scotty Bradley Mystery
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 13, 2016
5 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Greg Herren
81 books152 followersGreg Herren is a New Orleans-based author and editor. Former editor of Lambda Book Report, he is also a co-founder of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, which takes place in New Orleans every May. He is the author of ten novels, including the Lambda Literary Award winning Murder in the Rue Chartres, called by the New Orleans Times-Picayune “the most honest depiction of life in post-Katrina New Orleans published thus far.” He co-edited Love, Bourbon Street: Reflections on New Orleans, which also won the Lambda Literary Award. He has published over fifty short stories in markets as varied as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine to the critically acclaimed anthology New Orleans Noir to various websites, literary magazines, and anthologies. His erotica anthology FRATSEX is the all time best selling title for Insightoutbooks. Under his pseudonym Todd Gregory, he published the bestselling erotic novel Every Frat Boy Wants It and the erotic anthologies His Underwear and Rough Trade (to be released by Bold Strokes Books in 2009).
A long-time resident of New Orleans, Greg was a fitness columnist and book reviewer for Window Media for over four years, publishing in the LGBT newspapers IMPACT News, Southern Voice, and Houston Voice. He served a term on the Board of Directors for the National Stonewall Democrats, and served on the founding committee of the Louisiana Stonewall Democrats. He is currently employed as a public health researcher for the NO/AIDS Task Force.
A long-time resident of New Orleans, Greg was a fitness columnist and book reviewer for Window Media for over four years, publishing in the LGBT newspapers IMPACT News, Southern Voice, and Houston Voice. He served a term on the Board of Directors for the National Stonewall Democrats, and served on the founding committee of the Louisiana Stonewall Democrats. He is currently employed as a public health researcher for the NO/AIDS Task Force.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 28, 2017
I will never get tired of reading books by Greg Herren and I will never be tired of Scotty Bradley!
This 7th book of the Scotty series finds Scotty, Frank and Colin trying to solve a 25 year old murder. Who killed Delilah Metoyer, the young daughter of one of New Orleans leading families?
Now twenty five years later a socialite from outside New Orleans has moved to the city and she decides to throw a housewarming party. Scotty is thrilled because the socialite has bought the Metoyer house. At last he gets to visit the scene of a notorious New Orleans murder and he will also eat excellent food and drink as much as he wants to all at the same time. Plus it will be a nice evening out with Frank and his nephew Taylor.
Scotty is surprised at the party when he bumps into his old classmate and bully outside the Metoyer home but this is no coincidence. Jesse Metoyer asks Scotty to help find his stepmother Arlene Metoyer and to find out what actually happened to his mother Melanie Metoyer. He also asks Scotty to see if he can throw some light into what actually happened to Delilah all those years ago.
A tall order but one which intrigues Scotty.
Scotty takes the case and this is where the mystery begins. Our trio of crime busters go about solving the murder in their usual way which involves some close shaves with the media, lots of dead ends, twists and turns all steeped in the mysterious and superficial lives of the upper echelons of New Orleans high society.
If you are a fan of Scotty then you will enjoy this story. Scotty is now on the cusp of forty and has become an uncle to Frank's teenage nephew. All of this makes him think about his own life and how he has changed. He is no longer the young go go dancer who had no cares about anything except paying his rent, hot guys and good spliffs. He now has partners, a business, ageing hippy parents, a nephew and a cat which he acquires during the course of the investigation. But he is the same Scotty we know and love and although life in New Orleans and his own life has changed over the years he still can't resist a mystery and dead bodies still pop up unexpectedly. Scotty also misses his relationship with the goddess and wonders if that part of his life is over. So in this story we see a more reflective side of Scotty but it doesn't slow him down.
And so we have another excellent episode and we also get to see some of our favourite secondary characters, our usual detective duo Venus and Blaine and a favourite character from a different series.
