DEATH SWATCH

A murderous run-up to Mardi Gras entangles two madcap pals in a search for a killer and a legendary treasure.

Carmela Bertrand, owner of the scrapbook store Memory Mine, and her best friend Ava, owner of JuJu Voodoo, are attending a pre-Mardi Gras party at the home of float designer Jekyl Hardy when they stumble over a dead body. The corpse, strangled with barbed wire, is that of Archie Baudier, who was helping Jekyl design floats for the Pluvius krewe. Carmela, who’s tried her hand at crime solving before (Frill Kill, 2007, etc.), agrees to help Jekyl out by doing some sleuthing. The revelation of a secret passage and a hidden coin collection leads the courageous but foolhardy duo to a search for the storied treasure of the famous pirate Jean Lafitte. A mysterious coin dealer, a gunrunning Russian and a dealer in illegal absinthe all make promising suspects. The pair travel to an old plantation house, a bayou island and a moldering cellar in search of clues, always with the feeling that they’re being watched. Meanwhile, Carmela’s tentative romantic tie to Detective Edgar Babcock heats up despite his warnings to leave the investigation to the police.

So much detail about Mardi Gras and so many recipes and scrapbooking tips, that only mystery fans will notice all the loose ends.