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Skip Langdon #6
The Kindness of Strangers
Julie Smith's New Orleans is not a city, it's a world--exotic, sweetly perverse, dangerously seductive. Nowhere else does politics make stranger bedfellows; and the approaching mayoral election is stranger than most, pitting the usual thugs and vipers against a seeming breath of fresh air--Errol Jacomine, a liberal-minded, civic-spirited preacher. The only problem is, in the opinion of Police Detective Skip Langdon, Jacomine is a psychopath and dangerous as hell.
On leave of absence from the police force, Skip becomes obsessed with exposing the frightening figure beneath Jacomine's good-guy image. Immediately, an anonymous army of spies and hatchet men go to work on her, and Skip begins to understand that in opposing Jacomine, she is risking not only her livelihood but her sanity and possibly the lives of people she loves.
Skip's instincts seem confirmed when the only witness to Jacomine's crimes turns up dead. Skip thinks there are more bodies buried in Jacomine's past, but it's the present she's worried about. And protecting one of her own against the preacher's evil sends Skip to the dark center of bayou country, where even the elements are her enemy. A deadly chase through the swamp during a fierce hurricane forces Skip to rely not on the kindness of strangers but on her own inner strength to survive.
No other novelist so brilliantly sustains the mood of ominous tension or raises the heat index as Julie Smith does in her Skip Langdon novels. Of them all, The Kindness of Strangers tears most fiercely at the heart.
On leave of absence from the police force, Skip becomes obsessed with exposing the frightening figure beneath Jacomine's good-guy image. Immediately, an anonymous army of spies and hatchet men go to work on her, and Skip begins to understand that in opposing Jacomine, she is risking not only her livelihood but her sanity and possibly the lives of people she loves.
Skip's instincts seem confirmed when the only witness to Jacomine's crimes turns up dead. Skip thinks there are more bodies buried in Jacomine's past, but it's the present she's worried about. And protecting one of her own against the preacher's evil sends Skip to the dark center of bayou country, where even the elements are her enemy. A deadly chase through the swamp during a fierce hurricane forces Skip to rely not on the kindness of strangers but on her own inner strength to survive.
No other novelist so brilliantly sustains the mood of ominous tension or raises the heat index as Julie Smith does in her Skip Langdon novels. Of them all, The Kindness of Strangers tears most fiercely at the heart.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 1996
553 people are currently reading
1311 people want to read
About the author
Julie Smith
267 books405 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
May 28, 2021
The Kindness of Strangers is the 6th book in American author Julie Smith's Skip Langdon crime series. Skip is a New Orleans police detective and as this sixth story begins, is suffering from depression from a shooting in the previous novel. Her Sgt tells her she needs to take a leave of absence and get some psychiatric help.
Skip is trying to find some focus and it centers on Errol Jacomine, a preacher / politician running for Mayor of New Orleans. He is a mysterious person and from things that Skip has heard, she feels he is a dangerous threat to New Orleans; a cult like following, miracle healings, prostitution, etc. Jacomine (aka Daddy) hears about Skip's informal investigation into him and starts a campaign to discredit Skip.
Side stories in this complex mystery, all of which begin to tie together, include Torian, a teenage girl, friend of Skip's 'niece' Sheila. Torian has problems with an alcoholic mother and divorced father. She is having a relationship with Jacomine's press secretary, for whom she babysits. The story around Torian and Sheila will coalesce as the book progresses, ultimately leading a life threatening crisis. As well, Hurricane Hannah is bearing down on New Orleans and will hit as the crisis hits its peak.
The story moves from Skip and her ongoing fight with Jacomine, to Torian and her struggles with her mother, Lise, to Jacomine and his hit man, Potter, to Noel Treadaway, his frustrations with his home life and the friction working for Jacomine, etc. The story is complex and moves along at a quick pace, pushed along by the impending threat of Hurricane Hannah. I can't say I related to or particularly liked many of the characters. So many issues, shouting, crying, anger... I do like Skip. She's a complicated person and I felt sorry for her initial depression, but liked how she struggled to find a focus to get herself out of it. I do like her boyfriend Steve; he brought her some joy and encouragement and was actually of assistance in this story.