Reading this felt so good because Scotty, his men and his family are comfortably familiar and the mystery here is just as good as the earlier stories. This time there is a haunting feel to the story as it focuses on the murder of a child and the rippling effect this has on the lives that were touched by the murder. There is a kind of darkness here. A dead child, secrets and lives that look good on the outside but which are full of pain on the inside, and those with great wealth who watch those lives from palatial houses.
This is definitely a must for fans of the series. I do hope there will be more.
Copy provided by Bold Stroke Books (many thanks) via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
This 7th book of the Scotty series finds Scotty, Frank and Colin trying to solve a 25 year old murder. Who killed Delilah Metoyer, the young daughter of one of New Orleans leading families?
Now twenty five years later a socialite from outside New Orleans has moved to the city and she decides to throw a housewarming party. Scotty is thrilled because the socialite has bought the Metoyer house. At last he gets to visit the scene of a notorious New Orleans murder and he will also eat excellent food and drink as much as he wants to all at the same time. Plus it will be a nice evening out with Frank and his nephew Taylor.
Scotty is surprised at the party when he bumps into his old classmate and bully outside the Metoyer home but this is no coincidence. Jesse Metoyer asks Scotty to help find his stepmother Arlene Metoyer and to find out what actually happened to his mother Melanie Metoyer. He also asks Scotty to see if he can throw some light into what actually happened to Delilah all those years ago.
A tall order but one which intrigues Scotty.
Scotty takes the case and this is where the mystery begins. Our trio of crime busters go about solving the murder in their usual way which involves some close shaves with the media, lots of dead ends, twists and turns all steeped in the mysterious and superficial lives of the upper echelons of New Orleans high society.
If you are a fan of Scotty then you will enjoy this story. Scotty is now on the cusp of forty and has become an uncle to Frank's teenage nephew. All of this makes him think about his own life and how he has changed. He is no longer the young go go dancer who had no cares about anything except paying his rent, hot guys and good spliffs. He now has partners, a business, ageing hippy parents, a nephew and a cat which he acquires during the course of the investigation. But he is the same Scotty we know and love and although life in New Orleans and his own life has changed over the years he still can't resist a mystery and dead bodies still pop up unexpectedly. Scotty also misses his relationship with the goddess and wonders if that part of his life is over. So in this story we see a more reflective side of Scotty but it doesn't slow him down.
And so we have another excellent episode and we also get to see some of our favourite secondary characters, our usual detective duo Venus and Blaine and a favourite character from a different series.
Reading this felt so good because Scotty, his men and his family are comfortably familiar and the mystery here is just as good as the earlier stories. This time there is a haunting feel to the story as it focuses on the murder of a child and the rippling effect this has on the lives that were touched by the murder. There is a kind of darkness here. A dead child, secrets and lives that look good on the outside but which are full of pain on the inside, and those with great wealth who watch those lives from palatial houses.
This is definitely a must for fans of the series. I do hope there will be more.
Copy provided by Bold Stroke Books (many thanks) via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Did Not Finish
August 3, 2019 Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This one is not for me, so I'm going to put it down. The sentences are too run on, and the main character seems to be repeating things we've already heard. And I'm only part way through the first chapter. The story itself sounds like it will be a good one, based on the synopsis, but it's not my kind of writing style.
This one is not for me, so I'm going to put it down. The sentences are too run on, and the main character seems to be repeating things we've already heard. And I'm only part way through the first chapter. The story itself sounds like it will be a good one, based on the synopsis, but it's not my kind of writing style.
June 28, 2021
I think that I am finished with Scotty. There wasn't much mystery here at all. Though the murder reminded me of the Jon Benet Ramsey case, the murder took a backseat to the convoluted workings of N.O. society. There was also a tremendous amount of review about the family, the city and the guys which got tedious. It was fun while it lasted Scotty!
