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This is the first in the Skip Langdon series. This first book was published in 1990. So, there is no modern technology involved in solving the case, just good old fashioned leg work.
Chauncey St. Amants, the King of the Carnival, is killed during the Mardi Gras parade by someone dressed as Dolly Parton.
Having grown up in the same circles as the upper-crust family , the St. Amants, Skip Langdon is assigned to homicide for a little while so she can get a little insider gossip.
Skip has gone against her family's wishes by becoming a cop and has her own bitter feelings about her family. So, it is easy for her to relate to some members of the St. Amant family.
As with a lot of old money families there are old scandals and shocking secrets. Since Skip has been shut out by the two homicide detectives working the case, she sets out on her own and works the investigation from an entirely different angle..... and someone tries to scare her off.
Skip is not the tough talking old school detective type, and she is not the typical cop. She's tall and carries a little weight. She follows her own rules, but tries to do the right thing, however unorthodox it may seem. Skip's private thoughts were funny, as that's the way most of us feel when talking to people we know are full of it. Her relationship with Steve was hard for me to figure out. I wasn't sure if she would stick it out with him or not, although I know he wanted to stay with her. I would like to think that someday we will get an update on some of the characters in this book. I'd like to see where they all ended up.
This book was nothing like the other series by Julie Smith that I read. This book is much grittier and darker. I thought I had things figured out a few times, only to find I was wrong. Then I thought I was right again, then no. It was back and forth for long time. The ending was a shocker. I felt just like Skip did! But, it was also really believable.
I am looking forward to reading more in this series. Over all I give this one an A