CAJUN KISS OF DEATH

A fancy new night spot causes an upscale uproar in a sleepy Southern town.

The opening of Chanson’s Cajun Kitchen is a mixed blessing for the citizens of Pelican, Louisiana. The Crozat Plantation, managed by Magnolia Marie Crozat-Duran, is bustling, with members of the kitchen’s copious staff packed in for the long haul. Maggie’s mom is not so thrilled, since she’s pretty sure celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson has stolen the recipe for her renowned calas (fried-rice fritters). Abel Garavant, owner of Abel’s Home Cookin’, is spitting fire because Chanson’s catfish po-boys bear a striking gustatory likeness to his own secret recipe for fried catfish. And JJ, proprietor of Junie’s Oyster Bar and Dance Hall, is even madder. Not only is Chanson’s luring away many of Junie’s best customers with ridiculous deals on Gulf oysters, but someone’s left enough unbagged garbage outside his restaurant to cause the health inspector to shut it down. Things get even worse when Phillippe is killed in a boating accident caused by a faulty thermostat and ruled nonaccidental in the ensuing police investigation. Now Maggie’s new husband, detective Bo Durand, has to decide which of the generally likable suspects he’s going to lock up for Phillippe’s murder. Which means that Maggie has to take a break from her art lessons as well as from her own search for the mystery man (or woman) who’s been plying her with unwanted Valentine gifts to track down the real killer.

Byron’s gutsy heroine makes quick work of the case so the good times can roll again.