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Poppy Fields Adventures #3

Fields' Guide to Voodoo

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Laissez les bon temps rouler!

The pleasure of your company is requested at the most over-the-top wedding New Orleans has ever seen…

When Poppy Fields, Hollywood IT girl and super-secret agent, agreed to be a bridesmaid, she anticipated gallons of Sazerac, memorable parties and handsome groomsmen. Instead, she’s dodging bullets.

Juggling wedding showers, exploding buildings, picnics, black magic, lunches in the Vieux Carré, and murder can be tough on a girl. Good thing Thor is there to escort her—until he disappears.

Poppy must outwit smugglers primed to flood the U.S. with a dangerous new drug (one Poppy knows all too well), save Thor, and get to the church on time. If she fails, she may end up dead. Or—worse—late to the wedding.

250 pages, ebook

Published February 28, 2019

430 people are currently reading
310 people want to read

About the author

Julie Mulhern

41 books1,634 followers
Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders and the Poppy Fields Adventures.

She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean--and she's got an active imagination. Truth is--she's an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
Profile Image for LORI CASWELL.
2,839 reviews329 followers
March 2, 2019
Dollycas’s Thoughts

Poppy Fields is back and taking on New Orleans!

Our Hollywood It girl was set to relax at all the parties leading up to her college roommate Adele’s wedding before she headed off to her super-secret agent training, but while meeting at the Columns Hotel for drinks chaos erupts when a G-Wagon spins out of control. Behind it, a Range Rover stops and men with guns pile out and start shooting. Many are hit, some die, but Adele and Poppy are safe. Adele, a nurse, rushes to help. Poppy rushes to the first officer that arrives and shares all she can about what happened. And we are only midway through Chapter 1!

Poppy tries to attend to all her wedding commitments but she had to let her new secret agent boss know what happened especially what she did at the end of Chapter 1. He sends the cavalry in the form of Thor (not his real name/Chris Hemsworth’s doppelganger). Good thing too, because we have just scratched the surface of Poppy’s time in NOLA, she is there for 2 weeks and danger seems to follow Poppy everywhere she goes!

I absolutely love this series! The first two books in this series made my Best Reads List of 2018 and this one is headed to this year’s list. Ms. Mulhern continues to top herself. She takes suspense and turns it inside out with antics that will have you laughing out loud.

While in New Orleans Poppy is staying in a house that appears to have a resident ghost. She meets a Voodoo priestess, gets in numerous shootouts and car chases, a building explodes, takes on drug smugglers, some who want her dead after what happened in Mexico, (book #1), has to search for Thor and Jake, of course, he’s in town too! All I can say is that I am so thankful she learned a few fantastic things from her father, like Krav Maga and amazing gun skills. She also learned a few things from her mother and looking so much like her celebrity mom doesn’t hurt either.

I have learned one thing about this series. When you start reading you will not be able to stop so plan accordingly. Lightning fast pace, characters that you want to root for, action, twists, turns, and fabulous dialogue that will have you in stitches. Poppy is a fantastic protagonist and when partnered with Mark (Thor) they are unstoppable.

Come for the wedding, watch out for those flying bullets, use all those luncheons and dinners to get information, and oh yeah, stay alive to see your friend say her I do’s. What an awesome time! I loved every minute!! I can’t wait for the next adventure!! and maybe a little training if she can squeeze it into her busy schedule. 🙂
33 reviews2 followers
March 3, 2019
I absolutely loved Poppy’s latest adventure in New Orleans. The scenery, the plot, and the characters were described and developed so well that I felt like I was there.

Poppy went to New Orleans to be a bridesmaid in her college roommate’s wedding. Being Poppy, while having drinks, a shoot-out finds her. As she attempts to figure out what’s going on (against all advice), she is almost kidnapped, mugged, and bombed. Mark Stone is sent to keep her safe. It doesn’t take long for Jake to follow. The dialogue and dynamics between the main characters keeps you engaged and wondering who Poppy will end up with (I’m torn).

This was definitely one of the best books I’ve read recently (and I read a lot)! I’m looking forward to Poppy’s next adventure in London!
Profile Image for Michele.
137 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2019
This author never fails to amuse me, intrigue me and draw me into her story! Reading them all!!!
Profile Image for Ivelisse.
709 reviews6 followers
October 4, 2023
This was a fun (forced) read... :)

I needed to find a book with Voodoo in it and found a wonderful cozy mystery (thanks Raquel). Poppy is the FMC who never takes no for an answer and is in the middle of everything! A fashionista who is looked at as frail but proves she's anything but. But goodness, what can happen to her does. Kidnapped, drive-by, murder... she's there! It was fun but and glad it was short but I could not face palm my face anymore with her antics.
1,382 reviews17 followers
July 18, 2019
I like this series! Poppy is smart, sophisticated and funny. In this third book she is in New Orleans to be her college roommate's bridesmaid. However, she barely arrives before the action starts. Drug cartels, politicians, and handsome men. The plot is complex and everything is very neatly brought together in the end. I highly recommend this book and series.
485 reviews3 followers
July 25, 2019
This was a fast paced fun story that kept me turning pages.

The characters are a lot of fun and interact well. I'm particularly enjoying how Poppy's attire is not glossed over (too many stories have women casually running in heels) but rather add to the plot and often add some humor (I still giggle thinking about Poppy scaling an 8 foot fence in a too tight dress and heels).
71 reviews
February 3, 2020
Read this right after Book 2 in the series. A Good follow-up. This time Poppy is visiting New Orleans, as a bride-maid for her former college roommate. Her trip is immediately off to a hair-raising start when Poppy and her friend's al fresco luncheon together is interrupted by a running gun fight, after which Poppy is almost taken hostage and has to kill a man. of course this immediately puts her on shaky footing with the local police. Is all this related to a dangerous new drug that may be coming into the US through the Port of New Orleans? Poppy's agency contact send Chris Hemsworth look-alike "Thor" to work with her and be her "plus-one" at wedding events. Together they face the best and worst that the Big Easy has to offer - explosions, murders, disappearances, jazz clubs, voodoo, and a healthy does of wedding activities. Is one of the guests involved? Who should Poppy trust?
Profile Image for Rosemary Standeven.
1,011 reviews52 followers
March 15, 2019
This is the third of the Poppy Field’s books. Poppy is in New Orleans for a friend’s over-the-top extravaganza wedding. Poppy’s itinerary was supposed to be filled with luncheons, dinner parties, clothes fittings etc., but (as we have come to expect), little goes to plan, and soon there are dead bodies and gangsters all over the place, and a rather nice police detective – Rene Langlois – who is not prepared for the carnage that follows Poppy everywhere: “I knew exactly what Detective Langlois saw standing in front of him—a spoiled young woman draped in expensive clothing with a ten-thousand-dollar handbag swinging from the crook of one arm and a more-spoiled-than-she-was dog tucked into the crook of the other. He saw a woman more concerned with her dinner reservation than the end of a man’s life.”
While juggling dinner dates, Poppy starts investigating gangster activity down at the New Orleans port, which may – or may not – be linked to the family into which her friend is marrying. Luckily Mr Brown has sent Mark Stone (a.k.a. Thor) to protect Poppy.
Thor knows that Poppy is able to look after herself – but unfortunately some of the other men, seem determined to control her. I quickly developed an intense dislike of Knox Arnaut, who – without first checking if it was OK – ordered both the drinks and food for Poppy, obviously deciding that a woman was incapable knowing what she wanted (or needed) to eat. He had preceded this massive faux pas with: ““Now, don’t get riled. You’re just too pretty to look tough.”” A compliment or an insult? Maybe both?”.
You would think by book three, ex-boyfriend Jake (also on self-appointed Poppy protection duty) would have learned by now – but no chance: ““Your version of loving me makes me less than I am.” Jake didn’t have a response for that. There wasn’t one”. Poppy is a very capable young woman, operating proficiently in a dangerous man’s world. She does not need sexist male bigots making her job more difficult.
Consuela makes her presence – and dislike of moustaches – known loud and clear: “Consuela suffered from situational deafness. Right now, she was definitely deaf. Or maybe she couldn’t hear me above her own growls”. This dog has a character so much bigger than her diminutive size would suggest. I am surprised she doesn’t have her own Facebook page, with thousands of adoring fans.
As always with Julie Mulhern books, the writing is excellent and very witty (“There were two of everything. And, if I tilted my head, there were four. … He ran for the door. Both of him”). The plot may be slightly far-fetched – with so many dead, surely a state of emergency would be called – but that is all part of the fun of a Poppy Fields story.
A bit of romance, some New Orleans voodoo, danger and excitement – what more could you want? Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Missi Martin (Stockwell).
1,109 reviews31 followers
March 28, 2019
I am a huge fan of the Marvel movies, especially the Captain America and Thor movies and characters. Why, do you ask am I saying this when talking about the Poppy Fields Adventure series by Julie Mulhern ? Because the main character, Poppy Fields, has a body guard/co-worker/boyfriend named Mark that looks like the character Thor and she calls him that throughout this series.....not to his face obviously but behind his back all the time and it is hilarious !! That is one of the many reasons that I love this series.

Fields' Guide to Voodoo is the third book in this series and it is so much fun to read. Poppy goes to New Orleans for a week-long wedding extravaganza for her college roommate and on the first night there while having drinks with the bride-to-be on the veranda of a hotel there is a car accident and men with guns chasing a man into the hotel. Poppy tries to think nothing of it until she gets into Adele's car and the man that was being chased is hiding in the back seat !!! Poppy's quick thinking gets her out of the jam but results in her shooting the bad guy to save a cop and putting her on the local detective's radar.

All Poppy wants to do is hang out with her friend in New Orleans and party all week with the wedding party and guests. Unfortunately her secret boss sents Thor in to watch over her and pretend to be her boyfriend. Now if you've read the previous two books in this series, you know that their relationship is borderline between co-workers and something else and if you are like me, you are rooting for the something else. (If you haven't read these books, I highly recommend it !!!)

And in Fields' Guide to Voodoo not only does Poppy have to come to Thor/Mark's rescue, she has to safe her ex-boyfriend Jake also. And do this with tight skirts and killer high heels !!!

You cannot help but love the concept behind this series......ditzy, rich party girl, daughter of a famous actress, always getting in the spotlight for the wrong things secretly working as a secret agent and she hasn't even gone for basic training yet !! And to make it more believable she owns a purse pup....a chihuahua that she adopted in the first book from the drug cartel......and you will love the conversations that Poppy and Consuela have. I have cats and I know that they can talk to us ....when they want.

I am a huge fan of this series and I cannot wait for the fourth book in this series. I was looking forward to the next book before I even finished this book but Mulhern ends the book in a way that will drive you crazy.....but in a good way..... I hope for Poppy's sake !!!!
Profile Image for Kristi.
35 reviews6 followers
March 2, 2019
I love everything about this series....the characters, the plots, the humor and action. This series has something for everyone. You'ill have a difficult time putting it down once you start it.
2,593 reviews
September 3, 2019
I enjoy these cozy mysteries with a daring heroine overcoming more obstacles than James Bond with a humorous aplomb and an enchanting dog. Well done!
Profile Image for Jen Hunt.
658 reviews1 follower
November 12, 2022
Always a fun, quick read. Enjoying the MC character development. Excited she finally kissed him.
Profile Image for Brenda Hymes.
90 reviews6 followers
August 8, 2019
OMG. I love each new adventure more than the last. Julie Mulhern keeps outdoing herself with Poppy's Adventures!
Profile Image for Faith Hakimian.
235 reviews3 followers
January 17, 2020
Non stop excitement!

I couldn't have put this book down even if I'd wanted to! The characters, the pacing, the humor... so much fun. If I ever end up in trouble, I definitely want Poppy around to rescue me.
Profile Image for Lisa G. Hudson.
696 reviews61 followers
February 22, 2019
POPPY TAKES ON NOLA!

Everyone’s favorite spy is back and she’s better than ever! Poppy’s on her way to Spy Boot Camp but first must stop in New Orleans to be in her college roommate’s (Adele) wedding. No big deal, right? Wrong! It’s the blending of two old line Louisiana families so let the partying begin! For two entire weeks! Of jam-packed activities! How can Poppy get in any trouble? It’s just a wedding! (Said someone who has NEVER been involved in a huge over-the-top wedding in the party capital of the world - New Orleans!)

At their first meeting, Poppy and Adele find themselves dead center of some sort of bizarre attack. As they duck and cover, Poppy immediately starts working the case in her mind - the very thing she was instructed NOT to do. She really can’t help it. She’s as drawn to that as the Mississippi River is drawn to the Gulf of Mexico. It’s an irresistible pull that will always have her in its grip no matter the consequences. This quick attack triggers an avalanche of other criminal activities that have Poppy so busy Mark (THOR!!) is quickly sent out as her Plus One for all wedding festivities. Poppy is at her best in nonchalantly being at a wedding function, doing a little interrogating, sneaking off and investigating and going on with her life as normal. Only there seems to be a new problem. There seems to be two different groups of evil doers. One is a set of smugglers and they seem to be attempting to smuggle a drug with a very familiar name ... and that might be the scariest news of all. Even though New Orleans brings its own unique set of challenges - voodoo, explosions, car chases, haunted homes, Mardi Gras World and smugglers, Poppy brings her ever ready unique tool set to restore order - 1) her incredibly accurate shooting skills, 2) all the years of Krav Maga lessons 3) using her celebrity status to take advantage of a crowd and then 4) knowing who to trust. I was provided an ARC of this book by the Author. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
Profile Image for Toni.
1,533 reviews64 followers
June 17, 2020
4.5 stars

This is the third book in the Poppy Fields Adventures series by Julie Mulhern.

Poppy thought she was just going to New Orleans to be in her friend’s wedding. But she stumbles into a drug smuggling operation and they call in Mark Stone aka Thor to assist her in the investigation.

This story sees the beginning of an inkling of a relationship between Mark and Poppy. Jake is still hanging around in the shadows hoping to draw Poppy back toward him but I am not sure he will ever be successful at that. I liked the addition of the New Orleans Detective who befriends Poppy.

Following Poppy in these stories is always such a hoot. I love all the action adventure and all the choices Poppy has to make. And getting a glimpse into her super star world is quite interesting. This is definitely a series I enjoy following. I was originally hooked by Mulhern’s Country Club Murders and adding this to the mix just makes it all the more exciting.

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. What a fun read!
Profile Image for Jenna.
687 reviews44 followers
May 12, 2021
Fiction and I, once the most constant of companions, have been on something of a break recently. For better or worse, I've been lured to the pages of books about true crime, life as an introvert, ways to engage with the community, and even some kitschy self-help (gasp!). Nevertheless, there are a handful of authors who I can always count on to tempt me back to the world of fiction, and Julie Mulhern is one of them.

Fields' Guide to Voodoo is Poppy's third adventure. She's back on U.S. soil for this story, set in New Orleans, where Poppy is visiting a friend. She is supposed to be there to be a bridesmaid and share in the joy on her friend's special day, but circumstance--and perhaps a little black magick?--seems to be conspiring against her.

The pacing of these books is, in a word, exhilarating. There is never a dull moment in Poppy's world! In this book especially, she manages to squeeze in all sorts of dangerous shenanigans amid brunches, showers, dinners, and parties leading up to the big wedding. Compulsively readable, I blame Poppy and her creator, Julie Mulhern, for several late nights when I simply could not put the book down in order to get some sleep. But I won't hold it against either of them; I'm too eager for more!
Profile Image for Debbi.
840 reviews3 followers
April 10, 2019
This is the third book in this series and it continues to be a hoot to read. This time Poppy is in New Orleans to be a bridesmaid for her college roommate Adele’s wedding. Leave it to Poppy to be at The Columns Hotel veranda at the wrong time. Mayhem ensues and bullets start flying. In fact, drugs and a drug cartel are involved, which Poppy is very familiar with. Luckily her boss sends her ‘job’ partner, Mark Stone(Thor) to be her date and to watch out for her. Jake shows up too and she ends up rescuing them, instead of the other way around, catching the bad guys, and attending the wedding. Julie Mulhern does a great job of describing NOLA and making you feel like you're there.
It was a perfect read that I thoroughly enjoyed and got some chuckles out of. Looking forward to more adventures. Sounds like helping her mother Chariss might be next on the agenda.
2 reviews
March 10, 2019
Can’t get enough of Poppy!

I love a strong female character who can shoot to kill but is just a tad high maintenance! Poppy Field’s finds herself in yet another crime triangle with drug lords, crooked law enforcement and money hungry criminals. Mulhern keeps the reader guessing- how her imagination spins these tales is beyond me! In the midst of the crime and violence is the intense chemistry between Poppy and her new partner Mark- aka Thor. I’m anxious to see this relationship develop in the next book! I’m so glad I discovered the Fields’ series after reading Mulhern’s Country Club Murders series- I highly recommend them all!
9 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2019
Looking forward to London!

I have just finished the third book in the Poppy Fields Adventure. The only reason I didn't finish all three books at once was because I had to go to work. I got wrapped up in the adventure. I like that the characters are so "real". They get frustrated, they get in jams, they have to deal with their mothers. The banter between Poppy and her friends gives the book a great vibe. Poppy Fields is someone I would think would be fun to talk to. Even though a daughter of a famous actress, she seems very down to earth. She has hidden talents that have nothing to do with acting. I am looking forward to the next book! And the one after that.
Profile Image for Bookgyrl.
1,342 reviews23 followers
June 15, 2020
Phew, book 3. Maybe I read it too fast after book 2. Sometimes you need some distance between books because wow, the shootings.... they seem to come every five minutes with Poppy in the middle.

Poppy is in New Orleans for a very elaborate wedding and it seems again everyone is out for her. She dogs bullets, avoids kidnappings and gets squished a bit between Jake and Mark/Thor. Of course Poppy can hold her own, as always.

It was a fast read for me. There were a little too many names for me to keep up with and - again - a plot about drugs. Let's hope the next will focus on something else. Enjoyable.

72 reviews
March 21, 2019
I found the first of this series on offer as a freebie. I liked it enough that I bought the second book immediately. That was even a bit better than the first, so I immediately ordered book 3. This is definitely the best of the three, perhaps because I am more familiar with the heroine, perhaps because I am crazy about "Thor", perhaps because I am pleased she is dumping the guy who was always trying to make her be less than she really is. This was an exciting, fun, hold on to your seat kind of read. Cannot wait for the next book in this series.
10 reviews
March 3, 2019
What Else Can Poppy Get Into ??

This series is absolutely delightful. It's funny, you love the characters and can't wait to see what Poppy gets into next. It is more than worth it to keep up with her antics and you can't wait to see what's next. These stories are just what you need. Thanks for these wonderful stories!
409 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2019
Loved it!

I love this series and can't wait for the next one! Poppy may be appear to be just another wealthy party girl, but she is also quite capable of kicking butt (or other body parts), and taking names, in between bridesmaid activities of course. Add some hot, and dangerous men, mysteries and that pesky cartel to the mix, and look out New Orleans!
25 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2019
Really heating up !!!

I fell in love with the Country Club Murders series immediately. I enjoyed “Fields’Guide to Abduction” but it took me getting into “Fields’ Guide to Assassins” to really be hooked. I couldn’t put “Fields’s Guide to VOODOO” down and my only disappointment is that I now have to wait for Poppy’s next adventure !!!
Profile Image for Sheila Burke.
1,246 reviews3 followers
May 18, 2022
This book was really good! This is the third book I've read from this author, the third in this series. This story was especially well written and well paced, entertaining and incredibly hard to put down. Much better than expected, and they seem to be getting better with each installment! Very well worth the time to read.
10 reviews2 followers
March 1, 2019
Not disappointed!

The storyline develops realistically and places the reader in ambiance of New Orleans. Engaging characters add to this saga. Will be following Poppy’s next adventure
Profile Image for Marcia-Lee Finocchio.
604 reviews6 followers
March 2, 2019
Poppy Fields Adventures

Another entertaining story involving Poppy, Thor, Jake and friends . Poppy goes to New Orleans for a friend's wedding and trouble follows! Love the storyline, humor, characters ! A must read!.
13 reviews3 followers
March 3, 2019
I read it twice!

I couldn't put it down till I finished! Then reread to savor every word. I love how most everyone thinks Poppy is just a well dressed party girl. Well, she is well dressed but not the piece of fluff she tries to portray! Can't wait till next one
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews

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