Having not yet been to New Orleans--the Big Easy--I have always suffered from a fascination of the place. My big goal, while I'm still young enough to enjoy it, is to get there for Mardi Gras. When I saw Lacey Alexander's Hot in the City: French Quarter, I had to claim it for myself. I've heard stories, even living as far away from the city as I do, of how the French Quarter is the seat of all things carnal and pleasurable in New Orleans.

Liz Marsh thinks that her fiancé, Todd Darcy, is cheating on her. There are all the classical signs: working a lot of late nights--in fact, every night is a late night; he comes home much too mussed for a man who was just at the office; and he is no longer interested in her like a man is interested in a woman he's about to marry. Using the suggestion of her friend Lynda, who had to catch a cheating husband ten years ago, she dolls herself up like a seductress and goes to see Jack Wade, Private Investigator. Jack doesn't want the case, being that following a cheating man around is scraping the bottom of the barrel for PI's, and Jack doesn't need to scrape the bottom of the barrel for anything. But he can't say no to Liz.

Jack gets the proof of Todd's wandering lusts, giving Liz photographs of Todd getting a very hot dance from an exotic dancer at a club on Bourbon Street, the very heart of the French Quarter and all that it entails. Liz demands that Jack take her to the club, so she can see for herself that he really is cheating on her. Photographs won't do it, she says. That night, they head to the club. Jack is wondering if she'll become emotional about the betrayal, and Liz is wondering how long she should wait after she catches Todd with another woman before taking Jack for a test drive.

Turns out, not that long.

When she breaks the engagement with Todd, she moves out of their house, and gets on with her life. She starts to find out parts of herself she didn't know existed. It's like she's on adventure in unknown territory and her body is the uncharted land.

This story felt so real because it had "reality" based people in it. I'm not meaning they were real people in the story, but the characters felt emotions like they're supposed to be felt: everything from Liz's need to know about Todd's actions to the lust that flows between her and Jack so much that it's visible. Liz is a woman who, after so many years living with others telling her what was right and what was wrong, is finally learning herself. It's a sort of coming of age, only slightly later in life than most people would think.

French Quarter is endearing and sweet, and promises to leave you with a smile. And maybe a lust to suddenly head to New Orleans to see what sort of fun you can stir up for yourself.

Reviewed By Marissa
© February 2005