Something Very Wild (New Orleans Legacy)

Mary Zelinsky
Five Star (2008)
ISBN 9781594147197
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (4/09) 

If there’s one place on this planet that really tugs at my heartstrings, it’s New Orleans. In all my years of travel and living in different places, I’ve never felt quite as at home anywhere else. Sure enough, after Katrina my love for the Big (Un)Easy turned into a bittersweet affair, but it is here to stay. It is therefore not surprising that I appreciate any author who writes about New Orleans – particularly New Orleans after Katrina. There’s something particularly magical about reading books set in a place that you know well. Part of it is revisiting places one loves, and an even more exciting part is seeing those familiar places through somebody else’s eyes. While Mary Zelinsky’s local color is not always 100% accurate, her love for the city clearly shines through and makes New Orleans an important character in “Something Very Wild.”

Chloe Galen is a spoiled, rich brat, who has just been expelled from the college for the third time. It seems that this is one time too many, and her Mama finally decides to stop supporting Chloe’s wild and sometimes rather reckless lifestyle. Chloe therefore decides to prove herself as worthy and finds a job, while still trying to finish her studies. Pursuing her love for art, and also cleverly cashing in on her family connections, she gets a job at an art gallery. Unbeknownst to her, the gallery is a key element in a huge art fraud; and she’s in deep trouble.

Aaron Porter is an undercover FBI agent, sent to his home town from Atlanta with the goal of investigating the sales of fakes appearing on the market. When he meets Chloe, he realizes that she could be really useful to his investigation. He woos her, only to find himself falling hard for the starving young art student. The young couple is completely unaware of each other’s true background, and the web of little lies and deceptions gets more and more tangled. Is Chloe a guilty party? Will Aaron ever be forgiven for hiding his true reasons for presence in New Orleans?

Mary Zelinsky’s “Something Very Wild” is a fast-moving, very-engaging read. Expertly mixing suspense, romance and even a bit of a travelogue, it would make for a great book to take along on your next vacation or a long plane ride. I also greatly appreciated the little comment on Katrina, buried in one of Chloe’s little talks with Aaron. While short, it hit the nail on the head. Chloe and Aaron are very endearing, very believable characters – and I’d love to see them in another book or two.

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