This was such a great read. Loved the accents of voodoo and mischief. This is my first read by this author, but I can’t wait for more! Grab this one if you love mystery and sass!

Chase Harlem is a witty PI that I can’t wait to read more about! Chase is hired to defend a boy accused of murder and with her history at the FBI and her connections to local police make her perfect for this job. The premise of the book is to solve a crime but what really captured my attention was Chase. At times she talked directly to the reader, which is not often seen in books. It was perfect! Her sharp witted dialogue had me highlighting phrases, which I normally don’t do. Chase is one of my favorite characters now and I can’t wait to read more about her.

This was brilliant!

It is also possible one of the most self assured debut novels I’ve ever read!

The protagonist is Joanna Chase Harlem, a former FBI profiler turned New Orleans private investigator. She’s funny smart and has a terrific backstory that Elise Burke Brown revels by degrees. She also has an amazing, funny group of friends surrounding her.

The plot is brilliant as well. Harlem wants a simple life, investigating insurance fraud to cover her bills and teaching self defence classes at a local church hall. Against her better judgment she agrees to investigate the murders of a local college football player and his girlfriend.

Chase Harlem sizzles with personality. She’s funny, intelligent and reluctantly kind. She seems genuinely bemused by the friendships she’s forged which is pretty funny to witness. She is also damaged on a fundamental level and seeing how she and those that care for her deal with this gives the characters depth.

The only area of the story that was weak in anyway was her profiling past. We are told she was one of the FBI’s best and several characters attempt to persuade her to use these skills to hunt for the killer, but she never quite gets round to it. It’s sort of explained by the story (her past is something she wants to leave behind) but considering the page inches that are devoted to it it’s a bit of a glaring omission.

It doesn’t take away from the fact that the story is brilliant and I really hope this is the start of a long and successful series.

*** Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ***

Premise: Chase Harlem used to be a profiler for the FBI, but she doesn't like to think or talk about those times. Now she is a P.I. in New Orleans who just likes interesting cases, preferably NOT murder cases, to pay the bills. But when she is approached by a priest with a heartfelt plea to investigate the double homicide of a football hero and an actress, she cannot bring herself to say no. So Chase joins forces with her cranky police detective friend and embarks on a whirlwind of an investigation to bring an elusive murderer to justice.

Thoughts: Through a combination of the Big Easy setting, the wisecracking PI, and the humourous banter between Harlem and Burke, this novel has the feel and mood of an old-fashioned, hardboiled detective story from the 70s. Both Harlem and Burke have a gruff, dismissive exterior to protect soft and vulnerable hearts. I loved the interactions with Reese ("her kid"), her precocious and adventurous young neighbour, and the adorable, spunky pet ferret. I had fun reading this and can recommend for fans of detective fiction.

📚 ARC BOOK TOUR BOOK REVIEW 📚

Chase Harlem By Elise Burke Brown
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
Publisher: Rising Action Publishing Co.

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you so much to Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse, Rising Action, and Elise Burke Brown for the invitation to be a part of this book tour, and to NetGalley for this #gifted e-ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

Chase Harlem is a police procedural type of thriller featuring badass female main character, Chase Harlem, who is a former FBI agent/current private investigator. This book's whodunnit double murder mystery had me hooked!

Burke Brown's gritty writing style melded perfectly with the backdrop of the city of New Orleans, which seemed to be its own character in this book. The vibe of this read feels very atmospheric, as if you're constantly walking down a dark back alleyway with potential danger lurking at the next corner. I loved the inclusion of NOLA's culture, locales, and vibrance within these pages. I really enjoyed the interplay of working this case between Harlem and NOLA Detective Burke, Harlem's best friend. And I genuinely adored the addition of Harlem's next-door neighbor, 14-year-old Reese, to the story. Reese was a breath of fresh air in this story and it was so fun watching the friendship between Harlem and Reese blossom.

However, I never really felt like I connected with Harlem at all. She was abrasive and sarcastic in her work, which boded well for being a PI, but she just seemed too quirky for my liking. I think I would have felt more empathy, or maybe liked her a little more, if her backstory had been shared sooner in the book. While I eventually learned about her previous work-related trauma, it was alluded to (without detail) for so long that I thought maybe I missed a first book in the series or something. It's likely just a me thing, as I'm sure others will find her quirky traits to be endearing. I guess I wished for a little deeper character development and an earlier connection to her backstory.

I will say, I got excited when the ending of this book gave the impression that a second book may be coming in this series?...I really hope that happens! As much as I wasn't sure I connected with Harlem, she grew on me as I read -- and the whole host of characters in this book were an interesting lot. All in all, this was a wonderful debut from Burke Brown, with its gritty mystery that takes you deep into New Orleans. Coming in June 2025!

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“Chase Harlem” by Elise Burke Brown is everything I hoped it would be and more.

Set in the swanky city of New Orleans, P.I. Chase Harlem, our extremely likeable protagonist, takes on a seemingly heaven-sent case, and is subsequently put through hell.

When a priest comes a-knockin’ with a job for our new favorite private investigator, something possesses Chase to shake on it and take on the task of solving a murder involving a famous football player and his girlfriend. She and Detective Matt Burke, her partner-in-fighting-crime, join forces to get to the bottom of this case, despite the fact that they really aren’t supposed to get away with half of the shenanigans that ensue. All the while, Chase is still fighting her own demons from her past as an FBI profiler, and those demons fight hard.
Also in Chase’s corner are Dice and Deuce, the rough-and-tumble twin bartenders of Chase’s favorite spot, “The Gambler.” Deuce, a muscular Cajun heartthrob (who is the love of my life now, by the way) definitely has the hots for Chase. Enough to kill for her? Who knows! There’s also this teenage foster kid that makes a habit of breaking into Chase’s apartment every now and then. Last but certainly not least is Louis, Chase’s ferret with the official title of Emotional Support Animal.

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this story; from Chase’s quirky friendship with Burke to her badass self defense skills, and especially her relationship with up and coming P.I. Reese, lock-picking extraordinaire. I was all in. Not to mention the enthralling murder mystery that left me guessing left and right, even when I wasn’t reading. And of course, the Cajun hottie.
Burke’s writing style puts you right on the scene. I could smell the bourbon scent floating in the air and hear the jazz music as if I was standing in the middle of the French Quarter. I felt like Chase was my cool best friend, telling me all of the juicy details of the case on the DL. Her sense of humor shines, despite the bleak situations Chase finds herself in.
Basically what I’m saying is, everyone and their mama needs to get their hands on this book as soon as it hits the shelves! There’s a Spotify playlist ready for you to play in the background as you curl up with this book and take a trip to The Big Easy. Laissez le bons temps roulez!