September 25, 2016
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the preview e-copy of Garden District Gothic. I was thrilled to see another Scotty Bradley Mystery from Greg Herren. The series has been a favorite of mine since I discovered it in 2013. The latest adventure finds Scotty effortlessly content with his two long-term companions Frank and Colin. Frank's nephew has moved in with them. Scotty's parents and siblings are still loving and supportive. And the kooky characters of New Orleans act as a rich backdrop to Scotty's ability to stumble into a mystery only he can solve. Garden District Gothic shows Scotty approaching 40 and coming into his own. This mystery has less involvement from Frank, Colin and other members of Scotty's inner circle. He's got some lessons to learn and digs into the crime which end up helping him move on from the anger he's still holding on to from Katrina. Thank the Godess. Sleuthy, sexy, suspenseful - what's not to love about our favorite former go-go dancer turned private eye. Thanks Greg Herren!
April 9, 2018
I really enjoyed this read. Greg Herren has a way with pithy descriptions and humor, and I chuckled along the way to the end of this mystery. Herren deftly weaves descriptions of New Orleans' French Quarter and Garden District in this novel. I appreciated the city even more after this read. I absolutely loved Scotty and his gaggle of lovers, family, and extended family. I definitely want to read another Scotty Bradley mystery. Of special note for me were the scenes where Scotty grapples with, or discusses, his psychic abilities. Recommend this book. It's a page turner.
November 12, 2019
Despite the few issues an editor should have caught (misspellings, inconsistencies, &c.), the story was fine. Overall, I felt the murder-mystery took a back seat to background and society stories in this case, which was a disservice to the book as a murder-mystery, but overall, I still enjoyed reading the story, with its descriptions, and other tidbits that I miss about missing living in New Orleans. I will definitely pick up other works by Herren.
November 17, 2025
Three some Detectives get their first paying Case. A thirty year old missing person case, a son wants that person found. Also mainly his dad's first wife and birth mother who walked out never to be seen again. Then long estranged step mom turns up dead. Burmese cats. Venerable New Orleans mansion and coach house. Post Katrina disaster trauma. Disjointed but interesting. Implied sex mostly. Decent mystery. Will read more.
February 18, 2025
I checked out this book because I wanted to learn about the vibe of New Orleans from a resident author, and it delivered. I enjoyed gaining insights into the French Quarter, the Garden District, the oppressiveness of the summer heat, and potholes as well as other New Orleans nuances. Oh, and the mysterious past and present day murders involving a local prominent family was a bonus.
October 13, 2024
Read on Vacation. So the book feels like a JonBenet Ramsey inspired story. Rich family, child murder and how it impacts the family left. Love Scotty! This was a good few hours spent on the beach.
July 17, 2018
Wonderfully written
Greg never disappoints ! Another jewel in his creative collection. Always a honor to read his work . ......Butch Pair
Greg never disappoints ! Another jewel in his creative collection. Always a honor to read his work . ......Butch Pair
August 22, 2022
Love the writing style and story telling of Greg Herren. This did not disappoint. It was good reading a new Scotty Bradley book, and the story was great!
March 5, 2018
I used this book for the 2018 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge prompt "a book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist" and as a bonus read for the 2018 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge prompt "a mystery by a person of color or LGBTQ+ author." This was the seventh book in the New Orleans-based Scotty Bradley series, but the first that I've read. I felt that the author did a good job about weaving in the main characters' back stories for people who were new to the series, like me, and presenting a fresh plot for readers who have read the series from the beginning. In this one, private eye Scotty is hired to work on a cold case that has gone unsolved for 30 years. The fast-paced story takes many twists and turns before it reaches its conclusion. The writing is sprinkled with humor and has a strong sense of place.
September 1, 2016
Recommended
Light, quick-paced mystery with strong New Orleans atmosphere and gay MCs
You can book a weekend at a French Quarter B & B or save some money by picking up Greg Herren’s “Garden District Gothic” instead. This book is like stroll down Bourbon Street: nobody’s sober and everyone’s up to no good. You can practically feel the humidity rolling off the page in the newest installment of Herren’s New Orleans-set Scotty Bradley Mysteries. The magnolia-clad atmosphere is helped along by fading Southern belles languidly sipping absinthe on porches; luxurious Garden District mansions hiding a corpse or two and sweaty gay boys running charity races in red dresses.
The story plunges private eye Scotty Bradley deep into a decades-old mystery: who killed child beauty queen Delilah Metoyer? The riddle drops on Scotty’s doorstep when former teen bully Jesse Metoyer, Delilah’s half-brother, mysteriously re-emerges from obscurity and hires Scotty and his partners to look into it. There are shades of the Jon Benet Ramsey case from the 90’s and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as Scotty navigates a tangle of family secrets thicker than Spanish moss on a live oak tree.
This was a fun, light read. The mystery was satisfying and the setting and characters are unique. In the most successful aspect of the book, Herron does a fantastic job giving you the flavor of New Orleans, from the bohemian streets of the French Quarter to the stodgy upper-crust society of the Garden District. He doesn't shy away from how the city has changed since Katrina either. Here’s Herren describing Bourbon Street:
And the sedate Garden District:
As far as the characters, Herren has created an intriguing one in Scotty Bradley, a life-long resident of New Orleans with psychic abilities who’s also one-third of a gay polyamorous relationship. This is the first of these mysteries I’ve read and Herren successfully introduces Scotty to new readers without getting bogged down in too much exposition. Approaching forty, Scotty’s a former go-go boy dealing with the unique challenges of aging as a gay man and the loss of his psychic abilities after Katrina. He has two somewhat improbable partners, a former FBI agent turned professional wrestler and a spy. Also in their household is a college-age nephew that the trio essentially adopted after his parents kicked him out for being gay. Scotty’s parents, unabashed hippies in a persistent haze of pot smoke who run a tobacco shop, provide additional color. Assorted other eccentric New Orleans types round out the minor characters and provide the engine for the mystery.
On the negative side, the aversion to a Nancy Grace-type television personality is overdone, there’s too much talk of the weather and the mystery resolves a bit precipitously. Also people are constantly smoking pot or drinking (but maybe that’s just New Orleans for you). Other than that, “Garden District Gothic” is entertaining and quick-paced and I would definitely read the other books in the series. If you’re looking for a light, entertaining mystery with gay main characters in a unique setting, I recommend it. (G-rated)
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a review.
Light, quick-paced mystery with strong New Orleans atmosphere and gay MCs
You can book a weekend at a French Quarter B & B or save some money by picking up Greg Herren’s “Garden District Gothic” instead. This book is like stroll down Bourbon Street: nobody’s sober and everyone’s up to no good. You can practically feel the humidity rolling off the page in the newest installment of Herren’s New Orleans-set Scotty Bradley Mysteries. The magnolia-clad atmosphere is helped along by fading Southern belles languidly sipping absinthe on porches; luxurious Garden District mansions hiding a corpse or two and sweaty gay boys running charity races in red dresses.
The story plunges private eye Scotty Bradley deep into a decades-old mystery: who killed child beauty queen Delilah Metoyer? The riddle drops on Scotty’s doorstep when former teen bully Jesse Metoyer, Delilah’s half-brother, mysteriously re-emerges from obscurity and hires Scotty and his partners to look into it. There are shades of the Jon Benet Ramsey case from the 90’s and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as Scotty navigates a tangle of family secrets thicker than Spanish moss on a live oak tree.
This was a fun, light read. The mystery was satisfying and the setting and characters are unique. In the most successful aspect of the book, Herron does a fantastic job giving you the flavor of New Orleans, from the bohemian streets of the French Quarter to the stodgy upper-crust society of the Garden District. He doesn't shy away from how the city has changed since Katrina either. Here’s Herren describing Bourbon Street:
Barkers outside outside strip joints try to lure spenders in, a guy in the hand grenade costume dances on his corner, and everywhere is the smell of Lucky Dogs and grease.
And the sedate Garden District:
If the Quarter is a painted whore, the Garden District is her much snootier and pretentious sister, narrowing her eyes disapprovingly at the immorality down the river. The people who live in those old mansions on their gorgeous lawns behind their fences will always smirk in the general direction of the Quarter, gently sipping tea from heirloom bone china cups held in white-gloved hands…although sometimes the “tea” is actually bourbon.
As far as the characters, Herren has created an intriguing one in Scotty Bradley, a life-long resident of New Orleans with psychic abilities who’s also one-third of a gay polyamorous relationship. This is the first of these mysteries I’ve read and Herren successfully introduces Scotty to new readers without getting bogged down in too much exposition. Approaching forty, Scotty’s a former go-go boy dealing with the unique challenges of aging as a gay man and the loss of his psychic abilities after Katrina. He has two somewhat improbable partners, a former FBI agent turned professional wrestler and a spy. Also in their household is a college-age nephew that the trio essentially adopted after his parents kicked him out for being gay. Scotty’s parents, unabashed hippies in a persistent haze of pot smoke who run a tobacco shop, provide additional color. Assorted other eccentric New Orleans types round out the minor characters and provide the engine for the mystery.
On the negative side, the aversion to a Nancy Grace-type television personality is overdone, there’s too much talk of the weather and the mystery resolves a bit precipitously. Also people are constantly smoking pot or drinking (but maybe that’s just New Orleans for you). Other than that, “Garden District Gothic” is entertaining and quick-paced and I would definitely read the other books in the series. If you’re looking for a light, entertaining mystery with gay main characters in a unique setting, I recommend it. (G-rated)
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a review.
September 13, 2024
Scotty Bradley gets involved in another mystery. This one is comprised of a family from the Garden District, one of, if not THE most high-class neighborhoods in New Orleans. It concerns the Metoya family who lost their young daughter, who was about to go to LA to be in a show. She had been in many beauty contests. Anyway, she was killed, and her mystery left after all the publicity. Her father took the two sons of the family to Florida.
Now suddenly one of the sons shows up, the wife ends up dead and the investigations begin. The son is the primary suspect. He is sad because he has lost his mother, his father, and his brother. Then his stepmother is found dead after Scotty helps find her for him so naturally, he is the first person that they suspect.
It is a convoluted story, full of twists, sometimes seeming to go in circles
Now suddenly one of the sons shows up, the wife ends up dead and the investigations begin. The son is the primary suspect. He is sad because he has lost his mother, his father, and his brother. Then his stepmother is found dead after Scotty helps find her for him so naturally, he is the first person that they suspect.
It is a convoluted story, full of twists, sometimes seeming to go in circles
August 24, 2016
I'd never read a gay detective story before- this is a completely new genre for me. I loved the setting of New Orleans and all the local details about the districts and people. The main characters of the story were fun to get to know and I would read more stories featuring Scotty and his partners. The mystery was intriguing and well plotted- my only complaint would be that it seemed to end too quickly and I would have liked the denouncement to be drawn out a bit more.
Thank you to Net Galley for the review copy provided.
Thank you to Net Galley for the review copy provided.
September 25, 2016
An intriguing read!
I downloaded this book yesterday and finished it this afternoon. I've been an admirer of Mr. Herren's work since I first saw one of his books several years ago. Like other "Scotty Bradley " books it gets a gentle grip on you and proceeds to pull you into a whirlwind with the undertones of his favorite character, New Orleans. They meld into a unified entity that leaves you wanting to read whatever Mr. Herren next offers you.
I downloaded this book yesterday and finished it this afternoon. I've been an admirer of Mr. Herren's work since I first saw one of his books several years ago. Like other "Scotty Bradley " books it gets a gentle grip on you and proceeds to pull you into a whirlwind with the undertones of his favorite character, New Orleans. They meld into a unified entity that leaves you wanting to read whatever Mr. Herren next offers you.
Read
September 14, 2016I did not realize this book was of the homosexual nature so couldn’t get into it. I have good friends that are gay. This book just didn’t interest me and that’s why I don’t want to rate it.
I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.
September 22, 2016
Quick read but whiney and full of clichés. I don't think a six year old beauty queen would be from the Garden District ... maybe the Irish Channel.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews