What readers think of Glory Be, plus links to write your own review.

Thanks to Book Club Cookbook & Pegasus Crime for an advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I couldn’t resist this gorgeous book cover teamed with the title, plus it’s a mystery! This debut went beyond my expectations. In addition to being an entertaining murder mystery set in Lafayette, Louisiana, the novel explored racism, society’s attitude toward mid-life women, faith, and economic inequality. Heavy subjects respectfully handled with humor and wit.

The story begins with Glory learning that her best friend – a nun beloved by the community – has been found dead. Although the police say it’s a suicide Glory suspects Amity’s cause of death is a cover-up. So she (along with her reluctant daughter Delphine) become amateur sleuths to obtain justice for Amity, and in the process discover layers of fraud, lies, and crime in their community.

While the well-written novel contains humor it is also a realistic portrayal of a Black woman of a certain age who grew up in the segregated south. But what kicks this novel up a couple of notches from the usual cozy, is that Glory is not typical in her attitude, behavior, or appearance. She’s a flawed, church going part-time bookie who works out of a coffee shop. She is brashly opinionated, but also loyal and warmhearted. And Delphine says she has a hoarding problem.

The book’s title is a play on words – it’s the character Glory’s name (Glory Broussard), the name of a Catholic prayer, plus a phrase summing up feelings and intentions.

I enjoyed the plot twists that kept me guessing as well as the mother-daughter relationship. I appreciated how the author incorporated the local culture into this engaging murder mystery while avoiding clichés. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.