Dead and Breakfast

As many of you know, New Orleans is near and dear to my heart, so when I discovered the New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles, I was hooked. In Dead and Breakfast by Colleen Mooney, Brandy Alexander has finally moved out of her childhood home and away from her family and the entire family of Detective Dante Deedler. It seems the parents felt she and Dante were destined, but a kiss from a stranger at a Mardi Gras parade has led Brandy on a different course.

Brandy's friend Julia calls her in a panic to tell her there is a dead body in her B&B. Not sure what she can do, Brandy rushes to assist Julia. Unfortunately one of the first detectives on the scene is none other than Dante Deedler. It appears Dante is still interested in Brandy, although he had been aloof for years. Now because of Jiff Heinkel, his interest seems to have heightened.

The dead body turns out to be Gervais St. Germain, the on again

off again lead singer of the group called The Levee Men, and Julia has no recollection of how he died or what happened before she woke up this morning. Before you know it, Dante and his new partner take Julia into the police station for questioning and Brandy is left to figure out what is going on.

Somehow she winds up as the maid of honor at a big Italian wedding and spends some of her investigating time choosing hideous hooped bridesmaid dresses. It seems "Little Angela Tuddo" is getting married and to even out the overwhelming numbers of male attendants, Brandy is wrangled into being the 18th bridesmaid in a huge bridal party.

For now Julia has been released from jail, but when the former girlfriend of Gervais goes missing, her parents put the full court press on the police and media to find Violet. Violet, it turns out, was kind of a crazy person and it would not be beyond the realm of possibilities for her to have bashed Gervais over the head with the empty wine bottle.

This is a screwy romp through New Orleans and the family ties that bind you to your old neighborhood and high school. Very enjoyable trip through Nola.