Drumsticks
by Charlotte Carter
Can voodoo magic turn Nanette Hayes's luck around—or will a tragic murder curse her life forever? Nanette Hayes, a high-styling, saxophone-playing street musician and reluctant amateur detective, is in a slump. Deep in the throes of a post-affair depression, Nanette is busy drowning her sorrows in bourbon and making enemies. To boot, her breakup has a body count. The son of a high-bourgeois doctor, a hip-hopster wannabe, is just one of the fatalities. With no zest for life and no taste for new adventures—not even the attentions of a fatally handsome new lover—heartbroken Nanette is at rock bottom when she receives a gift from sweet old Ida Williams, a crazy-looking voodoo doll named Mama Lou. Nanette doesn't believe in black magic, but her luck is beginning to change. A missing check arrives the moment she really needs it. Suddenly she's the most popular street musician at 53rd and 7th. Best of all, she's offered a regular gig in a jazz trio...