Lots of action, a good perspective and portrait of New Orleans, building tension and a reasonably satisfying conclusion; not everything works out perfectly in life. Now to fill in the gaps with the remaining books in this series. (3.5 stars)
Skip is trying to find some focus and it centers on Errol Jacomine, a preacher / politician running for Mayor of New Orleans. He is a mysterious person and from things that Skip has heard, she feels he is a dangerous threat to New Orleans; a cult like following, miracle healings, prostitution, etc. Jacomine (aka Daddy) hears about Skip's informal investigation into him and starts a campaign to discredit Skip.
Side stories in this complex mystery, all of which begin to tie together, include Torian, a teenage girl, friend of Skip's 'niece' Sheila. Torian has problems with an alcoholic mother and divorced father. She is having a relationship with Jacomine's press secretary, for whom she babysits. The story around Torian and Sheila will coalesce as the book progresses, ultimately leading a life threatening crisis. As well, Hurricane Hannah is bearing down on New Orleans and will hit as the crisis hits its peak.
The story moves from Skip and her ongoing fight with Jacomine, to Torian and her struggles with her mother, Lise, to Jacomine and his hit man, Potter, to Noel Treadaway, his frustrations with his home life and the friction working for Jacomine, etc. The story is complex and moves along at a quick pace, pushed along by the impending threat of Hurricane Hannah. I can't say I related to or particularly liked many of the characters. So many issues, shouting, crying, anger... I do like Skip. She's a complicated person and I felt sorry for her initial depression, but liked how she struggled to find a focus to get herself out of it. I do like her boyfriend Steve; he brought her some joy and encouragement and was actually of assistance in this story.
Lots of action, a good perspective and portrait of New Orleans, building tension and a reasonably satisfying conclusion; not everything works out perfectly in life. Now to fill in the gaps with the remaining books in this series. (3.5 stars)
October 14, 2016
While homicide detective Skip Langdon is on leave from the New Orleans Police Department she continues to investigate a powerful minister (Elliot Jacomine) turned politician that she believes is a dangerous man. He believes that no woman can resist him sexually and any one who questions him becomes an "enemy" to be brought low -- sound familiar? I was reading this book when the Access Hollywood tapes of Donald Trump and Billy Bush (no relation) were released. It was a great diversion!
This wonderful mystery features Skip Langdon, her boyfriend, landlord and his teenage guardians,, plus a few other characters from previous books. Also, her description of New Orleans, especially the French Quarter: the humidity, smells, sights and sounds makes me want to visit there again.
This wonderful mystery features Skip Langdon, her boyfriend, landlord and his teenage guardians,, plus a few other characters from previous books. Also, her description of New Orleans, especially the French Quarter: the humidity, smells, sights and sounds makes me want to visit there again.
March 12, 2015
Good read
A little boring but good for mindless reading.
Ok I guess but not one of my favorite books. Just my opinion
A little boring but good for mindless reading.
Ok I guess but not one of my favorite books. Just my opinion
March 22, 2017
More adventures in Skip Langdon's New Orleans with Skip taking on a charismatic Preacher who has a checkered past and is running for Mayor. He commands a large devoted following and stops at nothing to reach his goal. More action and personal and family troubles and an impending hurricane add to Skip's problems.
June 25, 2023
The sixth installment of Skip Langdon finds her taking leave after shooting someone in self-defense. As in the previous books, the action starts flying almost immediately and doesn’t stop even at the end of the book. Gotta find #7!
August 6, 2019
A masterful tale
"Some find it amusing that the coroner of New Orleans is a gynecologist. Few know that the city’s first black mayor is buried next to Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen— by request, the tour guides say. Even those who have lived there for years and those who were born there and those with the sensitivity of a barnyard beast and those who have spent the last twenty years drunk in the gutter can feel the strangeness of the city, its seductive perversity."
And thus you're immediately pulled in to Smith's web.
I've read a couple of the Skip Langdon books, though not all, yet. Besides the relentless police detective that is their hero, they all bear the marks of a well-crafted, suspenseful story. The characters are vital and relatable, their intertwining dramas capturing your imagination. Every scene so well written, attention is paid to every nuance of detail. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and look forward to catching up on her other adventures.
"Some find it amusing that the coroner of New Orleans is a gynecologist. Few know that the city’s first black mayor is buried next to Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen— by request, the tour guides say. Even those who have lived there for years and those who were born there and those with the sensitivity of a barnyard beast and those who have spent the last twenty years drunk in the gutter can feel the strangeness of the city, its seductive perversity."
