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Charlotte LaRue Mystery #8
Dusted To Death
When a big Hollywood movie studio comes to New Orleans and wants to use Bitsy Duhe's gorgeous Victorian house for a shoot, Bitsy consents--as long as Charlotte La Rue, owner of Maid for a Day, agrees to take care of her beloved home during filming. . .
Soon Charlotte meets the cast and crew, including Hollywood ingénue Angel Martinique. The movie seems to be going well--until a body is found dead in Angel's dressing room, a bloody letter opener just a few feet away. To Charlotte, there's no shortage of suspects. But when the police zero in on Angel, Charlotte does a little digging into Angel's past, and comes up with a bit more dirt than she bargained for--enough to put her in the crosshairs of danger if she doesn't watch her step. . .
"Leaves the reader wanting more." --Romantic Times
"This cozy series gets better with each book." --Library Journal
Soon Charlotte meets the cast and crew, including Hollywood ingénue Angel Martinique. The movie seems to be going well--until a body is found dead in Angel's dressing room, a bloody letter opener just a few feet away. To Charlotte, there's no shortage of suspects. But when the police zero in on Angel, Charlotte does a little digging into Angel's past, and comes up with a bit more dirt than she bargained for--enough to put her in the crosshairs of danger if she doesn't watch her step. . .
"Leaves the reader wanting more." --Romantic Times
"This cozy series gets better with each book." --Library Journal
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 15, 2009
About the author
Barbara Colley
16 books55 followersBarbara Colley is an award-winning author whose books have been published in sixteen foreign languages. A native of Louisiana, she lives with her family in a suburb of New Orleans. Besides writing and sharing her stories, she loves strolling through the historical New Orleans French Quarter and Garden District, which inspired the setting for her Charlotte La Rue mystery series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 14, 2018
This was (mostly) a satisfying ending to the series. I enjoyed all 8 books quite a lot. This particular mystery was quite intriguing to me as it involved a film crew using a historic home in New Orleans as its set. I love the character Charlotte LaRue! One can find some interesting friends in books, and here is an example for me.
May 29, 2024
This had a really good plot. I would have marked it higher if Charlotte hadn’t been so irritating at times.
August 14, 2020
A great way to introduce myself to this series is by reading the 8th book first. I actually enjoyed this book even though I didn't know the main characters that well. I was introduced to Charlotte LaRue a woman that owns her own cleaning service and who solves some crime in between her cleaning jobs.
This book Charlotte's one customer Bitsy hires Charlotte to work for a production company that is making a movie and using Ms. Bitsy's home. I found myself laughing at the interaction between these two ladies.
I loved how Charlotte also argued with herself. I find myself doing that at times too. That little voice that just keeps nagging in the back of your mind. I do want to go back and read the earlier books in this series.
This book Charlotte's one customer Bitsy hires Charlotte to work for a production company that is making a movie and using Ms. Bitsy's home. I found myself laughing at the interaction between these two ladies.
I loved how Charlotte also argued with herself. I find myself doing that at times too. That little voice that just keeps nagging in the back of your mind. I do want to go back and read the earlier books in this series.
April 17, 2015
.
It wasn't outstanding, but I liked it.
It wasn't outstanding, but I liked it.
July 31, 2017
Summer read, perfect for a couple of hot, July days!
July 21, 2020
entertaining
September 29, 2023
A fun whodunnit with a sweet ending.
January 9, 2024
Cute and funny! A quick read.
April 18, 2024
A good murder mystery.
August 18, 2024
The book was well written keeping the reader guessing who the murder is but also how the story will develop moving forward
February 22, 2010
Dusted to Death is the 8th book in the Maid-for-a-Day series. This time around Charlotte is working with Hollywood-type people who have come to New Orleans to film a new movie. The lead actress's boyfriend is murdered and Charlotte sets out to find the killer.
Things end predictably when Charlotte was attacked by the killer and had to physically fight them off, as is the case with just about every title in this series. She's a 60-something woman who constantly prevails over much younger attackers and survives to clean another day. In an unexpected move, the lead detective begins taking Charlotte seriously as a would-be detective. I found this annoying. The police, including Charlotte's niece, constantly tell her not to get involved and yet this time, they're all but literally patting her on the back for meddling. The huge positive in Dusted to Death was that I had no idea who the killer was until they were finally revealed.
