Limoncello Yellow

Having just returned from New Orleans, it seems appropriate to review a book set in New Orleans. In Limoncello Yellow by Traci Andrighetti, Franki Amato discovers she is not cut out for police work, so she decides to join her friend Veronica Maggio at Private Chicks, Incorporated, in New Orleans.

Veronica sets Franki up in a bordello-style apartment across the street from a cemetery. Franki, superstitious because of her Sicilian heritage, doesn't think this is a good sign for her future success. When she meets her flamboyant landlady, former stripper Glenda O'Brien, she almost heads back to Austin.

On her first day at work, she discovers her office is situated in the French Quarter, conveniently located very near the iconic Cafe du Monde. Will she manage to solve cases or just spend her time eating beignets and drinking chicory coffee?

Her first case involves a financial advisor Ryan Hunter, who is the primary suspect in the murder of

his ex-girlfriend Jessica Evans. She was found strangled in a store she managed. Brusque, rude and not forthcoming about his relationship with Jessica, Hunter is not the ideal client, but Franki dives right into trying to solve the case.

Hunter portrays his ex-girlfriend as a vindictive, secretive bitch and he admits they had a verbal fight that drew the police. This makes him the leading suspect. Franki and Veronica try to learn more about the victim and they meet with their inside informant, a woman they call "Betty Friedan," a crime analyst for the New Orleans PD.

After some research, Franki discovers Jessican Evans was using a different name and was tied to a long-ago murder that took place in London. This information leads Franki to one of society's richest families and the son who was acquitted of the London murder and to the family of the first murdered woman.

Limoncello Yellow leads Franki through some of the iconic sites of the French Quarter, - The French Market, Jackson Square, Marie Laveu's Voodoo Shop, Bourbon Street and Royal Street. I had a great time reliving my lastest trip and watching Franki unravel this very complicated and confusing case.

I look forward to more of Franki's adventures in Nola.