Murder in the Rue Ursulines

About the Author

Greg Herren lives in New Orleans, and when not writing books works to educate people on HIV/AIDS. He also co-founded the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival. Herren publishes books in many different genres, however, his most well known genre is murder mystery, specifically his series featuring Chanse MacLeod. One of the other novels in the series, Murder in the Rue Chartres, won a Lambda Literary Award in the Gay Mystery category at the 2008 Lambda Literary Awards (“Greg Herren”).

Summary

Murder on the Rue Ursulines is the fourth book in the Chanse McLeod series. Set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the book follows gay private investigator Chanse MacLeod as he investigates threatening emails sent to Hollywood's golden couple, Freddy and Jillian. What started out as a simple case quickly spirals out of control as his primary suspect, Glynis, who also happens to be Freddy’s ex-wife, soon turns up dead. To make matters worse, Chanse thinks he saw Freddy leaving the house right around the time of the murder. Chanse continues to investigate the case and quickly gets into trouble. He eventually uncovers that Freddy was falsely accused of rape while in college, and everyone else involved in the case was dead. The woman, Karen Zorn, loved/stalked him and felt scorned when he slept with her (which, according to the book, was consensual) but didn’t want a relationship. She then changed her identity and worked as Glynis’ assistant. Karen held a grudge against Glynis for marrying Freddy and decided to frame Freddy for Glynis’ murder and ruin his Hollywood career. Karen admits to the murder and then commits suicide, hoping her dramatic actions would grant her everlasting fame. 

Analysis

Murder on the Rue Ursulines has an interesting plot, however, the writing could use some modernization, specifically the description of some characters and plot elements. The book has good reviews online, with a rating of 4.03 stars on GoodReads. Many reviewers like the complexity of Chanse’s character; between his sexuality, history, and PTSD from the hurricane, he feels like a realistic character. Other reviews comment on the writing, saying that the book was missing something or the mystery was too easy to solve/Chanse should have solved the mystery earlier (Goodreads).
I believe the book is trying to entertain people while normalizing a gay main character. I particularly like the fact that Chanse is a multifaceted character, and I think it makes him more relatable. I also think the book intends to bring awareness to the culture of New Orleans and the devastation left behind after Hurricane Katrina.  Murder on the Rue Ursulines specifically mentions the psychological impact on Chanse, something which many other novels leave out. 

Cultural context

Murder on the Rue Ursulines was published in 2008 and was written about a similar time period. There does not seem to be any one event that specifically influences this book apart from the series. However, many books in the series talks about Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina caused around 1,800 deaths and catastrophic damage to New Orleans. Around 80% of the city flooded due to the levees failing (“Hurricane Katrina”). The book mentions areas of New Orleans that were destroyed as well as the psychological impact of the hurricane on Chanse.

Works Cited

Goodreads. Murder In The Rue Ursulines (Chanse MacLeod, #4). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3741530-murder-in-the-rue-ursulines. Accessed 9 Mar. 2024.

“Greg Herren.” Wikipedia, 18 Feb. 2024. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greg_Herren&oldid=1208774263.

Herren, Greg. Murder in the Rue Ursulines. Alyson Books, 2008.

“Hurricane Katrina.” Wikipedia, 5 Mar. 2024. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hurricane_Katrina&oldid=1212034731.

“Murder in the Rue Ursulines.” Barnes & Noble, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-in-the-rue-ursulines-greg-herren/1101155013. Accessed 9 Mar. 2024.

On Continuing to Challenge Oneself: An Interview with Greg Herren – Three Rooms Press. 31 May 2022, https://threeroomspress.com/2022/05/on-continuing-to-challenge-oneself-an-interview-with-greg-herren/.