Barbara Colley writes a very good mystery, which seems to be the only reason I continue reading this series. I have no love for Charlotte. She is forever chiding others for their swearing, bringing up "the Lord" at seemingly random occasions and is strangely clueless about her would-be relationship with her neighbor, Louis. She's an older woman that I could not stand to be around. She grates on me to the point where I kind of wish one of the killers would just do her in already.
There were a lot of tiny personal annoyances and many situations that seemed highly unrealistic, but Dusted to Death does contain a compelling mystery. Perhaps the Maid-for-a-Day series would be a better fit for a generation or two older than myself.
Things end predictably when Charlotte was attacked by the killer and had to physically fight them off, as is the case with just about every title in this series. She's a 60-something woman who constantly prevails over much younger attackers and survives to clean another day. In an unexpected move, the lead detective begins taking Charlotte seriously as a would-be detective. I found this annoying. The police, including Charlotte's niece, constantly tell her not to get involved and yet this time, they're all but literally patting her on the back for meddling. The huge positive in Dusted to Death was that I had no idea who the killer was until they were finally revealed.
Barbara Colley writes a very good mystery, which seems to be the only reason I continue reading this series. I have no love for Charlotte. She is forever chiding others for their swearing, bringing up "the Lord" at seemingly random occasions and is strangely clueless about her would-be relationship with her neighbor, Louis. She's an older woman that I could not stand to be around. She grates on me to the point where I kind of wish one of the killers would just do her in already.
There were a lot of tiny personal annoyances and many situations that seemed highly unrealistic, but Dusted to Death does contain a compelling mystery. Perhaps the Maid-for-a-Day series would be a better fit for a generation or two older than myself.
February 13, 2011
There’s a film studio in New Orleans that finds Bitsy house fabulous to want to pay her to use her house for a movie. The film studio has to hire Bitsy housekeeper to seal the deal and her name is Charlotte. Charlotte is use to the hustle and bustle so she goes in to the job done but one thing wasn’t disclosed to Charlotte and that she has to deal with an actress name Angel and her drama with her man. She quickly falls into the responsibilities she is told to do although she has to bit her tongue to get the job done.
As the days goes on and she finds herself meeting up with people of all kinds including her son BF, turns out to be Angel limousine driver. After all the years that pass was really a shocking sight for Charlotte because the life style he lived didn’t look to glorifying for him to turn out to be an outstanding person.
After some days of hard work and continue reporting day after day she comes in and there wasn’t too much terrific going on yet. She goes up stairs to check it out and comes across a dead body and it was the men of the actress and he was stabbed with a letter opener. Charlotte screams for help and call 911 to become the main suspect at the moment until the limousine driver request extra help to clear Angel name because she was arrested moments later for the death of her man.
They find themselves going deep into Angel background in this little town to come up empty handed but with Charlotte experience of this not being her first murder case. She explores more and get deeper to find out that someone had it out for both Angel and her man.
As the days goes on and she finds herself meeting up with people of all kinds including her son BF, turns out to be Angel limousine driver. After all the years that pass was really a shocking sight for Charlotte because the life style he lived didn’t look to glorifying for him to turn out to be an outstanding person.
After some days of hard work and continue reporting day after day she comes in and there wasn’t too much terrific going on yet. She goes up stairs to check it out and comes across a dead body and it was the men of the actress and he was stabbed with a letter opener. Charlotte screams for help and call 911 to become the main suspect at the moment until the limousine driver request extra help to clear Angel name because she was arrested moments later for the death of her man.
They find themselves going deep into Angel background in this little town to come up empty handed but with Charlotte experience of this not being her first murder case. She explores more and get deeper to find out that someone had it out for both Angel and her man.
August 1, 2013
Cozy mystery time again! I have read the rest of this series about Charlotte LaRue, cleaning lady sleuth, and enjoyed them all. The mystery in this book is not my favorite of the series, but it is still a fun read. There is more of a romance element in this book for Charlotte and it is done very well with a light touch that didn’t overwhelm the mystery. Charlotte is a very realistic, likable character. She is spunky and independent enough to be someone you cheer for, but she is intelligent enough that she doesn’t deliberately endanger herself or others. For example, when a mysterious vehicle is following her, she heads straight for the police station, unlike some sleuths who go home or to a friend’s house instead.
