What do you think?
Rate this book
Skip Langdon #1-5
Skip Langdon Vol. 1-5
ASIN B07J3WXN49 moved to the most recent edition
An Edgar Award-winning murder mystery and four thrilling sequels at a killer price! Save over 50% on five Skip Langdon Mysteries!
Follow the remarkably bold, smart, and refreshingly human homicide detective Skip Langdon through the twists and turns of a New Orleans teeming with crooked cops, mob encroachment, and southern kinships gone awry. The resourceful former debutante-turned-rookie cop investigates the shooting of a prominent Uptown socialite at Mardi Gras, tracks a terrifying serial killer, searches for a runaway teen - a person of interest in the stabbing of the well-loved director of the famed New Orleans Jazzfest, weaves her way through the tangled cyberspace web of a pre-Facebook virtual community, and caps it all off by unraveling the murder of a legendary restauranteur and the kidnapping of his family.
“Gritty, witty, & mesmerizing! Langdon is a splendid female heroine.” –People Magazine
"Like a good Grisham: taut, fast, and thrilling. But with a lot more heart and soul.” -The Clarion-Ledger
"The real star of this superb effort is New Orleans, which has never seemed more dangerous or alluring—or less easy." -Publishers Weekly
NEW ORLEANS MOURNING
It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and civic leader and socialite Chauncy St. Amant has been crowned Rex, King of Carnival. But his day of glory comes to an abrupt and bloody end when a parade-goer dressed as Dolly Parton guns him down. Is the killer his aimless, promiscuous daughter Marcelle? Homosexual, mistreated son Henry? Helpless, alcoholic wife Bitty? Or some unknown player? Turns out the king had enemies...
AXEMAN'S JAZZ
What's the perfect killing field for a murderer? A place where he (or maybe she) can learn your secrets from your own mouth and then make friends over coffee. A supposedly "safe" place where anonymity is the norm. The horror who calls himself The Axeman has figured it out and claimed his territory—he's cherry-picking his victims in the 12-Step programs of New Orleans.
JAZZ FUNERAL
Skip Langdon just happens to be on hand when Ham Brocato, director of New Orleans Jazzfest, is discovered dead on the kitchen floor in the middle of his own party the evening before the Fest. To complicate the already murky case, the victim's sixteen-year-old blues musician sister has disappeared, and Skip suspects that if the young woman isn't the murderer, she's in mortal danger from the person who is. Melody's dangerous yet exhilarating journey tugs at the heart and raises the pulse rate.
DEATH BEFORE FACEBOOK
It’s a chilly November in 1994, and thirty-one-year-old Geoff Kavanagh surreptitiously splits his time between science fiction novels and cyberspace in his parents’ dilapidated, overgrown, uptown New Orleans mansion. Until his mother finds him dead from a suspicious fall off a ladder. Maybe he should never have posted about seeing his father murdered …
HOUSE OF BLUES
Sugar Hebert arrives home from a ten-minute errand to find her husband shot to death and the rest of her family missing—including her daughter Reed, heir apparent to the Hebert restaurant dynasty, and Reed's eleven-month-old daughter.
Fans of Ace Atkins, Tana French, Sue Grafton, and Marcia Muller will love Skip Langdon’s pluck and charm in this bountiful bundle, which includes the first five books in the series.
An Edgar Award-winning murder mystery and four thrilling sequels at a killer price! Save over 50% on five Skip Langdon Mysteries!
Follow the remarkably bold, smart, and refreshingly human homicide detective Skip Langdon through the twists and turns of a New Orleans teeming with crooked cops, mob encroachment, and southern kinships gone awry. The resourceful former debutante-turned-rookie cop investigates the shooting of a prominent Uptown socialite at Mardi Gras, tracks a terrifying serial killer, searches for a runaway teen - a person of interest in the stabbing of the well-loved director of the famed New Orleans Jazzfest, weaves her way through the tangled cyberspace web of a pre-Facebook virtual community, and caps it all off by unraveling the murder of a legendary restauranteur and the kidnapping of his family.
