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Trouble in Mudbug
(Ghost-in-Law #1)
by
Scientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law’s death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana.
Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.
DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the s ...more
Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.
DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the s ...more
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Paperback, 300 pages
Published
February 1st 2009
by Love Spell
(first published January 27th 2009)
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Start your review of Trouble in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #1)

Review written July 30, 2016
3 1/2 Stars - A cozy mystery with a hilarious old-lady ghost
A sweet, amusing and cozy mystery. 9:19 hrs ($2 WSfV) audiobook narrated by Johanna Parker. — Trouble in Mudbug is the first adventure in a series set in the southern US in the Bayous of Louisiana.
Not "world shattering" but well done (terrific narrator) and good enough.
**********************************************
In this #1 installment are the main characters the scientist Maryse Robicheaux an ...more
3 1/2 Stars - A cozy mystery with a hilarious old-lady ghost
A sweet, amusing and cozy mystery. 9:19 hrs ($2 WSfV) audiobook narrated by Johanna Parker. — Trouble in Mudbug is the first adventure in a series set in the southern US in the Bayous of Louisiana.



Not "world shattering" but well done (terrific narrator) and good enough.
**********************************************
In this #1 installment are the main characters the scientist Maryse Robicheaux an ...more

Jan 04, 2015
Carole (Carole's Random Life in Books)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
4 Stars
This book was so much fun! I had hoped that this book would keep me entertained at the gym and it did that job so well I found myself listening to it not only at the gym but on my way to the gym and really anytime I was in the car. This book isn't anything serious and was a bit silly at times but it was exactly what I was looking for.
Maryse attends her mother-in-law's funeral like any good person would do, even though she is estranged ...more
4 Stars
This book was so much fun! I had hoped that this book would keep me entertained at the gym and it did that job so well I found myself listening to it not only at the gym but on my way to the gym and really anytime I was in the car. This book isn't anything serious and was a bit silly at times but it was exactly what I was looking for.
Maryse attends her mother-in-law's funeral like any good person would do, even though she is estranged ...more

This was just an okay cozy mystery. I had a hard time following the plot and didn't think the writing was all that great. I at least got it as a freebie though. I don't have any intention of continuing with the series.
The first part of this book started off promising. We have Maryse Robicheaux going to her mother in law's funeral. Trouble is that Maryse is two years estranged from her husband and doing her best to serve him with divorce papers. She's hoping he will show up so she can finally be ...more
The first part of this book started off promising. We have Maryse Robicheaux going to her mother in law's funeral. Trouble is that Maryse is two years estranged from her husband and doing her best to serve him with divorce papers. She's hoping he will show up so she can finally be ...more

The first book in the Ghost-in-Law series by Jana Deleon. Maryse Robicheaux is a botanist and married to Hank. But Hank left her two years before and she hasn't seen him since. But she attends her mother in law funeral and sees the woman's ghost. Helena Henry believes she was murdered and insists that her daughter in law help her find her murderer. But Maryse has a few of her own problems, such as someone trying to kill her. Now she is forced to share her office space with Luc Lejeune, a zoologi
...more

Rating: 4/5
***Minor spoilers***
At the funeral of her mother-in-law, Maryse doesn't really mourn. In fact, her mother-in-law did nothing but trouble her and give birth to the man who was useless, up and left her, and refuses to sign the divorce papers. She thinks she's finally free when suddenly, Helena, her "dead" mother-in-law, steps right out of her coffin and doesn't realize she's dead. And the only person who can see her is Maryse. That's not all, though - Helena claims that she was murdered ...more
***Minor spoilers***
At the funeral of her mother-in-law, Maryse doesn't really mourn. In fact, her mother-in-law did nothing but trouble her and give birth to the man who was useless, up and left her, and refuses to sign the divorce papers. She thinks she's finally free when suddenly, Helena, her "dead" mother-in-law, steps right out of her coffin and doesn't realize she's dead. And the only person who can see her is Maryse. That's not all, though - Helena claims that she was murdered ...more

If you like steamy, sexy romance mixed up with wacky adventure, strong, smart heroines, attempted murder and obnoxious ghosts, you will love Jana DeLeon. In this charmingly original and memorable book, we meet the citizens of Mudbug, Louisiana, a small town on the bayou that is home to Maryse Robicheaux, her not-dearly-departed mother-in-law, and a whole lot of stuff going on. What I love about this author is that she has respect for her characters - they are often eccentric and unique, but neve
...more

I am a big fan of this author's Louisiana Longshot series and went into this book with high expectations. From a strictly bare-bones plot perspective, I actually like this one a bit better. The evil ghost mother-in-law made for some amusing moments and the botanist, curmudgeon heroine was likabe.
Unfortunately, outside of the bare-bones plot, there wasn't much going on. Oh, sure, there are several murder attempts, but all stem from a fairly predictable place when you stop to think about what the ...more
Unfortunately, outside of the bare-bones plot, there wasn't much going on. Oh, sure, there are several murder attempts, but all stem from a fairly predictable place when you stop to think about what the ...more

Ehhhh, a cute story but not as funny as the Miss Fortune series, also by this same author. The characters here also lack the sheer force of personality that those in the Miss Fortune series have. The one thing that this series has more of that I wish Miss Fortune had is a bit more attention to the romance aspects . Here we have Maryse, a botanist, and Luc, an undercover DEQ agent (I had to google DEQ and learned it's the Department of Environmental Quality...just as an FYI). They were okay but I
...more

A cute premise and a new series to enjoy... a win-win. I haven't read this series before so I went in not knowing anything. I like doing that to see if the author can grab me. I enjoyed this book. Funny dialogue, a roving MIL ghost and a handsome detective. The mystery was solid and the sexy romance was great. The ending kind of confused me but I think I'll go ahead and read more to see what happens next.
My Rating: 4 stars ...more
My Rating: 4 stars ...more

This was another fun series starter from Jana Deleon.

This was a cute cozy mystery with a side of paranormal thrown in. It was pretty good up until the end that I thought was forced and not likely. Parts were very funny and Johanna Parker did a good job narrating.

Aug 08, 2018
☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
paranormal,
romance,
mystery,
humor,
cozy-mystery,
death,
ghost,
paranormal-ghost,
z-2018-ttvi
This was a fun read. A cranky ghost following her ex-daughter in law. Wow my worst nightmare. LOL 😜

Actually 3.5 stars
Scientist Maryse Robichaux is having a rough week. She'd been hoping that her husband (a wanted criminal), would show up at his mother's funeral so she could finally serve him with divorce papers. Instead, she ends up being followed everywhere by her mother-in-law's ghost. Her inheritance has made it profitable for certain people to kill her, leading to the destruction of her car and house. She can't even get relief at work, where a mysterious new colleague is sharing her tiny ...more
Scientist Maryse Robichaux is having a rough week. She'd been hoping that her husband (a wanted criminal), would show up at his mother's funeral so she could finally serve him with divorce papers. Instead, she ends up being followed everywhere by her mother-in-law's ghost. Her inheritance has made it profitable for certain people to kill her, leading to the destruction of her car and house. She can't even get relief at work, where a mysterious new colleague is sharing her tiny ...more

3.5 Stars... This was a fun mix of humor, mystery, and romance with a ghostly twist... I will say that the first half of this read was a little slow, but it picked up in the second half with the unveiling of secrets and past moments that influenced these characters’ personalities... Helena was definitely my favorite with her true southern “spirit” all wrapped up in feistiness with a heart of gold... I will definitely continue on with the series and am eager to see what shenanigans Helena gets he
...more

Not bad but 50 pages too long.
In a nutshell Maryse is a botanist working in the Bayou in Louisiana. On the side she is looking for a mysterious plant that might be a cancer cure. After her mother-in-law dies, she discovers she has inherited a large chunk of bayou and then people start trying to kill her. Luckily the aforementioned mother-in-law has not crossed over and together with an agent from the DEQ (yeah I had to look it up too) they are determined to keep her alive long enough to protect ...more
In a nutshell Maryse is a botanist working in the Bayou in Louisiana. On the side she is looking for a mysterious plant that might be a cancer cure. After her mother-in-law dies, she discovers she has inherited a large chunk of bayou and then people start trying to kill her. Luckily the aforementioned mother-in-law has not crossed over and together with an agent from the DEQ (yeah I had to look it up too) they are determined to keep her alive long enough to protect ...more

This was my first Jana Deleon cozy mystery and I thought it was funny as hell and had a great mystery. I found the ghost of Maryse's mother-in-law to be outrageous but hilarious. Her antics while learning to be a ghost are priceless. Poor Maryse hated Helena in life and now she's stuck with her ghost until she solves her murder. Unfortunately Maryse is a botanist not a detective so solving the murder might take a while. I particularly liked sexy Luc LeJeune and thought his character was very wel
...more

Sep 16, 2020
Celia Buell
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned,
friendship,
ebook,
to-reread,
mystery,
regret,
romance,
family,
multiple-perspectives,
written-by-a-woman
This was a cute, funny, and interesting read, all without trying too hard. The characters were interesting and the premise was just different enough from a lot of cozy mysteries to keep it interesting while also remaining very much a cozy mystery even so.
All of the characters were actually really likable, and Jana Deleon has a way of making them funny personalities without trying too hard. Maryse is the type of character you immediately fall in love with, and all her friends are interesting pers ...more
All of the characters were actually really likable, and Jana Deleon has a way of making them funny personalities without trying too hard. Maryse is the type of character you immediately fall in love with, and all her friends are interesting pers ...more

As far as "cozies" go- this wasn't a bad start to this series at all... I had a few laughs here and there - JUST what 'the doctor ordered' . Every once in a while I am looking for a cozy for a change of pace- after reading all those psycho, killing, stalking, serial murders- ya just need something light- brain candy so to speak. As far as this goes- it grabbed me enough that I will read the second book in this series !
...more

OK, this was fun and cute with a little paranormal twist. One question is left unanswered for us to want to go to the psychic friend's story to answer it and I might but it is not really my genre. All the same a cute romance so maybe will. Enjoyed it and read it all the way through. The genre is more chick-lit contemporary romance than paranormal since it only involves a secondary character ghost.
...more

Loved it! A hilarious book with a touch of romance. Can't wait to dive in to the rest of the series.
...more

I ended up really liking this audiobook. The story was good, the characters were great. I loved the ending and the sneak peak of the next book.

Mar 29, 2018
JoAn
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cozy-mystery,
paranormal
Trouble in Mudbug by Jana Deleon was a fun cozy mystery with a few laughs, an intriguing mystery, an outrageous ghost and a great introduction to a new small town in Louisiana that kept me entertained for an afternoon. I will definitely be trying the next one in the series. I'm so glad my local library carries most of Ms. Deleon's book.
...more

A mother-in-law that only agrees to help you pay off your disappeared husband’s debts if you pay her back-with significant interest-isn’t the kind of person any woman would want hanging around watching her every move. Maryse Robicheaux is no different. When her mother-in-law Helena dies suddenly, she doesn’t exactly miss her. However, her moment of relief only lasts halfway through Helena’s funeral. She can’t figure out why no one else is freaking out at the site of Helena climbing back out of h
...more

I wanted to read this book because I juts LOVED the Miss Fortune Mystery series by this author.
This is a nice series starter and it is quite comical. I loved that this story is about a mother-in-law who has passed but her spirit remains due to some unfinished business. The characters and dialogue are all in line with it being a small town and I liked that it had great humorous elements too.
As far as mysteries go it was nicely done. There are plenty of twists and turns and just when you think y ...more
This is a nice series starter and it is quite comical. I loved that this story is about a mother-in-law who has passed but her spirit remains due to some unfinished business. The characters and dialogue are all in line with it being a small town and I liked that it had great humorous elements too.
As far as mysteries go it was nicely done. There are plenty of twists and turns and just when you think y ...more

I loved this book! It was fun, quick and exciting. The storytelling was excellent and I found that I couldn't stop reading and listening until I had finished. It's been a while since I have read a fun mystery and I picked this one up from amazon when it was free and couldn't be happier about it.
Mayrse attends her mother in laws funeral even though she is trying to divorce her husband and she and Helena haven't gotten along very well in the past. Imagine her surprise when Helena jumped out of th ...more
Mayrse attends her mother in laws funeral even though she is trying to divorce her husband and she and Helena haven't gotten along very well in the past. Imagine her surprise when Helena jumped out of th ...more

Jan 09, 2014
Angie
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
hauntings, romance and mystery
Recommended to Angie by:
Mama a friend of mine
This was a really good murder mystery novel with a big dose of romance added to make it extra good. Mayrse finds out her mother in law has died and is being haunted by her ghost. This was the start of a really funny little book.
Things wouldn't be so bad if Helena wasn't such a bitch but Mayrse finds out over the course of a week that she wasn't all that bad. Luc is the love interest, and it does make for some very funny scene s.
I loved the style of writing and all the characters, even the awful ...more
Things wouldn't be so bad if Helena wasn't such a bitch but Mayrse finds out over the course of a week that she wasn't all that bad. Luc is the love interest, and it does make for some very funny scene s.
I loved the style of writing and all the characters, even the awful ...more

Mar 07, 2014
Becky ♡The Bookworm♡
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Adults
This was a cute little mystery with witty dialogue and a small town feel. I enjoyed Maryse and the way she stood strong through the craziness thrown her way. There were several laugh out loud moments and quite a few where I wanted to cry for Maryse's losses. I enjoyed all the twists and turns in the plot, which kept me wondering how things would resolve. I would've liked to know more about Luc. I had a hard time connecting with him, or believing the relationship with Maryse was more than physica
...more
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New 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 ou
...more
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