Mardi Gras Murder

by Ellen Byron

Overview

USA Today–bestselling author

Southern charm meets the dark mystery of the bayou as a hundred-year flood, a malicious murder, and a most unusual Mardi Gras converge at the Crozat Plantation B&B

It’s Mardi Gras season on the bayou, which means parades, pageantry, and gumbo galore. But when a flood upends life in the tiny town of Pelican, Louisiana—and deposits a body of a stranger behind the Crozat Plantation B&B—the celebration takes a decidedly dark turn. The citizens of Pelican are ready to, “Laissez les bon temps rouler”—but there’s beaucoup bad blood on hand this Mardi Gras.

Maggie Crozat is determined to give the stranger a name and find out why he was murdered. The post-flood recovery has delayed the opening of a controversial exhibit about the little-known Louisiana Orphan Train. And when a judge for the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Queen pageant is shot, Maggie’s convinced the murder is connected to the body on the bayou. Does someone covet the pageant queen crown enough to kill for it? Could the deaths be related to the Orphan Train, which delivered its last charges to Louisiana in 1929? The leads are thin on this Fat Tuesday—and until the killer is unmasked, no one in Pelican is safe.

A simmering gumbo of a humorous whodunit, Mardi Gras Murder is the fourth piquant installment in USA Today–bestselling author Ellen Byron’s award-winning Cajun Country mysteries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643851259
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Series:	Cajun Country Mystery Series , #4
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	252,312
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Ellen Byron is a television writer, playwright, and freelance journalist. Her TV credits include Wings, Still Standing, and Just Shoot Me, and her written work has appeared in Glamour, Redbook, and Seventeen, among others. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, their daughter, and the family’s very spoiled rescue dog. A native New Yorker, Ellen still misses her hometown and still drives like a New York Cabbie. This is her fourth Cajun Country mystery.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Mardi Gras Murder:
“Byron embeds her tricky mystery in an amusing and informative tale of Cajun life and the logistical travails of Mardi Gras.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Superior . . . Well-rounded characters, a fair-play plot, entertaining repartee, as well as dashes of Cajun lore and Louisiana history make this cozy a winner.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Ellen Byron draws you in from the first page and doesn’t let go until the end. A delightful, romantic, and fun treat.”
—Manhattan Book Review

“Mardi Gras Murder has all the best elements in cozy mystery. Readers get a great mystery with suspense, love, and humor.”
—Night Owl Reviews

“If you enjoy atmospheric mysteries set in the South, I highly recommend this series. Fans of Jana Deleon will enjoy the humorous banter.”
—Bubble Bubble Books and Trouble

“Southern charm meets the dark mystery of the bayou . . . A simmering gumbo of a humorous whodunit.”
—BOLO Books

“This is a welcome addition to Byron’s Cajun Country series, with its fast-moving plot and likeable characters. Lots of fun and delicious recipes, too!”
—Suspense Magazine

Praise for A Cajun Christmas Killing:
“Superb . . . there’s no end to the mischief and mayhem in this exceptional cozy.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Amid the slew of Christmas cozies, Byron spices up the genre with her colorful Cajun Louisiana setting and entertaining protagonist.”
—Library Journal

“Fun and heartwarming, a real holiday treat that will leave you guessing until the end.”
—San Francisco Book Review, five-star review

“A Cajun Christmas Killing is pure perfection! It has the just the right blend of holiday spice, mystery, and murder to be enjoyed not only at Christmas, but the whole year round! Once you crack open this blissful book you will be hooked!”
—Night Owl Reviews

From the Publisher