1 Mardi Gras Madness
Page 16
A very tall, slim, black woman with huge sunglasses and long, black hair that cascaded in waves down her back stood on the doorstep. She wore chunky high heels on her feet, skinny jeans, and a leather jacket with a fur collar that looked very expensive indeed. Behind her, six Louis Vuitton suitcases and two holdalls were piled up in the courtyard. Without so much as a greeting, the woman walked assuredly past Roxy and into the Funky Cat lobby.
“Oh, hello,” Roxy said, stepping back to give the woman room to pass. Who was she? The woman had walked in like she owned the place, a demeanor that Roxy suspected was her visitor’s default setting. Then she remembered who the woman was!
“Good afternoon,” the visitor said, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head. “I am Ada Okafor.” The woman eyed Roxy. “But I expect you knew that. I’m early, I know. I’m always early. The early bird catches the worm. Snooze, you lose.” She flicked her wrist and poked one forefinger into the air.
Roxy recovered quickly. “Great to meet you. I’m Roxy Reinhardt, part-owner and manager of this hotel.” Roxy stuck out her hand, but Ada didn’t seem to notice so Roxy gestured down at her apron, embarrassed. “Yes, um, I’m afraid we aren’t quite, um, ready for the grand entrance we wanted to give you.” What was happening to her? All Roxy’s confidence and excitement had evaporated at the sight of this officious, elegant woman.
“It’s fine,” Ada said, though her mouth twitched. She didn’t look impressed. “I will go to my room and do some editing on the mag while you,” she looked Roxy up and down, “pull yourself together.” Ada Okafor ran a travel magazine for rich Nigerians who wanted to jet-set around the world like she did. She had a huge international following on Instagram in the luxury travel market.
Ada looked around. “But who will carry my bags?”
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THANK YOU
Thank you for taking the time to read Mardi Gras Madness. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and very much appreciated.
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OTHER BOOKS IN THE ROXY REINHARDT SERIES
New Orleans Nightmare
Louisiana Lies
ALSO BY ALISON GOLDEN
FEATURING INSPECTOR DAVID GRAHAM
The Case of the Screaming Beauty (Prequel)
The Case of the Hidden Flame
The Case of the Fallen Hero
The Case of the Broken Doll
The Case of the Missing Letter
The Case of the Pretty Lady
FEATURING REVEREND ANNABELLE DIXON
Death at the Café (Prequel)
Murder at the Mansion
Body in the Woods
Grave in the Garage
Horror in the Highlands
Killer at the Cult
FEATURING DIANA HUNTER
Hunted (Prequel)
Snatched
Stolen
Chopped
Exposed
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alison Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of the Inspector David Graham mysteries and Reverend Annabelle Dixon cozy mysteries. As A.J. Golden, she writes the Diana Hunter thriller series.
Alison was raised in Bedfordshire, England. Her aim is to write stories that are designed to entertain, amuse, and calm. Her approach is to combine creative ideas with excellent writing and edit, edit, edit.
Alison is based in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and twin sons. She splits her time between London and San Francisco.
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https://www.alisongolden.com/roxy
For more information:
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alison@alisongolden.com
“A book is a device to ignite the imagination.”
~Alan Bennett
MARDI GRAS MADNESS
A Roxy Reinhardt Mystery
A timid traveler. A New Orleans Adventure. A Mardi Gras Murder…
Roxy believed that life never gives you more than you can handle. But when she's fired from her wage-slave job, bullied by her co-workers, and her boyfriend abandons her, she decides she’s handled quite enough. Eager for a change of scene, Roxy with her white Persian cat Nefertiti head off to New Orleans.
The exotic sights, smells, and food of Mardi Gras coax the shy young woman out of her shell. Booking a room at a rundown guesthouse, Roxy is surrounded by a colorful cast of local characters. From tattooed waitresses to mystical tarot card readers, she quickly makes new friends and leaves her old life behind.
But she soon discovers that the Big Easy isn’t all beignets and jambalaya. A wealthy developer is eager to buy the guesthouse where Roxy lives and tear it down… until he turns up dead as a doornail! Before she can say ‘Mon Dieu!’, Roxy is caught up in a diabolical murder mystery… and her new friends are the prime suspects!
Roxy is determined to protect her pals, and save her new home. But is this anxious adventurer up to the challenge of solving a murder? Or will she become the killer’s next victim…
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Text copyright © 2019 Alison Golden
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Mesa Verde Publishing
P.O. Box 1002
San Carlos, CA 94070
Edited by
Marjorie Kramer