“Gritty, witty, & mesmerizing! Langdon is a splendid female heroine.” –People Magazine
"Like a good Grisham: taut, fast, and thrilling. But with a lot more heart and soul.” -The Clarion-Ledger
"The real star of this superb effort is New Orleans, which has never seemed more dangerous or alluring—or less easy." -Publishers Weekly
NEW ORLEANS MOURNING
It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and civic leader and socialite Chauncy St. Amant has been crowned Rex, King of Carnival. But his day of glory comes to an abrupt and bloody end when a parade-goer dressed as Dolly Parton guns him down. Is the killer his aimless, promiscuous daughter Marcelle? Homosexual, mistreated son Henry? Helpless, alcoholic wife Bitty? Or some unknown player? Turns out the king had enemies...
AXEMAN'S JAZZ
What's the perfect killing field for a murderer? A place where he (or maybe she) can learn your secrets from your own mouth and then make friends over coffee. A supposedly "safe" place where anonymity is the norm. The horror who calls himself The Axeman has figured it out and claimed his territory—he's cherry-picking his victims in the 12-Step programs of New Orleans.
JAZZ FUNERAL
Skip Langdon just happens to be on hand when Ham Brocato, director of New Orleans Jazzfest, is discovered dead on the kitchen floor in the middle of his own party the evening before the Fest. To complicate the already murky case, the victim's sixteen-year-old blues musician sister has disappeared, and Skip suspects that if the young woman isn't the murderer, she's in mortal danger from the person who is. Melody's dangerous yet exhilarating journey tugs at the heart and raises the pulse rate.
DEATH BEFORE FACEBOOK
It’s a chilly November in 1994, and thirty-one-year-old Geoff Kavanagh surreptitiously splits his time between science fiction novels and cyberspace in his parents’ dilapidated, overgrown, uptown New Orleans mansion. Until his mother finds him dead from a suspicious fall off a ladder. Maybe he should never have posted about seeing his father murdered …
HOUSE OF BLUES
Sugar Hebert arrives home from a ten-minute errand to find her husband shot to death and the rest of her family missing—including her daughter Reed, heir apparent to the Hebert restaurant dynasty, and Reed's eleven-month-old daughter.
Fans of Ace Atkins, Tana French, Sue Grafton, and Marcia Muller will love Skip Langdon’s pluck and charm in this bountiful bundle, which includes the first five books in the series.
1967 pages, ebook
Published October 6, 2018
1571 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
About the author
Julie Smith
261 books404 followersAuthor of 20 mystery novels and a YA paranormal adventure called BAD GIRL SCHOOL (formerly CURSEBUSTERS!). Nine of the mysteries are about a female New Orleans cop Skip Langdon, five about a San Francisco lawyer named Rebecca Schwartz,two about a struggling mystery writer named Paul Mcdonald (whose fate no one should suffer) and four teaming up Talba Wallis, a private eye with many names, a poetic license, and a smoking computer, with veteran P.I. Eddie Valentino.
In Bad GIRL SCHOOL, a psychic pink-haired teen-age burglar named Reeno gets recruited by a psychotic telepathic cat to pull a job that involves time travel to an ancient Mayan city. Hint:It HAS to be done before 2012!
Winner of the 1991 Edgar Allen Poe Award for best novel, that being NEW ORLEANS MOURNING.
Former reporter for the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE and the San Francisco CHRONICLE.
Recently licensed private investigator, and thereon hangs a tale.
Resident of New Orleans, Louisiana
In Bad GIRL SCHOOL, a psychic pink-haired teen-age burglar named Reeno gets recruited by a psychotic telepathic cat to pull a job that involves time travel to an ancient Mayan city. Hint:It HAS to be done before 2012!
Winner of the 1991 Edgar Allen Poe Award for best novel, that being NEW ORLEANS MOURNING.
Former reporter for the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE and the San Francisco CHRONICLE.
Recently licensed private investigator, and thereon hangs a tale.
Resident of New Orleans, Louisiana
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 4, 2020
Skip this one
This author has a love affair with words beginning with the letter “f”. I am choosing to “Skip” this series, as I believe there is better literature elsewhere.
This author has a love affair with words beginning with the letter “f”. I am choosing to “Skip” this series, as I believe there is better literature elsewhere.
February 1, 2019
AWESOME READ!!
Can never miss with a Skip Langdon book!!
Although, I actually had read quite a few of these books, before. They were just as an AWESOME read, as well as, the first time around. Quite a bit, of interesting Police procedure, intertwined with Skip and those in her life, keeps us up to date with her past life and close friends. A MUST READ!!
