Wash and Die by Barbara Colley

I absolutely LOVE Barbara Colley's mysteries! Charlotte LaRue is a heroine I can relate to, and there's no "ick" factor at all in these wonderful mysteries. In fact, you'll even find little hints of faith in them!

Charlotte owns and operates a home cleaning service called "Maid-for-a-Day". Her clients range from eclectic Bitsy Duhe to the mob (in book #5, Married To The Mop). Her next door neighbor and tenant, Louis Thibodeaux, is her almost boyfriend and a retired cop.

Charlotte's niece is a detective with the New Orleans Police Department, her son is a doctor and a soon to be first time dad. All in all, Charlotte's got a pretty nice life, Sweety Bird included (her parakeet).

And then Louis' ex-wife and recovering alcoholic, Joyce Thibodeaux has to show up on her front porch! With no where else to go, Joyce asks Charlotte to let her stay in the guest room, for only a couple of days.

With her good heart, she says yes, and then lives to regret her generous spirit. After only a few days, Charlotte can't take any more rudeness and slovenly living, and throws Joyce out.

So why are the lights on when Charlotte isn't home? And how did Joyce get back in? And who put a bullet in Joyce's head? Just what in the wide world of cleaning has Charlotte gotten herself into this time?

This is the 7th book in this series, and Charlotte keeps things neat and tidy, always wrapping up the case and always keeping her niece and next door neighbor hopping with her antics and her mischievous detecting.

For a light and easy read, the Charlotte LaRue mystery series is the perfect series to cozy up with and enjoy. I'm giving "Wash and Die" five out of five bookmarks, with a tiny birdcage as a charm.

Happy Reading!

Deena