Burn by Nevada Barr

Nevada Barr has been one of my go tos for easy, brainless reading since I graduated from college. I have a weak spot for murder mysteries, and her settings of U.S. National Parks intrigued me. They've actually taught me a lot about parks that I wouldn't have known about otherwise.

So, I was really excited when I saw her latest in paperback at the bookstore a few weeks ago. I got even more excited when I realized it was set in New Orleans (I'll save my lovefest for that town for another time; suffice it to say, I can go on forever about that).

However, when I started it, I wasn't so excited. I am the first to admit that NOLA has its darker, seedier, more menacing side; I'd be a fool to not realize it. But, considering all that city has been through since Katrina (don't fool yourself into thinking it's been fixed), I don't know if I needed to read a book on its sex trade, especially its sex trade of minors (and I'm talking minor minors).

It's not a comfortable subject. No one wants to hear, see, or read about such things happening to kids. I definitely didn't want to read it in one of my no-brainer books.