Can never miss with a Skip Langdon book!!
Although, I actually had read quite a few of these books, before. They were just as an AWESOME read, as well as, the first time around. Quite a bit, of interesting Police procedure, intertwined with Skip and those in her life, keeps us up to date with her past life and close friends. A MUST READ!!
February 9, 2019
Skip Langdon is real!
What a refreshing character Skip has turned into. She wrestles with the morality of the work she does as she continues to work to clean up her city.
What a refreshing character Skip has turned into. She wrestles with the morality of the work she does as she continues to work to clean up her city.
March 29, 2021
Love, love, love this box set! I really enjoyed “getting to know “ Skip Langdon. This is a woman who all her life never felt that she fitted in with her family, and friends. Overly tall and solidly built, she definitely is not the usual Southern Belle. However she eventually finds police work is her true forte. It was a delight to see how her character developed through each book.
The plot lines in each book are cleverly written and the final reveals were definitely not predictable. I was so hooked by these books that I bought the following box set straight away.
The plot lines in each book are cleverly written and the final reveals were definitely not predictable. I was so hooked by these books that I bought the following box set straight away.
April 9, 2022
I thought I'd love this series, and I almost did.
But one volume was enough.
I slogged my way through it, just sufficiently engaged to keep going.
There's nothing wrong with the work; in fact, plotting and storytelling are skilful.
It's the characters I struggled with: we never get close enough to bond with them. What was frustrating for me was that I was pretty sure I'd like Skip, if only she'd let me in. That hope was what kept me reading.
Sadly, it didn't happen.
Others might disagree.
If you're fascinated by New Orleans and enjoy a twisty crime story, give these ones a try.
But one volume was enough.
I slogged my way through it, just sufficiently engaged to keep going.
There's nothing wrong with the work; in fact, plotting and storytelling are skilful.
It's the characters I struggled with: we never get close enough to bond with them. What was frustrating for me was that I was pretty sure I'd like Skip, if only she'd let me in. That hope was what kept me reading.
Sadly, it didn't happen.
Others might disagree.
If you're fascinated by New Orleans and enjoy a twisty crime story, give these ones a try.
February 11, 2021
This 5 book set was given away for free. I read some of the reviews, most were positive so I dived right in. It is a good series, not a great series. Skip Langdon is a complicated detective in New Orleans with an almost, but not quite, upper class upbringing. Which makes her often useful in her troubled city and police department. Her personal life is also complex and complicated. The second 5 volume set was also free, so I will move on to the next series of adventures.
April 7, 2021
Wonderful!
I love to see a woman beat the odds! It takes time and good luck. Skip goes through a lot of hairy situations, she's smart and takes as much as she can hold into consideration. She makes great headway inspire of a giant @$$ h@£€. Even he has to acknowledge this time, though briefly. There is great forward motion in each book and from book to book. Well rounded characters with great backstories pull it all together!
I love to see a woman beat the odds! It takes time and good luck. Skip goes through a lot of hairy situations, she's smart and takes as much as she can hold into consideration. She makes great headway inspire of a giant @$$ h@£€. Even he has to acknowledge this time, though briefly. There is great forward motion in each book and from book to book. Well rounded characters with great backstories pull it all together!
October 26, 2020
A Wild and Twisty Murder Mystery
Extremely layered characters. Deep emotions. A very thought provoking plot with plenty of side-plots. Satisfying yet disturbing. Worth reading. Leaves you saddened by the main families relationships and actions.
Extremely layered characters. Deep emotions. A very thought provoking plot with plenty of side-plots. Satisfying yet disturbing. Worth reading. Leaves you saddened by the main families relationships and actions.
February 7, 2021
Loved them
Great series. As I was reading the first one...I was thinking “no way I’m making it through this book”. But I kept going and it got better as did each one after it. Now I can’t wait for the next boxed set
Great series. As I was reading the first one...I was thinking “no way I’m making it through this book”. But I kept going and it got better as did each one after it. Now I can’t wait for the next boxed set
August 4, 2021
Fast paced series
Most of the books in this series were well written and fast paced. However, a couple of the books left the characters a little undeveloped, so rhe reader had to keep looking back to see who was who. Otherwise, the stories were original and interesting.
Most of the books in this series were well written and fast paced. However, a couple of the books left the characters a little undeveloped, so rhe reader had to keep looking back to see who was who. Otherwise, the stories were original and interesting.