And thus you're immediately pulled in to Smith's web.
I've read a couple of the Skip Langdon books, though not all, yet. Besides the relentless police detective that is their hero, they all bear the marks of a well-crafted, suspenseful story. The characters are vital and relatable, their intertwining dramas capturing your imagination. Every scene so well written, attention is paid to every nuance of detail. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and look forward to catching up on her other adventures.
May 28, 2020
I used to read Jill Smith during the Sisters in Crime Hayday. Those anthologies introduced me to Sue Grafton, Julie Smith, Edna Bucanan and other Women writing mysteries. In the 90s, I had a good collection of most of the latter, but had to do a purge due to lack of room.
I thought maybe revisiting Skip Landon in the middle of a series would allow me to jump into her police enforcement life and enjoy a ride. And just maybe start buying back the series I got rid of years ago.
Instead, I quickly got bored! I am really not sure whether it was the prose or Skip herself. I liked how she stuck to her gut feelings despite her friends, colleagues and supervisors and pleas. But the storyline just read flat to me....
I thought maybe revisiting Skip Landon in the middle of a series would allow me to jump into her police enforcement life and enjoy a ride. And just maybe start buying back the series I got rid of years ago.
Instead, I quickly got bored! I am really not sure whether it was the prose or Skip herself. I liked how she stuck to her gut feelings despite her friends, colleagues and supervisors and pleas. But the storyline just read flat to me....
April 27, 2018
Good story, but trash sex and offensive language
The storyline to this book is absolutely brilliant and the reader is easily drawn in my the characters.
My only regret is the sex and language:
- The omnipresence of trash sex was absolutely not needed. It was so irrelevant it was like a juvenile obsessing about it and unable to think of anything else.
- Then there’s the choice of language. The f___ word is NOT a synonym for sex. It’s barely acceptable as a swear word. Mix them both together in the same sentence and it’s so offensive it’s pathetic.
I won’t bother to read anything else from this author.
The storyline to this book is absolutely brilliant and the reader is easily drawn in my the characters.
My only regret is the sex and language:
- The omnipresence of trash sex was absolutely not needed. It was so irrelevant it was like a juvenile obsessing about it and unable to think of anything else.
- Then there’s the choice of language. The f___ word is NOT a synonym for sex. It’s barely acceptable as a swear word. Mix them both together in the same sentence and it’s so offensive it’s pathetic.
I won’t bother to read anything else from this author.
June 30, 2018
Danger Ahead!
If you want to get anything productive done in the next day or so, do not pick up this book! The characters, the city ( which is certainly one of the characters) come alive. It was hard to put it down. Skip Langdon, a New Orleans cop with problems and baggage, is on medical leave when her landlord and friend's niece disappears. A hurricane is threatening, and Skip is sure the girl is in the hands of a mayoral candidate. What happens next is makes for a great read.
If you want to get anything productive done in the next day or so, do not pick up this book! The characters, the city ( which is certainly one of the characters) come alive. It was hard to put it down. Skip Langdon, a New Orleans cop with problems and baggage, is on medical leave when her landlord and friend's niece disappears. A hurricane is threatening, and Skip is sure the girl is in the hands of a mayoral candidate. What happens next is makes for a great read.
October 12, 2019
I really like Skip but I felt that this book only rated a three because it rambled. Boring in places. I did finish the book which means that Julie did a decent job because if an author hasn’t caught my attention by the end of three chapters I usually ditch the book. Getting too old to plough my way through a book when I want to be pleased. I will be getting the next Skip Langdon book but I hope Julie tightens it up a bit. In my mysteries I also do not like foul language and sex. I purchase mysteries not erotica and modern day vulgarity.
May 11, 2022
Skip Meets Pure Evil
Another captivating Skip Landon novel. Recovering from the trauma of her first use of deadly force, Skip is caught up in stopping a cult leader turned politician who might be elected mayor of NOLA. Abductions, murders, and a hurricane, it's all there. Could someone with such baggage become mayor of a major American city? Probably not, but that doesn't derail a fun read.
Another captivating Skip Landon novel. Recovering from the trauma of her first use of deadly force, Skip is caught up in stopping a cult leader turned politician who might be elected mayor of NOLA. Abductions, murders, and a hurricane, it's all there. Could someone with such baggage become mayor of a major American city? Probably not, but that doesn't derail a fun read.
