Swamp Spook

Miss Fortune Mystery #13

by Jana Deleon

When black cats roam, and spooks are seen,
Come celebrate, it’s Halloween.

Sinful, Louisiana, really knows how to throw a party, and it goes all out for Halloween. The weeklong celebration kicks off with a maze of horror in the park built of hay bales. And Fortune has the perfect assignment—the executioner. Her scene comes complete with a head block, a hatchet, and a fake body with removable head. It’s the perfect setup…for a crime.

When Fortune returns from break and realizes the body in her scene is a real one and not the prop, she knows trouble is coming. Before she can shake a broomstick, Celia Arceneaux has raised the alarm and the state police show up to take over the investigation. With Carter on the sidelines and Fortune the prime suspect, Swamp Team 3 sets out to catch a real monster.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Humor, Audiobook, Fiction, Romance, Cozy

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2018

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get there by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretched out over the water where Jana spent many hours reading books.

Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.

Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.

She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.

Reviews

[Aimee Nicole Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I’m 13 audiobooks in and not experiencing so much as a whisper of series fatigue. I think it’s due to the evolution of the romantic relationship. So many authors make the on-again-off-again mistake. I might let that slide for a few books, but it turns me off if I don’t see character growth. I love that Carter was Fortune’s first client. I love that he’s not threatened by or attempts to stifle her awesomeness. On to book 14!

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Fabulous! What better way to celebrate Halloween than with #13 in the Miss Fortune Mystery Series. I love it! This series is tied with Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich for my favorite cozy mystery series. Both are laugh out loud funny, have wonderful characters, a mystery to solve and are just plain fantastic, fun entertainment.

Fortune Redding has decided to make Sinful, LA her home after her retirement from the CIA as their ace sniper. She is trying to fit in with small town life and, along with Ida Belle and Gertie, is volunteering for the annual Halloween Festival. The elaborate maze made of hay bales has some really creepy scenes and Fortune is playing the Executioner, a very fitting part if you ask me, complete with fake body and removable head.

Well, you know with that set up that something bad is sure to happen and Jana Deleon does not disappoint. Of course, The resident witch od Sinful, Celia Arceneaux, is using the tragedy to further her "Get Rid of Fortune Campaign" by claiming that Fortune's boyfriend, Deputy Carter Lablanc, can't be impartial and calling in the State Police to take over the Case of the Headless Body. Never fear, Swamp Team 3 is on their first official case and they always catch the baddie.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swamp Spook by Jana Deleon is the 13th book in the Miss Fortune Mystery series. Sinful, Louisiana is celebrating Halloween with a maze of horrors and when a real body is substituted at the executioners block, Swamp Team 3 are again in the middle of the investigation. This series just keeps getting better and better. You know you will be in for a fun time and there are always plenty of laughs along the way. Wonderful characters who always seem to get into a lot of funny situations as they carry out their investigations. Very entertaining and enjoyable.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are starting to get a bit (lot) silly. Why play up the ex-CIA only to downplay it more & more with every new book? Maybe try less Evanovich & more Osman? Even Ida Belle is drifting from her ex-spy self & Gertie is getting more Lula by the page. Put some grit back into these books & less madcap. I’ve got one more TBR sitting in my shelf. It may be the last.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of Fun

Another fun installment in Sinful! Lots of laughs anytime you get Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie together. This time they’re official!

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thirteenth book in the Miss Fortune Mystery series by Jana Deleon. It's Fall in Louisiana and time for the annual Halloween festivities. Fortune is cast as the Executioner complete with hatchet and fake body. But when she returns from break Fortune finds a real body in place of the fake one. But this time the state police are called in and Carter is pushed to the sidelines. Needless to say, the Geritol Mafia is out investigating the case.

I have already stated how funny and ridiculous this series is and this newest addition is no different. Our ladies, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie, are once again knee deep in chaos and survive to see another adventure.

[JoAn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swamp Spook by Jana Deleon is another laugh-out-loud trip to Sinful, Louisiana. It's Halloween in Sinful and Fortune has been cast as the executioner in the horror maze at the week long festival. As usual it all goes wrong and Swamp Team 3 needs to investigate. Fortune, Ida Belle and Gertie are the best and the worst (in the funniest way possible) combination of investigators that a reader can hope for as this complex mystery kept them in the dark. I enjoyed every second I spent with them this afternoon because I couldn't put the book down until I had finished it.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winner Winner Corn maze Sinner

Jana Deleon is hands down the best at Laugh Out Loud Scenarios.
Funny, twisty and same old Swamp Team 3.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swamp Spook is book 13 in the Miss Fortune series.

