One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
The first in the Skip Langdon series by Julie Smith, New Orleans Mourning, indroduces the lead character.
Skip Langdon might be from a wealthy esteemed white family in New Orleans high society, but she’s worked hard to distence herself from that past and set her self apart. At first rebellious without direction, joining the NOLA PD changed all that. She started at the bottom and is making her own way and her own name. True, she’s still only a beat cop but she’s ready to prove she can solve a high profile murder that happens on her rounds. But it’s going to mean going back to the roots she’s been trying hard to leave behind.
I read the third in this series and I was excited to see how Skip got her start. I picked the books up initially by they were set in New Orleans and I’m always looking to be transported there. These books are some of the baest for that, in my opinion. More than any other books I’ve read, they feel like New Orleans. The descriptions and vibe, makes me happy and nostalgic for a town I love. They are an older series, this book was written in 1990, so there are some outdated notions, ideas and language. And things like interracial marriages, white washing, or colorism, might stull shock Skip. But the lead character feels like she could be a real denizen of Nola, too. Especially bc the city has a history of pioneering (mostly black) women, especially in the police force. Another way in which these books feel a little ahead of their time, or at least not behind it, is the take on queer characters. So there’s an interesting mix here of a little outdated and a little progressive. I don’t know if Julie Smith intended these themes to be prevalent or picked up on. I’m not sure if colorism, queerness, interacial marriage, and womanly bodies, female friendship, found families, and the general relationships between the various groups depicted were intended to start conversations here but they definitely could. On the other hand, these books can be read as fun, 90s, cop mysteries. I like that the series can do both and I intend to keep reading to find out what happens to Skip along the way!! I recommend the Skip Langdon series to those who like strong females leads, especially if you enjoy a bigger bodied heroine, readers who want to read books set in New Orleans, and people who like cop dramas and cop mysteries.
What is your favorite city for a book to be set in?
This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.