[Skip Langdon 01] • New Orleans Mourning

This insider tale of Uptown New Orleans intrigue won the Edgar for Best Novel and remains the iconic New Orleans mystery, covering all the great Louisiana themes—Mardi Gras, race, corruption, and of course, the drive-in daiquiri stand. Rookie cop Skip Langdon, working a parade detail on Fat Tuesday, is on the scene when Rex, the King of Carnival, is murdered, but she’s shocked to be assigned to the case. Seems the brass thinks a debutante-turned-cop might be an asset in the rarefied world Rex moved in. NEW ORLEANS MOURNING is the first offering in this beloved series, one of the first to usher in the era of the not-so-perfect female sleuth. Skip, with her insecurities and weight worries, is the real treasure here, a testament to the notion that a really great cop can also be a lot like the rest of us.