This was another quick enjoyable read. I'm really enjoying this series and I love seeing what trouble Fortune, Gertie and Ida Belle get into. Looking forward to reading the next book!

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars. I love Fortune and the Ladies. Gertie and Ida Belle are hilarious! It's just starting to feel like this series is a bit like the Halloween maze in Sinful. It's basically the same every time. They just add a couple small things in, move things around and slap on a new coat of paint. I'm SO TIRED of the "state police" coming in to do nothing. That's not how it works! Sheriffs in Louisiana have a TON of power. Even the Governor can't just order them to step aside. Even ignoring the state police fiasco AGAIN, Carter is a terrible cop. Fortune is a terrible PI! They make stupid assumptions, ignore obvious clues and basically muck everything up. Still, I don't read these books for the "mystery". I read them for the old ladies' antics. Even that fell kind of flat in this installment. The action scenes were few and far between. Most of the book seemed to be made up of long, drawn out, unnecessary conversations where everyone discusses what happened. I found myself skimming way too much.

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the book that worries me about this wonderful little series. The plot was a bit convoluted and i think these 3 ladies are running out of mad cap escapades. It’s beginning to feel like Stephanie Plum..same vibe, different day. I need more between Fortune and Carter....something new and intriguing.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former CIA operative Fortune set up a private investigative firm called Swamp Team 3 Investigations with Ida Belle and Gertie as investigative analysts. When the three volunteer at the local Halloween festival, someone replaces a headless dummy with a real dead body. As the state police are called in, Fortune's boyfriend Deputy Carter hires her to figure out who the killer is.

For those who follow this fun cozy series, the laughs just keep coming. The visual imagery is almost too much for me at times. This is a good story to read before Halloween as the three main ladies dress as executioner, chainsaw murderer, and mummy. Godzilla the alligator makes a cameo too.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 bk 101: It is Halloween time - and in her new role as permanent citizen of Sinful, Fortune agrees to help with the Halloween maze as the executioner. All goes well until after break time, when Fortune and friends discover a real head-less corpse on her execution block. This is one of the wiliest mysteries the Swamp Team 3 group solves as it moves from adultery to the butlerdidit to high school hijinks to family abuse issues. All with the constant problem of Celia.... A fun read.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t get enough of this series!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I eagerly awaited this book's release; the "Miss Fortune" series is some of the most fun I've had with books in a long while. In this case, the timing for a fun Halloween tale couldn't be better.

In this book, Fortune has her PI license and is settling in as well as can be expected in Sinful. She's even agreed to play one of the characters in the annual Halloween haybale maze: the executioner. She's spent an hour or so beheading a prop in the maze ... but when she comes back from her break, it's been replaced with an actual, decapitated body. Needless to say, Swamp Team 3 is on the case immediately. Deputy Carter Leblanc, for a change, is okay with the trio getting involved, because the state police and town nemesis Celia Arceneaux are trying to prove Carter incompetent for the job and he needs help to clear his own name.

The laughs are a mile a minute as Gertie, Ida Belle, and Fortune try to find out "whodunnit" ... which I figured out well before the reveal. Still, the revelation of the "why" was a huge surprise and gave a great deal more insight to the character's motivations in other areas of the story.

As usual, I found myself delighted by the characters in the tiny town. There were new folks to meet, and chuckles to be had. I can't wait until the next one is out.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given to me as a present. You should really read the rest of the books in order to get this one. I spent time trying to understand each character.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only Sinful will have a week long Halloween celebration (apparently Ida Belle and Gertie managed to persuade the local reverends that this was the best way to fight the devil!), one thing that happens at the starting and closing weekends is a couple of mazes (not too bad for kiddies but more full on for adults), Fortune has been asked this year to be "The Executioner), basically as people come around the maze she hacks off a dummy's head.  So far so good, but when they all take a break, and after having re-wrapped Gertie (playing the Mummy) Fortune discovers that the dummy has been replaced by a real life .... err dead .... beheaded corpse!

Now Carter has been sidelined by the DA and the State Police, Fortune is suspect #1 and Carter has hired her (and indirectly Ida Belle and Gertie) to find out what happened and why!

[Judy L Dane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky

I absolutely love the Miss Fortune books and this one is as good as the rest of the series. I can't wait to read it again.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I solved the mystery about 20% in but otherwise thoroughly enjoyed this one. I am almost tempted to give it 4 stars. It brought a good combination of humor, action, and further character development.

[GEOrocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another laugh out loud adventure in which Fortune and friends solve a weird murder in Sinful, LA.

