Death by the Riverside by J.M. Redmann

Set among the moss-covered trees and wrought iron balustrades of southern Louisiana, this novel introduces us to Detective Michele Knight (Micky to her friends). Micky takes on the seemingly simple job of shooting a few photos for a client, but the going gets rough as Micky finds herself slugging through thugs and slogging through swamps in an attempt to expose a dangerous drug ring.

The trail leave to the Hundred Oaks Plantation, a mean man named Milo, a transvestite named Eddie, a beautiful doctor names Cordelia, and to memories Micky thought she had buries twenty years ago

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The San Francisco Chronicle called Micky Knight, `one of the most hard-boiled and complex female detectives in print today.` Kirkus Reviews claims, `Redmann has the makings of a landmark series.` Death By The Riverside is where it all began. Long out of print, the first adventure of Micky Knight introduces this sardonic and steamy New Orleans private detective and leads us into her world. `I suppose I should have known that tasteful blondes like her didn`t traipse down to my part of town and hire me to find their missing fiances. And I did have a feeling that she was going to lead me astray. I just thought that it was a direction I`d like to stray in. Now two very bad things have happened to me -- a lot of not nice men are pointing guns in my direction and I think I`ve fallen in love.`