Blackmail in the Big Easy turns to cold-blooded murder in this debut cozy mystery perfect for fans of Jane K. Cleland.
When the mysterious letter arrives by courier, Valerie Cooper doesn't know what to make of it. She's become the beneficiary of her late husband's estranged uncle's will-a man she never knew-and inherited a majority partnership in the family's company, New Orleans Fine Antiques. Valerie knows nothing about antiques, but she decides to learn the business and become an active partner. She's also got her hands full fending off Collette, a woman who wants to sell the huge old house in the Irish Channel neighborhood Valerie and her husband painstakingly renovated.
Valerie isn't interested in selling-but when her best friend Lauren, drags her to a costume party for the women's Mardi Gras club, the Krewe of Athena, she stumbles over Collette's body, a jeweled dagger sticking out of her chest. In a rush of panic, Valerie recognizes the dagger from her shop-and before she knows it, she's become murder suspect number one.
Egged on by Lauren, she starts digging into Collette's business dealings, and the deeper she digs, the dirtier it gets. Now all fingers are pointing at Valerie. In a desperate bid to clear her name, Valerie frantically tries to find who could have gotten hold of the dagger. But among a cadre of guests in full costume, it could be impossible to find the thief-and unmask the real killer.
