Jackson Square Jazz

Scotty Bradley #2

by Greg Herren

Doing something, anything, everything could be Scotty Bradley's M.O. He's certainly no saint, but when you live in New Orleans, the equivalent of the gay man's candy store, monogamy is a challenge. Unfortunately, his straight-arrow, FBI agent, sort-of boyfriend Frank has ideas - deep, committed love ideas - that are turning Scotty's Hot Daddy into a decidedly less-than-sizzling puppy dog. It's enough to send a guy into full-fledged slut mode, and that's how Scotty ends up nursing a massive hangover in a hotel room with cutie pie Bryce Bell - he of the rounded backside and sheepish grin. As if that weren't enough, Bryce turns out to be the hottest young skater in the U.S. He's also hiding a secret bigger than his Joe Boxers.

Always up for a good time, Scotty has been thrilled to get a sly invitation and Bryce's hotel key card delivered via a Skate America usher. But what he found when he arrived there wasn't the gay blade himself, but someone else entirely - someone who'd been stabbed to death. Suddenly, Scotty finds himself thrust into Bryce's other life and his connection to an unsolved crime that has haunted the New Orleans police for years - the theft of a priceless artifact stolen from the celebrated Cabildo museum as it burned to the ground. He's also drawn back into the arms of Colin, the world's sexiest cat burgular, who has a lot of light to shed on the Cabildo fire (while also shedding clothes) and the trail of murder at its heart.

As refreshing as an ice-cold bottle of jax beer, as sexy as the sultry bars and smoky jazz clubs of New Orleans, Jackson Square Jazz is another wonderful, strange trip down south in the company of the most deliciously decadent P.I. ever to wear a thong - and be proud of it.

Genres: Mystery, LGBT, Gay, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M M Romance, Romance

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Greg Herren is a New Orleans-based author and editor. Former editor of Lambda Book Report, he is also a co-founder of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, which takes place in New Orleans every May. He is the author of ten novels, including the Lambda Literary Award winning Murder in the Rue Chartres, called by the New Orleans Times-Picayune “the most honest depiction of life in post-Katrina New Orleans published thus far.” He co-edited Love, Bourbon Street: Reflections on New Orleans, which also won the Lambda Literary Award. He has published over fifty short stories in markets as varied as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine to the critically acclaimed anthology New Orleans Noir to various websites, literary magazines, and anthologies. His erotica anthology FRATSEX is the all time best selling title for Insightoutbooks. Under his pseudonym Todd Gregory, he published the bestselling erotic novel Every Frat Boy Wants It and the erotic anthologies His Underwear and Rough Trade (to be released by Bold Strokes Books in 2009).

A long-time resident of New Orleans, Greg was a fitness columnist and book reviewer for Window Media for over four years, publishing in the LGBT newspapers IMPACT News, Southern Voice, and Houston Voice. He served a term on the Board of Directors for the National Stonewall Democrats, and served on the founding committee of the Louisiana Stonewall Democrats. He is currently employed as a public health researcher for the NO/AIDS Task Force.

Reviews

[Shadoshard · Rating 3 out of 5]

New Orleans is one of my favorite places to be, and the book captures that feeling very nicely. I enjoyed the writing - it was like this guy was a friend and we were sitting over a drink as he was narrating the story to me. I was a bit disappointed in the fact that there was less 'spice' to it than I expected, but the story line made up for it. Not great literature, but great as a beach read, or something to read on a trip.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the follow up novel to Bourbon Street Blues, we find Scotty living next to a friend in a borrowed apartment, trying to deal with the "idea" of having a stable boyfriend, even if he is in Washington D.C. and the fact he can't imagine being ever with only one person. We have this little intrigue centered around a lost artistic treasure taken or so it seems from a local museum, we have Colin making a comeback into Scotty's life, a wonderful car chase that gives you goose bumps (that's rare in a novel). Scotty still has faith in "his" gift and did give the idea of becoming a private dick a go. It's a fun tale of mayhem, boys that do not want to be grown ups, a little intrigue with a dash of whimsy. I liked it a lot. Just one tiny typo that had me confused and going back backwards to check. The room number written on the paper given to Scotty - 315- along with the key doesn't match the room it opened room 310 at the hotel. That's unfortunate because the key given to Scotty couldn't have opened the door of room 310. That door wasn't locked but still there is a confusion with room numbers there since it was the right room.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun series, even if I think our handsome hero Scotty is kind of a Mary Sue. I think it took Herren a few books to come into his own as a writer (this is the fourth of his books that I've read). Still, there's the pratfall a lot of amateur detective series fall into; what are the odds, really, that one character would encounter so many dead bodies? (Herren has written two series. One features an ex-cop private eye, and I can buy that he'd run into trouble periodically because he does a lot of work for suspicious characters. This book is from the other series, the main character of which is a party boy, basically. He works in a gym as a personal trainer. I've had the same problem with other detective series I've read; it's too much of a coincidence for these characters to keep walking into murder investigations.)

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amateur sleuth Scotty Bradley returns for another murder mystery in Jackson Square Jazz, Greg Herren’s follow-up to Bourbon Street Blues, the first in the Scotty Bradley series. This time around, Scotty is having reservations about his relationship with Frank the FBI agent who we met in Book 1, and he gets tangled up with Bryce, a young figure skater whose family origins are at the heart of the mystery. Things start off with Scotty finding a corpse again, much to his chagrin, and it belongs to a man who previously threatened Bryce and was out to ruin his career. There's even more to love about this fantastic sequel, with something for both mystery and non-mystery readers alike. It's an entertaining series that will keep you turning the pages.

