Item - The Mardi Gras Mystery

I had fairly high hopes for this book since, at her best, Louise Munro Foley is an excellent writer. Unfortunately, I was a little bit disappointed. The book does have the benefit of a detailed and largely consistent plot, but it's just not all that compelling. The mystery aspect of the book never really intrigued me, and the horror elements failed to be particularly horrific. The book's awkward introduction of information about voodoo and Mardi Gras was also a problem, as were a couple of less-than-satisfying endings. Others might like this more than I did, but for me, it just felt like it was missing something, and it never really held my attention.

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Choose Your Own Adventure took us all over the world before the original series ended, but some of my favorite books from the series stayed right in the United States. The Mardi Gras Mystery is set in New Orleans at its most popular time of year, and your visit may ensnare you in a deadly, supernatural crime wave. Staying with your uncle David above The Gallery, his antique shop, seems a great way to safely experience New Orleans at Mardi Gras. You've agreed to put in work hours at his store, but you'll have time to see the sights. David hints at intrigue within the walls of his own shop: the local Bonvilliers, a family of intergenerational wealth, will be hosting a masquerade party at their estate, La Maison Rouge. Uncle David possesses three Bonvillier heirlooms in his shop, though the family legacy of treachery and involvement in voodoo leaves him hesitant to disclose how he acquired them. He'd rather you focus on sightseeing; speaking of which, would you rather do so this morning and take your shift at The Gallery later with David, or get your work obligations out of the way now alongside his assistant, Francine?

Clock in now with Francine, and you find yourself quickly mired in drama. A man telephones The Gallery and threatens Francine, but is she innocent in the exchange? You may end up serving two lady customers who are suspiciously drawn to the Bonvillier heirlooms, though David has emphasized they aren't for sale. What should you do if the woman in the purple turban presses you to sell her the strange Bonvillier watch? If you resist too hard, you could end up six feet under. Your suspicions of Francine feel increasingly warranted. Is she setting up The Gallery to be robbed, or does she have legitimate cause to act the way she has? You might find yourself in a car chase to La Maison Rouge and a confrontation with the matriarch Marie Bonvillier herself, but you're going to be outnumbered if you aim to bring the villains to justice. There's little time to discern who you can trust, but intervention by allies is essential if you are to avoid being executed in the streets or cemeteries of New Orleans.

You can avoid most of the robbery saga by exploring New Orleans in the morning rather than taking your shift with Francine. Would you like to find a costume for the party at La Maison Rouge before the best ones are sold? Picking a pirate costume leads to a case of mistaken identity and participation in a charity event, but choosing to attend the masquerade as a black cat brings you back into proximity with the Bonvilliers after a creepy customer expresses too much interest in an antique mirror at The Gallery. Uncle David suspects a heist is planned, and you may not be safe at his shop alone. When Francine goes missing, could you be the next target? You feel uneasy even before the party at La Maison Rouge, but the scary stuff is only beginning: the Bonvillier history of dark spiritualism pervades the event, and theft won't be your biggest concern if you get caught in that web. You could steer clear of all that by taking a stroll beside the river instead of going to the costume shop in the first place. The riverfront has a rough reputation, but you find yourself wooed by rival warehouses competing to make the best float for the Mardi Gras parade. Would you prefer to side with Greenley & Co., or McCormack's? Either way you'll dabble in an authentic New Orleans Mardi Gras, without danger from voodoo men. It's not exactly the story promised, but can be rewarding.

Given the setting, which is loaded with potential for atmosphere and surprises, I'm disappointed by The Mardi Gras Mystery. The writing is dry and the story feels like a listless, obligatory shuffle along to the end. A serious effort is made to preserve internal continuity, but even that fails at times, notably with the mirror switcheroo. The big problem is that New Orleans at Mardi Gras isn't expressed evocatively, and I never felt drawn in by my opposition role to the criminal enterprise either. For a better gamebook by Louise Munro Foley, try Danger at Anchor Mine.

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