DEAD IN BED…WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

Good Irish Channel Catholic school girl that she is, Brandy Alexander’s a true and trusted friend—not to mention something of a detective-- so who else would you call if you found a full-blown murder mystery in your bedroom? Exactly. So when Brandy’s best friend Julia, the ex-stripper-turned hotelier, finds her first guest covered in blood, lying half on and half off a broken bed—with Julia’s panties swinging from the chandelier – she gets Brandy on the horn. Cool-hand Brandy assesses the situation, and carries out the only sensible course of action: first she makes a pot of coffee, then she calls the police.

And who should respond but her recent ex-boyfriend, Dante, with a brand new daggers-looking female partner. But wait! That isn't nearly complicated enough for Noo Awlins, where, after all, everybody knows everybody. Julia’s lawyer is none other than Jiff, Brandy’s new squeeze (and the reason Dante’s the ex-boyfriend).

But there’s still another complication, in the form of MY FRIEND’S BIG FAT POUFFY-SKIRTED ITALIAN WEDDING -- which will have every chick lit fan who ever put on a bridesmaid’s dress rolling on the floor! While Brandy and Jiff try to keep Julia out of the slammer, Brandy’s oldest school chum is getting married, and with eighteen bridesmaids, Brandy can’t escape being recruited, partnered with who else? Her favorite upstanding Italian member of NOLA’s finest - Dante.

As the suspense mounts, the romance blossoms, and not just one-- Jiff ‘s looking more and more like Mr. Right: a 100% Class Act, with his own Schnauzer and a soft spot for Brandy’s three. But Dante makes it clear that he doesn’t plan to go quietly; the former Mr. Right Next Door has a few very sexy moves he’s been holding in reserve, which knock Brandy’s socks – and truth be told, her panties--off!

With this one, Brandy’s fast becoming a female sleuth extraordinaire with a Big Easy flair, and cozy fans will be delighted to find her slapstick style a bit reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. Fans of Stephanie Bond, Jana DeLeon, Joan Hess, Lisa Lutz, Sarah Strohmeyer, and Elaine Viets may also find a kindred spirit in this New Orleans dawlin’.