The Devil's Muse - (Maureen Coughlin) by Bill Loehfelm (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

With The Devil's Muse, Bill Loehfelm returns with another gripping installment in his "edgy, dangerous, but pulsing with life" (Booklist) Maureen Coughlin series.

New Orleans's toughest female cop tackles her very first Mardi Gras

Now that she's back on the force and her work with the FBI is over, Maureen Coughlin should have a quieter life. Until Mardi Gras rolls around, that is. New Orleans's biggest and most infamous party, Mardi Gras may be fun for the revelers but it's hell for the NOPD, who try to keep the peace on streets jam-packed with drunken paradegoers and the thousands of tourists pouring into the city to join the action. With all that chaos, the city becomes a breeding ground for crimes of all shapes and sizes.

Maureen's Mardi Gras night starts with a bang when a man in pink zebra-print tights--and nothing else--runs past and throws himself onto the hood of a moving car. It only gets worse when she hears gunshots over the noise of the crowd. In the midst of the revelry, Maureen and her fellow cops must stabilize the shooting victims and hunt down the shooter, all while grappling with massive crowds, a camera crew intent on capturing the investigation for their YouTube channel, an incompetent on-duty detective, and race relations in a city more likely to mistrust cops than ever. It's going to be one very long night for Maureen.

Review Quotes

"An unforgettable parade and all the action you could ever want." --Susan Larson, WWNO

"Loehfelm simmers the various tensions--racial, police versus civilians, power struggles with the NOPD--like the finest of cooks stirring a pot of gumbo with a bomb in it . . . Loehfelm doesn't need showy murders or gory scenes to writes crime stories with grit that stay lodged in your brain and get under your skin in the best possible way." --Kirkus (starred review)

"Loehfelm conducts a master class in how a writer builds character from the smallest of details. Coughlin remains the star here--she's still one of the most compelling figures in crime fiction--but this time, the focus is on cops working together; it's a procedural in the best sense of the word, and it evokes Ed McBain at the top of his game." --Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)

"The fifth installment in this award-winning series is another riveting procedural. Setting, plot, and character are the essential components in this tough, smart crime novel, which effectively ramps up the tension and ties the disparate pieces together into a satisfying whole." --Library Journal