Something Very Wild: New Orleans Legacy Series
by Mary Zelinsky
Published by Five Star
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Reviewed by Beth Cummings
Mary Zelinsky’s second novel in her New Orleans Legacy Series, Something Very Wild, is great fun to read. The story revolves around Chloe Galen, the rather spoiled youngest child of a wealthy society family. Chloe has been expelled from college and her mother is fed up. She consents to pay Chloe’s tuition at a local college, but cuts off all other funding. For the first time, Chloe has to find a job and live on her own earnings. She determines to turn over a new leaf and get by without help from her mother or other family members.
The first part of this novel seems like a fairly standard romance. While living as a starving art student, Chloe meets Aaron Porter, an undercover FBI agent who is investigating art forgery sales that point to the art department of the school Chloe attends. At the onset of their budding relationship, neither is aware of the other’s true background.
Inadvertently, Chloe discovers some clues to the art forgery at the gallery where she works. They seem to involve an old friend and fellow student. The plot thickens as she tries to work out what is going on. As both the investigation and the romance proceed, Chloe’s family history and Aaron’s current job provide impediments to their progress. By the end of the book, the suspense element has moved into full swing and the book becomes a real page-turner.
Something Very Wild is a fast-paced novel with interesting and likeable characters. It was the perfect novel for a warm summer afternoon, but would be equally perfect for a winter’s evening by the fire. Mary Zelinsky has spent enough time in New Orleans for her details about places and food to ring true. The book made me hungry for gumbo and beignets.
I enjoyed reading it very much.
Armchair Interviews says: A delightful 5-star read.
Author’s Web site: http://www.MaryZelinsky.com