3.5

Glory Be, indeed! I was eager to hear this cozy mystery from the POV of a sassy black southern woman,Glory Broussard. Set in Louisiana, which everyone knows is a character unto itself, there is a wealth of potential material to be mined for books to come - and come they will, as this is the first in the series.

When the story began, I wasn't so sure about Glory. She seemed a little too sharp tongued and judgmental. As the story progressed, and we find the flaws and humanity in her, Glory balances her gruff outward expressions with a vulnerability that she dare not show others.

I do wish some explanation or context around the order of Sisters of the Holy Family was provided. It was a bit confusing hearing of a Catholic order of nuns who did not seem to adhere to tenants that I am familiar with. I did look them up, thinking this may have been a fictional order, but found that this is a real order with a rich history that could have seasoned the mystery.

Bahni Turpin's narration proves once again why she is one of the best there is. She brings life and attitude to the characters for the listener. Her ability to inhabit accents and inflections of each persona is wonderful.

Glory Be is the beginning of what I know will be a beloved series with characters already lying in wait to have their say I look forward to meeting them all.

My Thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC of of Glory Be in exchange for my honest opinion

A new crime series featuring amateur sleuth Glory Broussard. Glory is definitely an unforgettable character who will have you laughing! She will not be overlooked or underestimated.

When one of her closest friends is said to have committed suicide Glory isn't buying it at all. She launches her own investigation and looks in all of unobvious places for clues....the church, the coffee shop, neighbors, etc.

The middle got a bit dry and the readers voice was a little hard to listen to.

Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks, Orange Sky Audio, NetGalley and the author Danielle Arceneaux for the early release copy of the book in exchange for my review.

<b> 3.25 stars </b>

It takes a lot of talent to make your protagonist flawed but to also make those flaws endearing. I found Glory to be charming even when she was getting up to her morally questionable antics. Some of which made me laugh out loud. I know Delphine’s adultery will be a red flag for some readers but again I found this made her more interesting. I genuinely enjoyed Arceneaux's mindset that all of her characters should be flawed but that does not make them bad people.

I do think this kind of suffered from first book syndrome as it was trying to set up a lot of characters and subplots. I am never fond of romance subplots and I would have liked for more of the focus to be on the mystery. I enjoyed learning about how pollution impacts black communities and the discussions on faith.

I don’t know if I will read the next book in the series, but I will say this is the most I have enjoyed an amateur sleuth book in awhile.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I loved this book so much. It felt like my grandmother was telling the story, which made it even better. It also sounded like something my grandmother would do. The narrator was wonderful and it was just a fun book to listen too. I'm looking forward the the other books in the series.

ALC Review: Glory Be
Rating: ⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Tropes:
Cozy Mystery
whodunnit
Amateur Sleuth


First, Thank you, @netgalley, for allowing me to do my first audiobook review. I enjoyed listening so much to
Glory’s unfiltered antics as she tries to solve the murder of her best friend.
Louisiana makes for the perfect backdrop for this southern whodunnit. The story feels so real and raw. The author skillfully touches on issues like racism in the South and how often cases involving murders of black women go unsolved. Glory’s pursuit to change that circumstance is deep and honest in the best way possible. Everything about Glory Broussard is real. Her no-nonsense, busybody attitude is so reminiscent of every church mother I have ever met. I appreciate the churchy sentiments only the pks ( pastor kids), and southern church go-goers will get.
Thank you, Danielle, for penning a love letter to all things black, churchy, and southern.
It was indeed a pleasure to read.

I’m a fan of mystery series with amateur sleuths and here we have an introduction to a brand new series starring Glory Broussard from Latayette, Louisiana!

This was good. It was a great intro that didn’t bog the reader down with a barrage of characters and their backgrounds! It kept its focus on Glory and the mystery at hand.

Glory is an older, spirited, independent character who is hilarious and takes no crap!

Looking forward to more in this series.

“People are complicated, even the good ones.”

I really liked this kick off to a mystery series! The MC had me cracking up, reminded me of my grandmother. And you definitely can’t go wrong with Bahni Turpin as the narrator!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The character descriptions in this book immediately made me feel as if I really did know Glory and Delphine. I could picture their church exactly, and the coffee house she frequented. Even though I'm from Texas I know I grew up with women just like them!

