“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!