To read my full review, click here: http://thedarkeva.com/2013/04/11/book...

[Skye Blue ☆*~ﾟლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm getting into this series. It's still early days. Scott still isn't an official P.I. yet, but his schooling is completed.

I want more sexy times. For a guy that claims to be slutty, there are not enough sex scenes. GRRRR.

But the story is good. It has a couple huh moments..but nothing big.

I loved the setting. I like the pnr element. It's a big presence, but not overwhelming.

Once again, the romance building was low...but it had more than the first book, so progress. I look forward to seeing how it progresses.

Scott has a lucky streak, which is really fortunate for him, considering how much trouble is attracted to him.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining story & puzzle. I like this series, even as I think the relationship issues occasionally get in the way of the story. I enjoy the quirky characters Herren has created, & like the way Scotty's siblings played a bigger role in this second book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Herren's "Annunciation Shotgun" in the short story compilation New Orleans Noir introduced me to Orleanian Scotty Bradley, grandson of Garden District gentility, son of hippies who live above their shop in the French Quarter, former go-go dancer and aspiring detective. Then I read number eight in the series last winter. Someday I'll read Bourbon Street Blues, the first of the Scotty Bradley series, but the second novel in the series came my way. It was easy to catch up with Scotty who is getting close to being fully credentialed as a private detective. He still trusts his own clairvoyance and his tarot deck. He's charry of becoming a boyfriend which contributes to both the plot and a subplot.

Keeping in mind that the title refers to Jackson Square, Herren does place Scotty in the arena behind the Superdome, a grand hotel, the Algiers neighborhood, and even Washington, D.C. The plot swirls around a 19-year-old male skater and the middle-aged man he may have stabbed. How will the action return to Jackson Square?

This mystery is far from a cozy. There are thugs dishing out mayhem in homes and on highways. The sex is not graphic, but it's not straight. The language is often pungent. The dialogue sometimes falters and Scotty's entreaties to deities can wear thin. That said, Herren has developed some endearing characters worth keeping an eye on through the twists of the plot and subplots.

[Martin Denton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scotty Bradley, psychic gay go-go boy turned detective, solves a murder and gets mixed up with a budding star figure skater, a Texas multimillionaire, and the lost death mask of Napoleon. He also juggles two boyfriends--Colin and Frank, both introduced in the first Scotty mystery, Bourbon Street Blues.

I like Greg Herren's writing, and I like Scotty and the supporting cast. But this book totally defied believability. Herren lost me about halfway, with a car chase scene that felt drastically over-the-top; and the ensuing twists and turns of the exciting plot never were plausible enough to bring me back. The way that Herren resolved Scotty's romantic situation--even though I saw it coming--felt highly unsatisfactory as well.

It's interesting to me that this seems to be the only one of the Scotty Bradley series not re-released on Kindle. Curious if there's a reason. And, in spite of myself, I'm curious to read episode 3...

[Peacefulbookery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mystery set in New Orleans. The main character is outgoing and very aware of his flaws (which occasionally get him into trouble). He's a fun character to read about. There are some plot-convenient paranormal elements, but they're introduced well ahead of time so reveals don't feel unearned.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here:

https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...

Fun book, lightly smutty, and making me really want to go see New Orleans.

[Gerry Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable reading. Light gay murder mystery set in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having lived there for many years I enjoy that the author had used the French Quarter in a very authentic way, that the street names and locations all were correct and many of the bars and restaurants were places I used to haunt then I lived there. Great adventure into New Orleans, and New Orleans current events. RECOMMENDED READING
A+

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scotty once again finds himself in the middle of another mystery. His relationship with Frank is starting, and on the rocks. And, his old flame Colin is back with more secrets. Scotty is actually pursueing a career, private investigating, but no one will sponsor him. His intriguing connection with the Goddess helps him solve the murder of a dead man, find a stolen artifact of Louisiana history, and save the beginning career of a very promising skater. Will the villian/villians get away with it?

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

another fun gay mystery. Fun charecters and set in a fun city,new orleans.This is a Scotty Bradley mystery. It is the first of the Scotty Series. I enjoy these books but dont consider them to be great literature but I dont want to negate them to just gay lit as think that they are a little more universal than that.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a series about a former male go-go dancer turned P.I. set in N'awlins. This are a fun, quick read, so don't let the fact that they will usually be found in the gay section keep from enjoying a good solid read by a N.O. native and writer. Also has another series, with one book set before and one set after Katrina(start with Murder on the Rue St. Ann.)

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good gay mystery (with a titch of the paranormal) in which Scotty, now training to be a private investigator, manages to get involved in a case involving figuring skating, an historic fire, and a missing Napoleonic mask.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! This book rawks.... It's good combination between comedy, gay life story, and detective sherlock-holmes-kind-of-novel.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A fun read. There were parts of it that really infuriated me (i.e. coach story and book 1 catching-up exposition), but in the end an enjoyable murder /crime mystery.

[Joe Cosentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific romantic mystery with the heart of New Orleans.

[Vrion]

this book just read

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd in series of gay private detective in New Orleans.