Rampart Street

As the third Storyville mystery begins, Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr has just returned to New Orleans. Having only recently solved the case of the jass murders, he is drawn reluctantly into the investigation of a new murder–that of a well-to-do gentleman on seedy Rampart Street. When another wealthy society man turns up dead, the detective learns that the two victims were acquainted years ago. In a spider’s web of coincidence, the second murder has been witnessed–or has it?–by the man who’s now keeping Justine, Valentin’s old girlfriend, as his paramour. Valentin probes deeper even as the city’s most powerful leaders pressure him to drop the investigation. What could he be getting close to, and what nerves might he unwittingly strike? St. Cyr is a great character, and the fascinating city and its larger-than-life denizens intrigue as much as the complicated plot. – Publishers Weekly Fulmer improves with each outing in this ambience-drenched series, displaying a subtle touch with human relationships, especially those that traverse New Orleans’ fluid color line. – Booklist