Mardi Gras Murders

In Mardi Gras Murders Nicole and Robert Daines serve up a delicious literary gumbo certain to satiate the hungriest reader. As all gourmands know, the basis of a great Louisiana gumbo is the perfect roux, followed by the famous southern trinity, that aromatic blend of onions, celery and bell peppers, and then of course whatever carefully chosen ingredients the chef might use to give this classic Creole-Cajun dish its own unique characteristics. It's the same with excellent writing: it requires a foundation or "roux" (solid writing skills), the "trinity" to add stability and substance (plot, themes, and character development) and finally a liberal dose of artistically chosen ingredients - all of which are dished out in this entertaining story. As great cooks and writers know, there is one last ingredient that really kicks both gumbo and novels up a notch ("Bam!") and that is passion ("Bam! Bam!"). Mardi Gras Murders is as loaded with heartfelt passion as any great gumbo ever served up by the most famous Naw'leenz chef. These talented authors demonstrate their love and respect for the remarkably enduring people of New Orleans, as well as an obvious admiration for the city's rich cultural history. Mardi Gras Murders is a well crafted story told in large measure through the colorful native patois of its characters and set against the backdrop of post-Katrina heartbreak and cultural chaos. Mardi Gras Murders is about fractured people and fractured families striving to become whole; it is about the consequences of both healthy and unhealthy decisions and the pathologies - as well as the redemptive powers -- of love. This independently published work is more proof that this quickly expanding and very exciting world of publishing is rich in treasure and demands respect. Mardi Gras Murders should be right at the top of everyone's literary menu. (Maureen Gill, author of January Moon)