October 29, 2021
Great stories!
The stories were so interesting, twist and turns of the plots! Fascinating! I could hardly put them down. I would recommend these stories to anyone who likes mysteries!
The stories were so interesting, twist and turns of the plots! Fascinating! I could hardly put them down. I would recommend these stories to anyone who likes mysteries!
January 17, 2024
Great series
I love reading books based in New Orleans. It’s like no where else in the world. The characters are rich and deep & the author takes you places you don’t expect. Skip gets more developed with every book.
I love reading books based in New Orleans. It’s like no where else in the world. The characters are rich and deep & the author takes you places you don’t expect. Skip gets more developed with every book.
August 10, 2024
NO seen from local eyes
It was a long read , but a good one. Lot's of suspects and changes that you didn't see coming kept you changing your mind about whodunit! The final cloudy killing not really solved was Arthur Herbert's killing. It could still be 3 people. I'm not convinced who really did it.
It was a long read , but a good one. Lot's of suspects and changes that you didn't see coming kept you changing your mind about whodunit! The final cloudy killing not really solved was Arthur Herbert's killing. It could still be 3 people. I'm not convinced who really did it.
August 10, 2020
Boring
There are books where you want some more detail, but this has so much detail, you want to skip thru the pages to find the story.
There are books where you want some more detail, but this has so much detail, you want to skip thru the pages to find the story.
August 20, 2020
Good read
The people are relatable and have funny names. The plot is strong. The city is well described. Well worth reading.
The people are relatable and have funny names. The plot is strong. The city is well described. Well worth reading.
August 26, 2020
An ok series that I just couldn't get into
The Skip Langdon book series was one I just couldn't get into and therefore didn't really enjoy it get into
The Skip Langdon book series was one I just couldn't get into and therefore didn't really enjoy it get into
September 1, 2020
Wonderful, so real
Really feel I know the characters
Brilliant, skip really makes you smile and think at the same time. Totally awesome
Really feel I know the characters
Brilliant, skip really makes you smile and think at the same time. Totally awesome
Read
September 5, 2020Excellent!
This series will keep you reading through out the day and night. It is a good look at the life of a police officer.
This series will keep you reading through out the day and night. It is a good look at the life of a police officer.
September 7, 2020
Exquisite Writing. Wonderful characters.
Great writing, perfect plot, complex, lovable characters. Strong vision. Each mystery is part of a series, yet each novel stands alone .
Great writing, perfect plot, complex, lovable characters. Strong vision. Each mystery is part of a series, yet each novel stands alone .
January 15, 2021
Not my cup of tea. Many more better detectives in Nola
January 16, 2021
So Enjoyed
This is really a great series of stories. Each one give great insight on Skip and how she solved the cases she does.
This is really a great series of stories. Each one give great insight on Skip and how she solved the cases she does.
March 24, 2021
Great Read
I enjoyed the series. Skip is an interesting woman - she grows up basically throughout the series. If you love series - check this out!
I enjoyed the series. Skip is an interesting woman - she grows up basically throughout the series. If you love series - check this out!
April 6, 2021
These books are clever and human, the police settings and difficulties are honest and entertaining, Thanks for the great reads!
February 3, 2022
Please see individual stories for review.
January 25, 2024
Skip Langdon Mystery Books
As I read each book, they became better and better. I really enjoyed reading them. Thanks for giving me many hours of pleasure.
As I read each book, they became better and better. I really enjoyed reading them. Thanks for giving me many hours of pleasure.
April 7, 2025
“All Over the Place”
This one seemed “all over the place”. Not as easy to follow as the 4 other books in this collection.
This one seemed “all over the place”. Not as easy to follow as the 4 other books in this collection.
August 5, 2021
Good variety murder mysteries
I liked Skip. She’s that part of us that’s unsure and doesn’t fit it but finds something she is good at doing. The character development is good though sometimes the side stories seem too long. Overall I would recommend as a different kind of cop mystery.
I liked Skip. She’s that part of us that’s unsure and doesn’t fit it but finds something she is good at doing. The character development is good though sometimes the side stories seem too long. Overall I would recommend as a different kind of cop mystery.
December 25, 2021
I felt character development and timing needed some work. Other than that the stories were good.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews