New Orleans can be a dangerous place. Especially for a prosecutor. Ryan Murphy is an assistant district attorney who likes her Tequila cold and her cops hot. With a mouth that doesn't know quite when to stop, her attitude plays well in front of a jury, but has a tendency to tick off judges, defendants, and other attorneys alike. Battling demons from her past and checking her self-destructive streak take a back seat to her ambition, and she's not above skating the line just a little to get what she wants. It seems her hard work is just about to pay off. If she snags a detective in the process, well, that's just a little lagniappe for her trouble. Life should be good. Enter a demented psycho, with a plan to ruin Ryan's life before he ultimately kills her. Set against the backdrop of pre-Katrina New Orleans, Gumbo Justice is the first in a series that follows the tumultuous life of prosecutor Ryan Murphy.
Holli Castillo has the pulse on law enforcement beyond the headlines in pre-Katrina New Orleans. Her background as a public defender lends her debut novel authenticity and a strong voice to prosecutor Ryan Murphy. Part police procedural, part legal drama, Castillo is a welcome addition to both genres.—Sunny Frazier, author of WHERE ANGELS FEAR and others in the Christy Bristol Mystery Series
