New Orleans will never be the same as before Katrina - more so because the hurricane took the love of Remy Comeaux's life. Now crashing a swanky party at a moneyed estate, the PI and former narcotics cop has a lot of grudges, and not just against floodwater. Allegations of police corruption and murder fill his thoughts, but he still notices a gorgeous Southern redhead. Nicole is dating Remy's main suspect but Remy's warnings arouse her suspicions and she decides to sort out the truth - even if it means putting herself in harm's way.

BAYOU JEOPARDY by Rita Herron

Mack Rivet, ex-detective, mourned the loss of his wife and child during Katrina. But life moves on. In his case though, he's stuck with a bad name as a corrupt cop. When he learns that the man responsible for tarnishing his reputation has been jailed for serious crimes, he hopes there could be a chance to clear his name. But his wife Lily and their son survived unknown to him, believing that Mack had drowned. When they meet, the man who lied to them all and wrecked their personal lives becomes Mack's priority.

BAYOU JUSTICE Mallory Kane

Ray Storm was an FBI agent living in New Orleans during Katrina. Now he's back and absorbing the changes to his old district. Angel DePuye, who used to be an addict and his confidential informant, has gotten clean and joined the police force. Ray knows that hundreds of thousands of documents, including police evidence, were destroyed in the flooding, and large numbers of people used the opportunity to disappear. A girl called Molly Hennessy was allowed to believe that Ray had died, because he'd slept with her, got information on her brother and used it to build a case. Ray meets her again and really wishes there wasn't so much standing between them... what's more, he spots that she's being followed.

The linked novellas all show the dark side of the graceful old city. I really hope police corruption wasn't and isn't as widespread as we're told. The lingering after-effects of the storm figure hugely; some neighbourhoods are rebuilt, others desolate, others changed beyond recognition for the characters. This is an interesting read, but it's more noir than Mardi Gras.

Book Summary