This is the first time I’m reading anything by Cheryl Bradshaw and Janet Fix and it won’t
be the last. These two authors have teamed up to write a story that is chock
full of mystery, drugs, survival, and lifelong friendships.  

So, let’s
meet Sloane, a private investigator and Maddie, a retired medical examiner. Two
best friends who are on vacation during the festival season (Mardi Gras) in New
Orleans. A place of fun, food, and seedy places. While waiting on Sloane to
return with a Canal Street Daisy, a bourbon-based drink infused with orange and
lemon, Maddie takes off to see what a couple was doing down a dark alleyway. Within
a few minutes of checking on the young woman she found lying on the filthy
ground, someone from behind a dumpster pierces her neck with a needle and she
is shoved into the back of an old sedan.  

Panic
ensues when Sloane returns, and Maddie is nowhere to be found. Sloane asks around
and is pointed in the direction of the alleyway where she finds the young woman still lying on the ground, Maddie’s phone,
signs of a struggle, and a freshly used syringe. She dials 9-1-1 to get the
woman some help. Later the woman is identified as a college student who died
from an overdose. And this kicks off Sloane’s investigation to solve this mystery puzzle
and find her friend. 

Overall,
this was a quick read. I loved the mystery, pacing of the story, the dialogue,
the descriptions, and Sloane’s investigative instincts. I also enjoyed reading
about the secrets being kept by some of the other characters. So, here’s to
reading another story in the series. Two thumbs up!  

Rating: 4
stars  

Some of my
favorite lines: 

He nodded.
“Yup, yup. I seen her,” he said, pointing across the way. “Ran over there.”

“How long
ago?”

“Not long.
Twenty, thirty minutes ago, I guess. I was curious about it, so I tried to keep
an eye out.”

“Curious
about what?”

“D’way she
darted across the street like dat. Looked upset.”

“Where did
she go after that?”

He
shrugged. “Dunno. I watched her for a minute, and then the floats and stuff got
in da way. Next time I looked, she’s gone.”

He spoke
with the Yat dialect that was so common to the area—a local. I found it
charming and challenging to understand at the same time.

“Gone,” I
repeated, looking in the direction he was pointing.

Sure
enough, no Maddie.

Originally Published on https://vocalexpressions.blogspot.com

Deliah Lawrence Attorney, Author, Blogger, Workshop Facilitator

Deliah Lawrence is a Maryland-based attorney and award-winning author of two romantic suspense novels (Gotta Let It Go and Gotta Get It Back) set in Baltimore. She’s also a blogger and workshop facilitator who writes poetry and short stories.

When Deliah isn’t writing, you can find her reading a book, indulging in her addiction to investigation discovery shows; or painting her yet-to-be exhibited oil artworks of landscapes, portraits or whatever else comes to her creative mind. Constantly on the go, she is also a member of the Black Writers’ Guild of Maryland and Sisters in Crime.