This debut novel by Danielle Arceneaux is intended to be the first in her "Glory Broussard" series. Set in contemporary Layfayette, Louisiana, Glory is not a typical detective story protagonist. Not that other detectives aren't outspoken and out for justice--just as Glory is--, or that we haven't encountered black detectives, or women sleuths, or investigators "of a certain age," but Glory is all of these. She has not had an easy life, growing up in the racially segregated South, and it has recently been made even harder because her husband left her for a younger woman. Then she learns that her closest friend from childhood, Sister Amity Gay, is dead. Glory will NOT be kept away from the crime scene and is shocked to see Amity with a rope around her neck and to hear that the police are calling it suicide and will not be pursuing further investigation. Glory knows Amity would never have killed herself and she aims to find the murderer. Glory's daughter, Delphine, a successful lawyer in New York City, has come home to help her mother sort out the divorce, and for reasons of her own that she's not sharing. She is shocked to find her mother has become a hoarder and that Glory has taken over the bookie business of her unfaithful husband.
The Washington Post offers: "Danielle Arceneaux offers a remarkable debut novel that blends a character study with a tightly woven mystery that delves into dark corners of racism and corruption." Publishers Weekly also likes this book: "Arceneaux successfully avoids a mountain of cozy clichés—no bookshops, baked goods, or love interest for Glory—and works potent critiques of Southern racism into her well-oiled plot."
The setting is richly drawn, the characters are well developed and the plot is complex and tricky enough to keep you guessing. I will watch for the future adventures of Glory Broussard.
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