Hurricanes in Exile
Claude Brickell, 2014
Bricbooks
145 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781312009660 (Kindle)
Summary
Murder, mystery and mayhem in madcap New Orleans!
When ex-Marine Tobias Cochran arrives in New Orleans after his discharge, he right away lands a gig as server at the St. Charles Avenue Mansion.This popular wedding venue holds a host of wacky characters the likes of which Toby has never seen. And just when he is getting use to the frenetic pace of things, a pretty female bartender he has taken a liking to is suddenly murdered. Toby can't believe what has happened, and as the detective assigned to the case is turning up no leads, Toby is determined to track down and expose the culprit of this cruel and senseless act himself.
This leads him to various alternative locales each offering a variety of clues that soon point to one suspect in particular. The trail, though, takes an unexpected turn when Toby discovers a vampire-like cult the supposed culprit hangs out with. Despite the horrors of this, Toby is driven to solve the crime no matter what even if it means getting in with this sinister group himself. He is convinced by doing so, the identity of the real murderer will at last be revealed. All this with an impending hurricane heading directly for the Louisiana shore.
Also, Four Short stories: A Southern Boy Comes Home
Author Bio
Claude Brickell is a New York-based writer of adventure mysteries. Born and raised in the South, he received his formal education at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, the American Collage and the Sorbonne in Paris and Oxford University in England. He is a Vietnam-era veteran and a former ice hockey league player. His mystery series The Jewel Trilogy follows art historian Michael Bennington as he travels the world searching for rare and missing jewels and artifacts. The first installment, The Napoleon Connection, is an Amazon.com bestseller. Hurricanes in Exile follows the mystery series. (From the author.)
Discussion Questions
1. How would you best describe the genre of this book?
2. The lead character Toby Cochran is an ex-Marine. Is he likable?
3. A young woman is murdered and Toby is determined to solve the crime. Is the way he goes about it credible?
4. The story is set in New Orleans. Is that interestingly?
5. Attached to the book are four short stories. Do you feel they were appropriate to be attached?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)