This story struck the right balance between hilarity and realism. I think this can sit comfortably in the "millennial cozy mystery" category despite the age of our protagonist.

I love stories set in Louisiana, especially in places I have visited so it was a nice surprise to find this mystery set in Lafayette. I don’t know the area well but I do know enough of the history to know where the story is authentic and this felt real; I could picture the people Glory knew and the places she visited. Glory herself is perfectly flawed and it’s refreshing to not have the cute, young business owner who stumbles upon a mystery and clues just fall into her lap. Glory is older, is an entrepreneur of sorts, and works for every clue she finds, all the while fighting off gossip about her other issues. The mystery itself wasn’t quite cozy either; it had just enough of a edge to make it believable, if a little sordid. There was humor and great one-liners, too: “Just because you’re holy doesn’t mean you have any class”. I loved everything about this story and can’t wait for the next in the series.

Yay! Another cozy series that I love AND it has BIPOC representation! This was a super fun and cute book! I love that Glory is so feisty but also willing to accept help when she needs it. I can't wait to see how her relationship with her daughter evolves. Can't wait for the next installment in the series. I am definitely adding all of Danielle Arceneaux's books to my TBR!

#GloryBe
#NetGalley

Danielle Arceneaux writes colourfully vibrant crime fiction, a new series set in Lafayette, in the Louisiana bayous, the first in a series featuring the unforgettable black, heavy, middle aged, unfiltered Glory Broussard. I listened to this on audio, narrated perfectly by the fantastic Bahni Turpin, with a zest and vividness that does justice to Glory's off the wall, in your face, forceful personality, it is approximately 8 hours and 45 minutes long. Glory is a church going, small town bookie who conducts her business on Sundays in the coffee shop run by Noah. She is there with Lieutenant Landry when she learns of the death of her friend and nun, Amity. Against all advice, she insists on making her way to the scene, the horror of it imprints itself on her mind, with Glory refusing to accept LPD's suicide verdict.

Glory is rock solid certain Amity would never have considered such a fate. This pushes Glory into the role of sleuth with the intention of getting justice for her friend, despite being warned off. Glory has other troubles, someone has reported the state of her home, she is a hoarder, to the authorities, ensuring she must go to court and prove she is addressing the situation. Glory is helped in this and her investigation by her lawyer daughter, Delphine, who returns from New York for the funeral and stays. Delphine has her own personal troubles, including getting divorced from her white husband, from a wealthy background, who is insisting she pay him alimony! Glory finds herself in a tangled inquiry that has her working with Father Romero, looking into transgessions by a chemical company.

Glory is determined, facing drug dealers, bees, pit bull bites that have her in hospital receiving rabies shots, and having her tyres slashed. Arceneaux adds humour, wit, and depth to her storytelling, as through Glory, we are given a glimpse into Louisiana, its racism, and how black women are denied opportunities other than those at the lowest rungs, minimised in society, rarely given credit for their incredible input. This is a smashing crime read with its atmospheric location, but the star of it all is Glory, a one off, opinionated, politically incorrect, but full of heart, a strong community woman, who knows that if you are black, you cannot rely on the police, and she is learning to be less judgemental, as with Gus and Delphine.

I recommend the book, but particularly the audio, with the narrator making a big impression on me, and I am truly look forward to the next book in the series. Many thanks to Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC.

I received this ARC from #DanielleArceneaux, # NetGalley and #SpotifyAudiobooks in exchange for my honest opinion. The cover art, the title (which happened to be a favorite saying of my now deceased grandmother) and the fact that the protagonist reminded me of said grandmother would be my reasons for choosing this book. It was an interesting read with a lot of plot twists...I thought Father Romero had killed Amity but I was wrong. Glory is the type of "woman of a certain age" who has her hobbies (bookkeeping) and is involved in her community but is not as in touch with the happenings in the lives of those that she says she is closest to. The suspicious death of her friend, Amity, and the ensuing drama was hilarious. Her daughter, Delphine, returning home for the funeral and then staying to participate in the gumshoeing, even though her life was imploding was a nice touch. I cannot put into words the level of pissivity that I would have reached had Glory ACTUALLY been my grandmother and put her self in danger on numerous occasions JUST to prove that her theory about her friend's death was correct. I am glad that Glory uncovered the real murderer and made it out with what I think could be written off as a bruised trachea and pride, in addition to a better understanding of her daughter. Looking forward to the next installment.

