Queen for a Day: 10/07/08

Before I start any story in F&SF, I always read the blurb at the top. Sometimes they're silly and sometimes they have useful tidbits. The blurb for "Inside Story" pointed me to the online reprint of "Queen for a Day."

"Queen for a Day" takes place in New Orleans during Carnival. Det. Alphonse Fournet and his partner Det. D. J. Tobin are investigating a series of strangulation murders, starting with a Mrs. Inverness from Philadelphia. All of the deaths have in common a necklace described as "...trash. But good trash..."

This being New Orleans, there's probably voodoo involved. Voodoo stories usually annoy me for coming off as too cliched but Cowdrey's story is humorous and filled with enough other details that only a native could know. It's his perspective that makes "Queen for a Day" better than the average voodoo story.

I would like to see more of Detective Fournet's paranormal cases either as future short stories or as full length novels.

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Wednesday, October, 8, 2008 at 14:25:41

qualcosa di bello

sarah...congratulations on being chosen as a judge for the cybils! you really do have a lot to celebrate right now :D

Comment #2: Thursday, October 9, 2008 at 11:22:14

Pussreboots

Thanks. It should be a lot of fun.