The Complete Talba Wallis Series: Vol. 1-4 (The Talba Wallis Series) By Julie Smith

MYSTERY FICTION'S MOST DYNAMIC DETECTIVE DUO--IN A BOXED SET! Now you can get the entire 4-book Talba Wallis series by Edgar-Award winning author Julie Smith (plus bonus short story) at an irresistible price. Talba, aka poetess Baroness de Pontalba, has the beauty, the brains, the computer savvy, the poetic soul, the youth, the right demographic, and the sass. Eddie Valentino’s got the detective agency. Also a short fuse and yes, wisdom. Not only do they make it work, they’ve got chemistry.

“The quirky pleasure of watching the Baroness strut her stuff is worth the price of admission.” â€"Houston Chronicle

Vol. 1: LOUISIANA HOTSHOT

In Louisiana Hotshot, their job is to hunt down a sociopath and pedophile who’s molested the fourteen-year-old daughter of their client, hangs out on the ragged edges of the rap and recording industries, and has more powerful allies than a Cabinet member.

But both detectives have unfinished business from the pastâ€"in Eddie’s case, something he deeply regrets; in Talba’s, a personal mystery, one so frightening no one will help her investigate. But she knows she won’t sleep till she solves itâ€"and the truth will change her forever.

Vol. 2: LOUISIANA BIGSHOT

The hottest detective duo in New Orleans is going to need every skill and ounce of courage they can summon in this intricate tale of a decades-old conspiracy only now coming home to roost, with the murder of Talba’s friend Babalu Maya. Babalu is actually Clayton Robineau, daughter of the local banker in a small Louisiana town that bears her name, a town buried under the weight of its own malevolent past.

As Talba and Eddie investigate, they find that something terrible happened to Clayton as a child, an injuryâ€"both pscyhic and physical--so bizarre, so shameful and damning that almost anyone in town would kill to cover it up.

Vol. 3: LOUISIANA LAMENT

One stormy day Talba gets an emergency call from Janessa, the sister she barely knows, and arrives to find a body floating in a swimming poolâ€"the mortal husk of Allyson Brown, known in New Orleans literary circles as the Girl Gatsby. Like Gatsby, Allyson was one of those mysterious rich people who move to town, give amazing parties, and seem made of moonbeams.

Investigating, Talba finds the reality behind the Gatsby glamour. Allyson was a con artist who neglected her children, ignored her bills, and lied like a Ponzi schemer. But she wasn’t the only bad actor on the local literary scene. Fellow poet Rashad leads Talba a merry chase, leaving a trail of clues in the form of poetry, while novelists engage in fisticuffs, unseemly preening, and unforgivable arrogance.

The Baroness discovers just how seamy, petty, and downright murderous her fellow literati can be.


Vol. 4: P.I. ON A HOT TIN ROOF

YOUR LAWYER NEEDS YOU TO BAIL HER OUT? ISN'T THAT KIND OF BACKWARDS?

So thinks PI Talba Wallis, on her way to Parish Prisonâ€"and indeed something’s badly amiss.
New Orleans’ most dynamic detective duo have a personal interest in this oneâ€"Eddie’s lawyer daughter Angie’s been set up for a drug bust.

Talba embeds herself in the house of prominent Judge Buddy Champagne as a spy, and uncovers plenty of evidence the judge is dirtyâ€"but she doesn't count on how involved she was going to getâ€"especially with Buddy’s 14-year-old daughter Lucy. The Complete Talba Wallis Series: Vol. 1-4 (The Talba Wallis Series)

These are as enjoyable as the Skip Langdon series!

I’d read the Skip Langdon series a year or more ago, so I already knew that I liked Julie Smith’s writing. This Talba series is outstanding! It has kept me reading and reading, until I finished all four. Talba has made a great P.I., and Eddie is a great addition! You feel like you’re familiar with, and there in, New Orleans as you read these. The characters are fully fleshed out and the stories keep you guessing. Can’t wait to read more! Kindle Edition Wonderful Characters

Julie Smith's Talba Wallace series has everything a crime mystery reader wants. I'm smitten, and I want more. I want to keep hanging out with her characters. English Julie Smith didn't disappoint with this series. New Orleans is full of characters, probably like no other town, and she marched out several of them. Talba being the star! Well written and carefully plotted. Julie Smith A riveting read

Wow! What a delightfully enjoyable read, so much so that I ended up binge reading all 4 books in as many days. The plot lines in all 4 books were well constructed and the “final reveal” of the villain was always a surprise. The cast of recurring characters were so interesting that any of them could star in a “spin off” series. English TheFussyLibrarian The Complete Talba Wallis Series: Vol. 1-4 (The Talba Wallis Series)

My God! What a voice!

The Talba Wallis stories have me totally hooked on this author. Talba is a Personality. Real, complex, straightforward, and delightful. You want to KNOW this girl and all her friends. She’s brilliant, scarred but valiant, and wholly engaging. In short, I read thes books and the little short story lagniappe in a weekend binge and don’t regret it one bit. If you like sassy, well plotted, riveting stories with totally fascinating characters, you’ve come to the right writer. 1405 🎁FREE on Amazon today (10/8/2020)! 🎁 Kindle Edition Talba Walis, computer genius, learning PI, by trade, and Baroness de Pontalba by wishes.

Talba Walis is a women of many talents, computer genius, and in training PI to Eddy Valentine her mentor. And poetess Baroness de Ponalba every chance she can get in front of mike or publish. It is surprising how the two careers can mix. These exciting four stories are stand alone but still have the rich mix of characters that belong to both Talba and Eddy. And it is delightful to watch how they develop throughout the stories. Lots of murders, sex, language and delightful people. Worth reading twice not just once. So much fun. Waiting for more! English 3.5 or so

I've actually read most if not all of these before. I wish Amazon had a function that linked multivolume books to the single volumes and would tell me you own X out of Y of the contents of the volume already. In any case, I needed a safe choice. Reading I could enjoy and not get overly annnoyed at as thorough distraction. These worked as needed. Kindle Edition I have so much enjoyed Talba, Eddie, Angie, and Miz Clara throughout this series. The N'Awlins flavour is authentic and clear, the ease with which Julie talks about race and racial issues and non-issues is lovely, and the action, while fascinating, is secondary to some wonderfully drawn and detailed characters. There is the villainous (maybe) person you might love to hate, and the really nasty one who, fortunately, is dead, and the ever surprising stereotype-busting Eddie Valentino who watches and ponders as Talba goes full steam ahead. I have loved these books and have actively slowed my reading speed to make the final volume last longer. Thank you, Julie Smith, for some fabulous people to think about!