May 25, 2024
This is the sixth book in the Skip Langdon series. I've read and enjoyed several others. By way of comparison, they remind me of Sue Grafton's alphabetical series. This book was - like the others I've read by this author - quite enjoyable. The main character is likable, and the story moves along at a brisk pace with ample twists and turns along the way. I look forward to completing the series.
May 10, 2020
AN AWESOME READ!!
I actually realized, that I had already read this book, quite a while ago. Still...I could not put it down, until the very end!
Skip is on Suspension at work. Things aren't going so well for her. She gets caught up in looking for lost kids, one dear to her heart!!!
A MUST READ!!
I actually realized, that I had already read this book, quite a while ago. Still...I could not put it down, until the very end!
Skip is on Suspension at work. Things aren't going so well for her. She gets caught up in looking for lost kids, one dear to her heart!!!
A MUST READ!!
July 17, 2023
A protagonista desta série quase perde seu emprego neste livro por se opor alguém que ela considera o mal personificado. É uma narrativa com muitos subplots, incluindo uma tentativa de estupro, um relacionamento entre um homem adulto e a babá adolescente, e um furacão. Claro que tudo se conecta. Uma boa leitura.
April 27, 2024
Being a former resident of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, I particularly enjoyed seeing the references to K & B drug store, the Loup-garou,Bucktown, and Hurwitz-Mintz furniture store. The author and her frequent protagonist, Skip Langdon, are obvious New Orleanians and her pursuit of a corrupt politician is an all too familiar story in Louisiana!
June 22, 2025
Who deson't love a good detective story set in New Orleans with lots of juicy characters. Detective Skip Langdon, currently on leave, knows that the leading mayoral candidate, a Black preacher, is a psychopath-- maybe a pedophile and a murderer--but no one's listening. So she sets out to prove it "off=the-clock."
December 15, 2016
Enjoyed the first 3 books
This one not so much, the story line was excellent, but adding all the profanity and explicit sex, made it cheap somehow. Thanks for writing it. I like the characters a lot
This one not so much, the story line was excellent, but adding all the profanity and explicit sex, made it cheap somehow. Thanks for writing it. I like the characters a lot
April 7, 2020
Great series
The main character, Skip Langdon, just continues to get more and more interesting. The plot are captivating and the suspense is intense. Can't wait to read the next book.
The main character, Skip Langdon, just continues to get more and more interesting. The plot are captivating and the suspense is intense. Can't wait to read the next book.
May 6, 2020
Good read. Murder and mayhem in NOLA and an officer who's supposed to be on leave and still investigating a pastor of a mega church who is running for mayor who has total "control" over his congregation.
May 31, 2017
Non-traditional mystery
Another excellent book by Julie Smith, this one starts with rumours , and eventually gets to murders, and assorted mayhem, with hurricanes.
Another excellent book by Julie Smith, this one starts with rumours , and eventually gets to murders, and assorted mayhem, with hurricanes.
June 18, 2017
Pretty much always like these. Skip is so real. I think I'd like her.
July 24, 2017
Love Skip Langdon, but the bad guy in this book has done things that I haven't been able to get out of my head for several years!
September 18, 2017
Read 4 chapters and couldn't read any more. Did not like
October 14, 2017
Another page turner. This one has a different kind of plot. It works well. Again there is a lot of character development/exploration.
February 15, 2018
What was the plot?
While entertaining and an easy read, I'm not sure what the plot was supposed to be. Events were random and only semi resolved.
While entertaining and an easy read, I'm not sure what the plot was supposed to be. Events were random and only semi resolved.
November 19, 2018
Another great book about Skip Langdon and the City of New Orleans. Hurricane, wayward kids, murder, psycho political candidates, what more could you ask for?
December 19, 2018
Great
Like all of Julie Smith’s stories once you start it hard to put down. I especially like the the character of Skip Landon. She is really interesting.
Like all of Julie Smith’s stories once you start it hard to put down. I especially like the the character of Skip Landon. She is really interesting.
July 26, 2020
A way of life ?
Good read with history,of culture and old traditions. Enjoy Skip Langdon’s wild ways. Have enjoyed her series with all the twists.
Good read with history,of culture and old traditions. Enjoy Skip Langdon’s wild ways. Have enjoyed her series with all the twists.
September 14, 2022
Another great Skip Landon novel by Julie Smith.
October 21, 2022
This will give one some shocks
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews