Murder at the Pontchartrain by Kathleen Kaska
About Murder at the Pontchartrain:
Murder at the Pontchartrain
6th in Series
Setting - New Orleans, Louisiana
Anamcara Press LLC (June 15, 2023)
Paperback : 280 pages
ISBN-10 : 1941237940
ISBN-13 : 978-1941237946
“My name is Sydney Lockhart. I solve murders, most of which I’m the primary suspect.My boyfriend/partner, Ralph Dixon, and I came to the Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans to get married. Instead, Dixon’s in jail for a double murder. I’m in a swamp, spying on the KKK. Helping me untangle this mess is my bubble-headed cousin Ruth who’s undercover as a chef at the Pontchartrain. My twelve-year-old charge, Lydia LaBeau, dressed as a voodoo queen, is looking for clues at Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter. Rip Thigbee, a ghost detective, is my only hope.
I’m not making any of this up. This is my life and this is what I deal with, like it or not. So, mix yourself a Hurricane and join me in the Big Easy for another historic hotel murder case.”
Murder at the
Pontchartrain
By
Kathleen Kaska
Synopsis:
Private
detective Sydney Lockhart and her boyfriend/partner, Ralph Dixon, are headed
for New Orleans to tie the knot—again. Having been stalled on their first
attempt by some unfinished business dealing with their last case, Sydney and
Dixon are now in the Pontchartrain Hotel in the Big Easy. While their marriage
license rests at the courthouse for its 24-hour waiting period, they stroll to
the French Quarter to visit Rip Thigbee, Sydney’s friend from her previous
investigation. Rip owns Finder of Lost Souls, a detective agency dealing with
the spirits of murder victims whose cases remain unsolved.
When Sydney and Dixon are at Rip’s office, they learn he went missing
after investigating the disturbance of local businessman Frank Threadgill’s crypt.
Voodoo Queen Frida Mae, whose shop is located next to Thigbee’s, fears that bad
juju led to Threadgill’s death and has now infiltrated Rip’s business. Upon
returning to their hotel room, to plan their next step, they find Threadgill’s
wife, Mildred, waiting for them. Unfortunately, Mildred has been murdered. The
police haul the couple down to the station. Their alibi checks out, but they
are told to stick around for a few days. Soon a hotel housemaid is murdered,
and this time Dixon is arrested, and Sydney is on her own to find the killer.
Hearing of their predicament, Sydney’s bubble-headed cousin, Ruth, and
Sydney’s young charge, twelve-year-old Lydia LeBeau, show up to lend an
unwelcome hand. Ruth goes undercover as a chef at the hotel. Lydia, who can
talk the Pope into letting her assist in saying Mass, talks her way into the
famous Pat O’Brien’s bar, where the locals are eager to share what they know.
After interviewing Mildred Threadgill’s family, Sydney begins her investigation by delving into Frank Threadgill’s mysterious past and discovers that he isn’t who he claims to be. The business he once owned was a cover involving an organization of WWII war criminals and the local Ku Klux Klan. As Sydney gets closer to the truth, she is attacked and left for dead in a nearby swamp. With the help of a few jaunty Cajuns, Sydney makes it back to the city with enough evidence to get Dixon released. Ruth thinks she knows who the killer is. Lydia has her own theory and is convinced Ruth is wrong. Sydney doesn’t know who to trust, convinced that every witness she’s interviewed has lied. But her most shocking realization is that the biggest liar is her own future husband.
Excerpt from Murder at the Pontchartrain
“You’ve been busy, Mrs. Dixon.”
His face hardened. “Actually, it’s Miss Lockhart. Dixon and I aren’t married.”
Yet.
“If I were you, I’d pack it up and
head back to Texas.” He threw some change on the table. “I prefer to pay for my
own coffee. Don’t bother me again.”
“Before you leave, maybe you can
answer this question for me. What would Detective Bergeron say about all this?”
I heard my heart pounding in my ears. My throat dried.
His back turned to me. He paused.
That’s all I needed.
He sat back down. “You said
something about breakfast?” He picked up a menu.
“I take it you haven’t seen the
morning paper. Before you order, take a look at this.” I handed him the
newspaper.
Ivy laid the menu down. “Damn.”
The waiter came over. “How does the breakfast special sound, Mr. Ivy?” I said.
“Fine.” Elliott waited until the waiter left. “I didn’t kill my sister. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t open Frank’s tomb or mutilate his body, and neither did Walt Garrison. Frank was not who he said he was.”
“Tell me about him.”
About Kathleen Kaska:
Kathleen Kaska is the author of the awarding-winning mystery series: the Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series. Her first two Lockhart mysteries, Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus books for the Pulpwood Queen Book Group, the country’s largest book group. She also writes mystery trivia. The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book was published by Rowman & Littlefield. Her Holmes short story, “The Adventure at Old Basingstoke,” appears in Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street, a Belanger Books anthology. She is the founder of The Dogs in the Nighttime, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Anacortes, Washington, a scion of The Baker Street Irregulars. Watch for Murder at the Pontchartrain: the 6th Sydney Lockhart Mystery in June 2023.
Website http://www.kathleenkaska.com
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