From Publishers Weekly
Shankman's witty mystery is the second to feature ace investigative reporter Samantha (Sam) Adams, last encountered in Then Hang All the Liars , which appeared under the pseudonym Alice Storey. Sam is visiting from Atlanta when she witnesses a car with a masked driver run down a member of an aristocratic New Orleans family during Mardi Gras. The victim's relatives, motivated by a lucrative insurance policy, hire Sam to determine whether there was foul play. She discovers that the victim, an alcoholic ophthalmologist, had blinded one patient and botched numerous operations. When the family has second thoughts about Sam's sleuthing, she enlists the help of a sexy insurance investigator and a voodoo priestess in locating enemies of the deceased. The trio make some enemies themselves as they uncover sordid details about the victim's life. Sam finds that the Big Easy is neither, and that Mardi Gras is not the only time its citizens conceal themselves behind masks. Shankman's engaging characters speak in authentic Southern dialogue and engage in swift repartee, and if her heroine is endowed with a few too many perfect attributes, readers will be charmed by her spunky style.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Beauteous Samantha Adams, Atlanta journalist, visits New Orleans school chum Kitty for Mardi Gras. Sam gains entree to all the privileged parties, but uses her status to question family members about the hit-and-run death of Kitty's brother. She vies for information with handsome (younger) insurance investigator Harry Zack, nephew of Kitty's brother, so an interesting contest--heightened by mutual attraction--develops between the two. As they sort through mismatched people and illogical clues, the author pokes fun at Southern traditions and mannerisms, while at the same time steeping the reader in New Orleans atmosphere. A little bit corny and coy, but generally amusing and fun.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