I liked this book! I wasn't so sure about it in the beginning but Glory's character grew on me! She was a very feisty older woman and I liked her strong character. I am very much looking forward to the next Glory Broussard mystery!

I greatly enjoyed this novel! A fun mystery that focuses on an older Black women who get’s drawn into investigating the murder of her best friend. I recently read a mystery that changed my mind about mysteries so I decided to give this one a try.

I loved the main character, Glory, she was drawn so clearly and felt so much like a person. Glory was funny, bold and her troubles were easy to empathize with. This novel was just full of well rendered characters, quirky characters. They mystery itself was very enjoyable and I was impressed by how the story was tightly plotted. The prose was good and the perfect tone was struck. It was just a lot of fun, with some meaningful societal commentary weaved in.

I’m looking forward to the second one!

Thank you to NeyGalley for the ARC.

Loved! Glory Broussard is such a great character for a cozy mystery series! I loved how imperfect she was, especially in the beginning, and how she grew over the course of the book, even more so because she’s a “woman of a certain age”. All of her little idiosyncrasies made it so easy to get frustrated with her, but also made her super funny and completely lovable. The mystery was really good too! I could not have guessed whodunnit, and all the twists and turns were great! Narration by Bahni Turpin was *chef’s kiss* as always!!! Can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This cover is gorgeous. Bahni is one of my favorite narrators and was perfect for this book! I am already excited about the next one. I loved grumpy granny Glory. She just made this story. I also loved her daughter Delphine. The mystery was really good and the twist was interesting. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was wonderful! She had different inflections for the characters and truly made a good story even more entertaining. I loved the author’s writing style and felt like I was getting to know the characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Danielle Arceneaux for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC audiobook for Glory Be coming out October 3, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It’s a hot and sticky Sunday in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Glory is working her usual after-church schedule. She works at a local coffee shop as a small-time bookie for gamblers. While there, Glory hears that her best friend—a nun beloved by the community—has been found dead in her home.

When the cops rule the mysterious death a suicide, Glory knows there must be more to the story. With her reluctant daughter—who has troubles of her own—in tow, Glory launches a shadow investigation into Lafayette’s oil tycoons, church gossips, a rumored voodoo priestess, nosey neighbors, and longtime ne'er-do wells.

As a more mature Black woman who grew up in Louisiana, Glory is used to feeling minimized and overlooked. But she’s determined to make her presence known as the case leads her deep into a web of intrigue she never realized Lafayette could harbor.

This is a new author for me. I love cozy mysteries, especially if they’re set in Louisiana! I’ve never been, but it seems like a fun place to visit. I read a few cozy mysteries with older protagonists and I love it. They’re usually portrayed as more mature and have some wisdom about life. I loved that she was a bookie. She had a lot of layers. I’m a sucker for amateur detectives. I’ll definitely check out other books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy Southern mysteries!

Enjoyed the book but kind of hoped there was a bit more humor, similar to Janet Evanovich or Finlay Donovan. Maybe wrong expectation going in?

Pulled into the mystery immediately which was a positive. Really wasn’t able to understand who the main characters of the series were going to be until they were ruled out for murder. Good time guessing who it was but it was but difficult for me to connect as a result. With all that cleared up and the end character development I’m excited for the next book!

This has been posted to Goodreads.

3.5 stars

This is not your average cozy mystery. It has many layers, and features a pretty unlikeable character (a kinder interpretation might be complex) who has a lot of preconceived notions about a lot of different groups of people. It was one of the few times I actually felt the death of the person who the mystery is about, because of Glory’s feelings for them. If some of Glory’s attitudes about people who have been incarcerated and women who choose to show skin, drink and smoke were confronted, I think I might have felt a bit more positive overall. There’s also cheating, which is a hard trope for me. In the end, I think it is a complex story and I’m glad I read it and would see if some of these are different in the next books. If you are a bit less sensitive to these topics, it will probably be more successful for you.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.