Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
New Orleans's toughest female cop tackles her very first Mardi Gras
Now that she's back on the force and her work with the FBI is over, Maureen Coughlin should have a quieter life. Until Mardi Gras rolls around, that is. New Orleans's biggest and most infamous party, Mardi Gras may be fun for the revelers but it's hell for the NOPD, who try to keep the peace on streets jam-packed with drunken paradegoers and the thousands of tourists pouring into the city to join the action. With all that chaos, the city becomes a breeding ground for crimes of all shapes and sizes.
Maureen's Mardi Gras night starts with a bang when a man in pink zebra-print tights--and nothing else--runs past and throws himself onto the hood of a moving car. It only gets worse when she hears gunshots over the noise of the crowd. In the midst of the revelry, Maureen and her fellow cops must stabilize the shooting victims and hunt down the shooter, all while grappling with massive crowds, a camera crew intent on capturing the investigation for their YouTube channel, an incompetent on-duty detective, and race relations in a city more likely to mistrust cops than ever. It's going to be one very long night for Maureen.
With The Devil's Muse, Bill Loehfelm returns with another gripping installment in his "edgy, dangerous, but pulsing with life" (Booklist) Maureen Coughlin series.
Synopsis
A Southern Indie Bookseller Alliance 2017 Summer OKRA pick
One of Kirkus Review's "11 Thrillers That Will Keep You Awake This Summer"
In the thrilling fifth book in the critically acclaimed series that's "edgy, dangerous, but pulsing with life" (Bill Ott, Booklist), a Mardi Gras parade turns deadly.
It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans and rookie cop Maureen Coughlin has no idea what she's in for. Her night working the parades begins calmly enough--until a half-naked man careens through the crowd and throws himself onto the hood of an oncoming SUV. As she tries to deal with the incident amid the pulsing chaos of the parade, Maureen hears gunshots. Moments later, with three wounded and a handful of drunken witnesses, Maureen has a full-fledged investigation on her hands. Who was the shooter? Who was he after? Who's the next target? City bigwigs begin pressuring Maureen and her crew for quick answers. And with an amateur camera crew intent on capturing "the real Mardi Gras" for their YouTube channel, an incompetent supervising detective, and tense race relations in a city more likely to mistrust cops than ever, it's going to be a very long night--and a memorable first Mardi Gras--for Maureen.
With The Devil's Muse, the acclaimed crime writer Bill Loehfelm conjures rowdy New Orleans in all its mess and marvel, and sends Maureen deep into the city on another wild, high-octane adventure.