Review of Reel of Fortune by Jana DeLeon

Fortune is back and she’s putting down roots in Sinful.

• 

Nothing says Welcome Home like a murder.

It’s official. Fortune Redding is out of the CIA and a newly minted resident of Sinful, Louisiana. She never expected her homecoming to be all apple pie and hugs, but a murder wasn’t on her list of things to deal with before she’d even gotten her name stenciled on her mailbox. 

Boone Carre—Hooch, to the locals—was a drunk and a louse and had shafted pretty much everyone he’d ever done business with. So when someone kills him, there is no shortage of suspects. Unfortunately, Ally is at the top of the list. 

Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie know that Ally isn’t capable of murdering anyone, but with an ambitious ADA looking to make a name for himself, and the local gossip train intent on finding someone to blame, they know they have to find the killer and clear Ally’s name.

---

Available on Amazon.

The mystery: When a local curmudgeonly fisherman/ handyman is killed, Fortune, Gertie and Ida Belle find themselves on the case, mostly because poor Ally ends up under suspicion. Thankfully, unlike in many cozies, the heroines know that no court is likely to convict a person based only on very circumstantial evidence. The crew just want to help clear their sweet friend’s good name.  There are several suspects and viable motives. You’ll have to figure out who had the real opportunity though! I wasn’t shocked by the reveal but I liked how a couple of the twists played out.

My biggest peeve with this story is the constant harping on Fortune’s past as a CIA agent. She’s being really showy about it; putting on displays of her physical prowess and all. This isn’t really in keeping with the character we met in earlier books. I hope it’s just in this one as her real identity can finally be revealed.

Favourite bits:

“There are only two types of fishermen,” Gertie said. “Dead and cheaters.”

~~~~

“Some say the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,” Gertie said. “I think the fear of women is the beginning of wisdom. At least for men.”

~~~~

And Carter and Fortune again prove why they are perfect for each other:

The foghorn blasting through my house sent me launching straight out of bed, clutching my pistol. I looked across the bed and saw Carter standing on the other side, matching my stance.

“Rise and shine!” Gertie yelled from downstairs. 

We lowered our arms and Carter shook his head. “One day, we’re going to shoot each other.” 

“Well, not today, which means I have plenty of rounds for that foghorn.” 

He grinned. “You know, this is the first time in my life I can say that I don’t mind having a gun pulled on me. You realize if we can’t make this work, we’re both going to die alone and clutching a nine-millimeter.”

I continue to enjoy this series and look forward to the next one. I give this book 4/5 fortuitous espresso shots.

​