by Sarah Erwin & Jen Pitts

Up on KRL this week we have a review of Red Beans and Rituals, the latest The Witches of the French Quarter Mystery by Jenn Pitts. We also have a fun guest post from Jen about the food in her books. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Red Beans and Rituals by Jen Pitts
Review by Sarah Erwin

Red Beans and Rituals is book two in The Witches of the French Quarter mystery series by Jen Pitts. While readers can easily devour this delicious mystery on its own, book one (Mardi Gras and Magic) is equally delightful and reveals some excellent back story.

In this latest addition to the series, Althea (or Thea) has accepted her witch heritage, and while she isn’t sure she’s going to stay in New Orleans forever, she is determined to learn more about her concealed past.

As she settles into life as a witch and a member of her coven, she decides to revive the coven’s shop and cafe that operated out of a section of her family home. Unfortunately, on opening day, her best friend Evangeline serves red beans and rice to a stranger who then drops dead in the shop. The man’s last words were a cryptic message to Evangeline about her long missing husband. As the cafe’s cook, Evangeline is the prime suspect in the stranger’s death.

Thea can’t stand to see her best friend accused of murder, so she jumps in to investigate the death, as well as the man’s message about the disappearance of Evangeline’s husband. Unraveling the mystery of the stranger’s death also reveals more murders both past and present.

This is the perfect armchair escape. The vibrant descriptions of New Orleans sights, sounds and tastes came alive in my mind, and I so wished I had some beignets to enjoy. As I read, I often forgot I was actually sitting in my car in the school pick-up lane and not wandering around the French Quarter.

Thea is such a strong, determined character, and it is fun to watch her come into her own as a witch. I enjoyed all the other members of the paranormal community (other witches, vampires, voodoo, werewolves) and loved the idea that they all quietly integrated with the non-paranormal folks. I must also mention that there is the most wonderful talking tabby cat that I wished I could take home.

The plot and pace of the mystery are solid and tightly done. Jen does such an excellent job resolving the current mystery of the stranger’s death in their shop, while also unveiling clues to mysteries from the past. When I closed this book, I felt both satisfied that justice had been served and also even more curious to see how, in book three, Thea will handle what she has learned. Paranormal cozy mystery readers who are looking for some armchair travel will not be disappointed with Jen’s latest.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Red Beans and Mysteries in the French Quarter
by Jen Pitts

Do you want that dressed?

I learned to say yes to that question when I ordered a po’ boy for the first time. What’s a po’ boy, you might ask? It’s an amazing sandwich on crispy french bread filled with meat or seafood. If you order it dressed, it will come with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and pickles.

New Orleans has the best food, in my opinion. I love sharing my love of the food, along with the music, architecture, and history of the city in my books. Some of my favorite scenes to write is when Sammy and Thea try out new foods in The French Quarter Mysteries and The Witches of the French Quarter Mysteries. Their reactions to new foods mimic my own, I must admit.

Jen Pitts

In all my books, my characters eat all kinds of food, but in my latest novel, Red Beans and Rituals, Thea tries this traditional dish for the first time. Here’s what she thinks. “I took a spoon from the table and tried the dish. The beans were smoky and creamy, and the firm rice provided a pleasant contrast. With just a few bites, I understood how this dish was a hearty meal.”

Funny, but that’s what I thought, too, when I tried red beans and rice for the first time. Surprise, my characters like the food that I like. But back to this dish. History has it that red beans and rice is a meal for Mondays. Thea’s best friend, Evangeline, explains the tradition,

“Do you know why we make it on Mondays?” Evangeline lifted the lid off one pot, and the steam rose to the ceiling. “Not sure when this started, maybe in the 1800s, but on Sundays, families would have ham and the next day use the ham hock in their beans. They would cook all day while they did laundry. So Mondays, also known as laundry days, became the time people ate red beans and rice.”

Luckily, restaurants serve this dish every day of the week, so there’s no need to be in New Orleans on a Monday to give it a try. So the next time you’re in the city, try it along with all the other amazing dishes like gumbo, crawfish etouffee, muffulettas, and, of course, beignets. Until you’re there, you can join Sammy and Althea as they try amazing food and solve mysteries in the French Quarter.

You can click here to purchase this book.

To enter to win a copy of Red Beans and Rituals, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “beans” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 25, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Jen Pitts is a lifelong mystery reader who turned her obsession into writing cozy mysteries of her own. When she isn’t plotting fictional murder and mayhem, she’s chugging coffee, traveling to New Orleans, reading, and enjoying life with her husband, two children, and two cats.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.