[Sandee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halloween in Sinful. I can't imagine a more perfect environment for the adventures of Fortune, Ida Belle and Gertie. And Jana doesn't disappoint. Twists and laughter while solving a complex murder. I absolutely love this series and am delighted with this 13th book.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started out a fun Halloween themed story then things got super crazy. I loved it but had trouble believing the killers motive.

[Jacy Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swamp Team 3 in action.

The latest “Miss Fortune” book is the best ever. The twist and turns of this story will give you whiplash. Just when you think you’ve figured it out...surprise. Swamp Team 3 is in on the action, and hijinks, in that special way only they can. Enjoy the latest, you’ll be glad you did.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this series it is so good and this book has one of the very best plots/ mysteries in the series!! This book is also hysterical - where you laugh out loud and people look at you hysterical… just like the others but more so IMHO. I also love Halloween so this just checks all the boxes!!! Recommend starting with the first book of this series Fortune Furlough for the greatest enjoyment and character building experience.

[Carol Farrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lighthearted fun book. I’m in a phase of needing this type of book and this was perfect. It has quirky unexpected characters and a very unique crime. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Squirrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

None of the characters seem true to themselves, the murder is pointlessly macabre and uncharacteristically public for the ultimately revealed parties at the end.

Not a single office or entity runs as designed or as usual in this tale. The ME can't properly validate a straightforward death, Carter asks Fortune's team to help him, there's a fire in almost every scene. By Chapter 14 its clearly going to be another Peyton Place book, getting into tons of 'strangers' dirty little secrets, and truly, what reader cares? The characters exposed are one-offs, they won't be returning. This is seedy - affairs, spouse abuse, child abuse, users, incompetents - and probably needs several Trigger warnings.

Disappointing, as the Halloween setup could have been so much fun, for the characters and readers alike. Its tedious when the same people attract the same chaos every time, and don't learn from it.
----------------------------
2nd read
Starts out ... questionable. Really, have an assassin act as the Grim Reaper, the first season in a new town? For kids? Gee, who's begging for a crisis? Then the 'mom-dating' issue...okay, but even the author isn't interested enough to proof-read the copy. "I stood in completely silence."

More frustrating 'stupid' - the heat, a half-hour break for a 3-hour stint? A professional Assassin doesn't know not to leave a weapon unattended? Can the author really not do any better?Gertie's mummy costume unwrapping is cute to a point. How to make a mummy costume: A) Sews strips to a t-shirt. B) Sew strips to lightweight sweats or yoga pants C) sew strips to a lightweight beanie to cover the face and hair. D) Wrap a few loose strips around after donning A-B-C. ANY school teacher should be able to devise this basic costume fix. Someone throws a physical decapitated head at you. Who DOESN'T side-step or duck!? Ch 4 MC "can't even work up a decent guess" - because putting a DB at a festival is something other than a demand to look closer? Duh!

This story highlights 'selective consequences', all the actions that are simply dismissed. Teeny idea here, start charging Celia with filing false police reports. This 'poor me' and 'my hands are tied' from a documented liar IS preferential treatment - for Celia. And put the two busy-bodies in the cell as well. How could anyone do their job with that kind of blatant disrespect? Better yet, walk out, get a job elsewhere, and stop living the Keystone Cops. Oh no, that would interfere with the story!

And when the team finds which person responsible was asking for further investigation, will they bill them for the time? Because they should have just, you know, hired the team? The author manages appropriate responses to Ronald. What about the rest of the troupe?

The reread calls details into question - if Marge was Director Morrow's sister, and the Sinful Ladies were to be unmarried / widowed for at least 10 years, and Marge served in Viet Nam, and her niece (and Director Morrow's niece) is named Morrow, where did Marge pick up the name Boudreaux? What is Ida Belle's last name? LeBlanc, like Walter's. So they're cousins? Gertie Hebert never married, so even if the family is huge, she'd be related to Big and Little, right? The Team keeps saying "old Southern Lady" referring to themselves. That seems unlikely - calling themselves old and 'Lady' are both bad manners, and not something one (keeps!) saying to other Southerners. Doing so implies the others don't know the rudiments of local courtesy - which has never been shown. Lots of weird bits in the section (Ch 13) where the Team visits the widow. MC asks about the barn, widow replies husband liked reading, MC replies "I've been admiring it since we walked in." Admiring what? The barn's not visible, a dead person reading isn't an 'admire' object...

And oh, who could/would have done it? What's the point? Reading in agony ... um, to get the death looked at seriously? To cause embarrassment/shock? The Team starts going into how it effects THEM - that's a bit extreme and an oblique approach for that motive. They could easily have not returned after the break... Are we REALLY not thinking The Butler Did It? The Team reaches SO hard for possibilities, without looking at the most direct and most likely first.

Fun bits - the State Police Chase, the Deputy being on the other side, another dunk in the bayou with a gator. Generally okay but so out of character to be coordinating with the Deputy since its 'not his case' - which will change nothing in the next books. Stupidly. More 'stupid' - the daughter mentions repeatedly that 'no one has come by' to acknowledge her mourning. She's kept herself apart, but does volunteer. So that would put her in contact with the movers and doers in town. No explanation, or phone calls to Sinful Ladies, result from this confidence. Isn't that completely out of character for the "old Southern Lady" manners touted so overtly in the previous book? That really telegraphs "guilty person" in the book. Even though the team doesn't know it yet. Speaking of 'vehicular manslaughter while under the influence', from ederalcharges.com:

For felony vehicular manslaughter, the time frame is generally longer, often ranging from five to ten years, or in some cases, there may be no statute of limitations at all.

So the accused wasn't convicted, right? It's been 20 years? What better time and position than threat of blackmail to get an attorney and turn oneself in? Bet there was no 'prior bad acts' clause in the prenup...

Hard to get through, more convolutions and violence than silly and fun. And way too much pondering that misses the (obvious to the reader) points. The 'mystery' is overdone, over-complicated, and the outcome and the 'aha' moments push 'suspension of disbelief' off the charts. How would the Butler have known how to get materials or create replica pills? Each pill has a unique look, color, and stamp. That's pretty sophisticated knowledge, and takes equipment too. Why wouldn't a very rich unscrupulous person on heart medication race back to the doctor for a different med if he wasn't feeling better? And if he needed the meds, he'd definitely know they weren't doing anything, because he'd feel no difference. And have zero side effects. Which the doctor should be following up on. Since the meds can be the difference between life and death. And the doctor, especially one this involved, would have been monitoring a new critical med pretty closely, with blood pressure checks, perhaps blood work too, depending on the condition. So to buy this nonsense, a well-respected very involved doctor has to also be almost malpractice-level negligent, for no real reason, an unskilled worker has to have access to specialized equipment and sophisticated knowledge of chemistry and pharmaceuticals. A daughter who has said nothing to anyone has to have the strength to nearly kill a tall man, the knowledge of spy equipment, yet didn't bother to do anything with the evidence gained. The Butler wants to kill the victim, but is willing to play the long game, waiting for his heart to give out, while loan sharks are banging on his door? And a girl guilty of manslaughter thinks she 'deserves' a bad marriage as penance? Quite the cushy 'jail' - why not take care of the blackmailer? She's already responsible for one death, why not run this guy over too? Let's just say if life were scripted as badly as this paints it, the people involved would not make it to the age they're at in this story. And don't miss, the murderer didn't know when the victim would die from lack of the meds, didn't know the wife and physician would fuss that he always took them and make a major issue of it, but somehow prepared by keeping the original pills 'this' time? On this random trip? And the daughter would choose to murder the one friend she has instead of simply insisting on a second autopsy? And after all of this, one of the murderers in the plot voluntarily talks to a CIA-retiree because "she'll believe her"? After hiding from a manslaughter charge for decades? With no lawyer present. Even though, again, she has money.

Annoying that these books always use an 'incompetent' police actor or two. Sheriff Lee offers a great combination of fool and convenient competence, but with all that's going on, doesn't the town need at least 2 competent officers? How do they function if anyone gets sick or takes vacation? Does the whole State really lack for strong police candidates? This series makes it seem as if even visiting there puts anyone at risk of ending up in jail. Which is so likely not true?

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halloween is the holiday and the mystery begins and has plenty of twists. Fortune is now a PI and Ida Belle and Gertie are consultants/ associates. We still have plenty of action and Fortune is asked for help from an unusual source. The romance is there but the story has lots of action so it is a bit subdued.
Awesome book and I give it ten stars as it is the Swamp Pack's first official case! Yes, I highly recommend the book!

[Lucinda Race · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each book in the Miss Fortune cozy mystery series is a fast read but I have to ration how fast I'm reading the books, so read a Fortune and then 3 of something else. Just so that I can savor each one. Oh and just when I think I have the mystery figured out there's a new layer added and I have to say I love that Carter and Fortune are going strong!

[Mari Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

One can never get tired of going to Sinful. Fortune has set as a PI and is now ready to work. She didn't think her first customer would be Carter!! Will the gang be able to find out what happened in the maze or get themselves in to trouble.

[Sherry Westergard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Hit

Swamp Spook is another hit in the Miss Fortune Mystery series. Entertaining, an easy read, good characterizations, a good plot with plenty of action from cover to cover describes Swamp Spook.