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Skip Langdon is a police officer in New Orleans. Her father, a doctor is a social climber and has disowned her for becoming a cop. Skip had gone to all the fancy schools that the girls from her father’s wealthy patients had gone to but recently has become a cop because she had wanted to do something that did some good with her life.

Skip is brought up close and personal with her past association with the St. Amant family during Mardi Gras. She is on crowd control along the parade route that Rex the Mardi Gras king is taking on Mardi Gras Day. Recognizing him she realizes it is Chauncy St. Amant. She watches as he is shot to death in front of her by someone dressed like Dolly Parton.

When she attempts to go after the shooter, she gets tangled up with a filmmaker who is making a documentary about Mardi Gras. She then realizes that the home the balcony belongs to is Chauncy’s best friend.

Skip is brought into the investigation because of her ties to the upper crust of New Orleans. We are brought into the dysfunctions of the St. Amant family with all of their secrets and distorted memories. Smith does a good job presenting the situations from the different perspectives of each character.

As the investigation moves along an acquaintance is rekindled with Marcelle, Chauncy’s daughter with whom she went to school. A relationship with Steve the filmmaker develops after he tells her he got the murder on film. He ends up being a help to her throughout the book.

The book was fast-paced and very enjoyable. I loved the New Orleans Southern setting. They say there is no placed like New Orleans.

This is the first of a series of twenty books. This book is from around 1990. I have just come across it on one of the sites I get my kindle books from. I plan to read the entire series.

I give it 4.5 stars.