Fun light cozy. This could be read as a stand alone, if you wanted, but I think some of the ongoing relationships are more enjoyable if you have read other books in the series.
Fun light cozy. This could be read as a stand alone, if you wanted, but I think some of the ongoing relationships are more enjoyable if you have read other books in the series.
January 17, 2010
Maid service owner Charlotte LaRue reluctantly accepts a job from a movie production company to please a steady client--not because she's had a crush on the handsome star for many years. The company is taking over Bitsy's beautiful mansion, and Charlotte is to be on hand to keep the place clean and protect Bitsy's valuables. But when the creepy boyfriend of the female lead is killed and the starlet arrested, the production grinds to a halt, and Charlotte can't resist the temptation to find out who would want to kill the young man and frame the woman.
October 1, 2010
I liked the plot of this book and the twists and turns it took. However, the methods the author takes in transitioning, especially for a mystery novel, are not quite what I'd expect, nor do i prefer. Also, while I appreciate her views on religion and being against swearing, I find it odd the way she goes about incorporating it into the story as it veers off the track of the plot and makes me want to skip over the entire paragraph. I don't think I'll be reading any more of the series, but I didn't hate it.
March 1, 2011
Charlotte is the owner of Maid for a Day and is about to get her biggest job yet, curtesy of her long time client Bitsy. Bitsy has allowed a big Hollywood movie studio to rent her house for a shoot. Her demands are that Charlotte stays during the shoot to make sure that nothing goes wrong in her house. Of course during the shoot there's a murder & the female star is arrested for it. Can Charlote find the murderer before the movie company leaves the area???
January 15, 2010
A couple of loose ends in this otherwise highly enjoyable book is the reason I could only give it two stars. Otherwise, I loved the main character Charlotte LaRue, a 60-something New Orleans woman who owns her own cleaning business. My favorite scene was when she threw bleach in the bad guy's face to protect herself. Talk about using tools of the trade!
February 9, 2010
Dusted to Death, set in New Orleans, features an older woman who owns her own maid service. This is a cozy mystery in the best tradition. The story has a good mystery to keep the reader interested and characters you quickly become involved with. I found this a fun, relaxing read and plan to read more by this author.
June 20, 2014
A nice light read. Charlotte figures out murder mysteries well enough but when it comes to her own life she's not quite as savvy. Good thing she has a great family support system and I'm glad that she can finally add Louis to the list of people she just can't live without. Louis is a great guy and love knows no age.
February 10, 2011
Up to this point I have really enjoyed Colley's books set in the Garden District of New Orleans. But this one seemed to be just to "preachy". I found myself cringing several times at the overly religious overtones. Stick to writing the lighthearted mysteries and leave religion out of it.
February 22, 2011
This is part of the Charlotte LaRue mystery series. It is a serviceable cozy mystery with slight plot and characterization--in other words, a good mindless read for those times when you've got to have a book, but don't want to concentrate on it.
May 15, 2011
A fun little domestic mystery set in New Orleans. The writing was not the greatest, but it was serviceable, and the mystery was not too hard to fathom, but it was pleasantly presented. The romantic subplot, though, felt shoehorned in and unrealistic.
August 24, 2012
I’ve enjoyed every book in this series and this one was no exception! A really quick read, maybe 6 hours top and fast paced, quick, good plot, cut and great characters! GREAT READ!! I’ll have to see if Colley has written more in this series; think I’ve read them all!
May 30, 2010
Good addition to the series of cozy cleaning ladies....
November 21, 2010
Cute, quick murder mystery, fun to read.
March 20, 2011
This book moves a little slow but I enjoyed it still. it made me alugh and left me to wonder what would happen next and who did it?
June 30, 2011
Likeable characters and a fun plot.
October 11, 2011
Very disappointing. I really enjoyed the other books in this series.
November 2, 2011
I've enjoyed all of the books by Barbara Colley that I've read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews