Bad Day On The Bayou

The body of teenager Antwan Driggers is found handcuffed to a fence in a swampy area south of Mobile, Alabama. His throat has been slit. The cuffs preventing Antwan’s escape belong to veteran detective Russ Hampton, who is found just yards away unconscious and bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds. When he awakens 36 hours later in a hospital bed, Hampton is rebuked by his ex-wife, informed of his prisoner’s gruesome fate, and set upon by colleagues from homicide and internal affairs who demand explanations and answers that Hampton doesn’t have. A former clergyman, Hampton believes all that’s required of him is to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly…” But as a cop in trouble, this appears increasingly insufficient. Meantime, news media trumpet “Black Youth Slain in Police Custody.” Roiling speeches are delivered to restive crowds by itinerant justice warriors. Property is damaged, people are injured. The Department publicly puts Hampton on medical leave, but he’s informed that it’s administrative leave as well. Prioritizing damage control, PD command staff view Hampton as a liability. Unreported is the little-known fact that Hampton and Driggers were friends. Hampton knows the family; he’d promised Antwan’s mother he’d do all could to keep her son out of trouble. Vowing to find Antwan’s killer—with or without the department’s cooperation—Detective Russell Hampton embarks on a rogue investigation which triggers a rolling gunfight and two abductions, introduces him to political intrigue and an exotic dancer named Felanie, and leads him on an international manhunt. Praise for Bad Day on the Bayou: “Johnson knows the turf and it shows. Bad Day on the Bayou is a rich, evocative Southern cop novel that manages to be both bruising and thoughtful with characters who are just the right kind of flawed.” —Sgt. Adam Plantinga, San Francisco Police Department, and author of 400 Things Cops Know, Police Craft, and the forthcoming novel Nothing Like Easy “Reminiscent of Joseph Wambaugh’s police novels, Johnson’s Bad Day on the Bayou catches the essence of a complex murder investigation amid the conflicting political agendas of community leaders and local government. It will keep you turning the pages!” —Doug Lamplugh, 30-year law enforcement officer (local, state, and federal) and author of Murder at Mardi Gras “Mark Johnson’s Bad Day on the Bayou is the gripping tale of former clergyman turned cop Russ Hampton who, while in the line-of-duty, finds himself in a heap of trouble after a suspect in his custody is mysteriously murdered. Johnson is a master story-teller and as an ex-cop he knows the ins and outs of police work and uses his former life to give the reader special insight into what makes cops tick. Skillfully weaving in today’s news in a red-hot climate of mistrust and anger, Johnson has created a memorable character, in the tradition of Joseph Wambaugh and Michael Connelly.” —Charles Salzberg, two-time Shamus Award nominee for Swann’s Last Song and Second Story Man “Bad Day on the Bayou is one of those wonderful reads that can only come from a writer who has experienced the life. It is a book loaded with suspense, authenticity, and wonderful character development. Highly recommended.” —David Swinson, author of A Detailed Man and The Second Girl

Bobbie Faye Sumrall knows that a day without disaster is a day in someone else's life. Criminals have kidnapped her good-for-nothing brother and are demanding her Contraband Queen tiara--the only thing of her mama's she inherited--as random. So Bobbie Faye has to outwit the police, organized crime, former boyfriends, and a hostage she never intended to take (but who turns out to be damn sexy!), in order to rescue her brother, keep custody of her niece, and get back in time to take her place as Queen in the Lake Charles Contraband Festival (think Mardi Gras, with more drinking and pirates). Luckily, Bobbie Faye knows how to handle guns, outsmart angry mama bears, drive a speedboat, and get herself out of--and into--almost every kind of trouble. If only that pesky state police detective (who also happens to be a pissed-off ex-boyfriend) would stay out of her way . . . "Bobbie Faye is a true original and Toni McGee Causey a true talent!" --Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date and Love You To Death "I love Bobbie Faye's Very (very, very, very) Bad Day by Toni McGee Causey. The tears are still running down my cheeks from laughing. Oh, my. What talent. What verve. What NERVE!" --Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Spymaster

Louisiana is our most exotic state. It is religious and roguish, a place populated by Cajuns, Creoles, Rednecks, and Bible-thumpers. It is a state that loves good food, good music, and good times. Laissez les bons temps rouler -- let the good times roll -- is the unofficial motto. Louisiana is also excessively corrupt. In the 1990s, it plunged headlong into legalized gambling, authorizing more games of chance than any other state. Leading the charge was Governor Edwin Edwards, who for years had flaunted his fondness for cold cash and high-stakes gambling, and who had used his razor-sharp mind and catlike reflexes to stay one step ahead of the law. Gambling, Edwin Edwards, and Louisiana's political culture would prove to be a combustible mix. Bad Bet on the Bayou tells the story of what happened when the most corrupt industry came to our most corrupt state. It is a sweeping morality tale about commerce, politics, and what happens when the law catches up to our most basic human desires and frailties.

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon comes a mystery and romance from deep in the Louisiana bayous. Deputy Dorie Berenger knew the day would go from bad to worse when she found a stoned alligator in the town drunk’s swimming pool. Then DEA agent Richard Starke shows up in Gator Bait, Louisiana, giving out orders and tossing out insults faster than you can cast a fishing line. Dorie knows the residents of Gator Bait aren’t going to talk to a stranger, especially a Yankee, but she’s stuck with Richard until he catches his bad guy. With no other alternative to restore peace to the small town, Dorie agrees to help Richard catch a criminal and in the process, uncovers decades of secrets that have been hiding deep in the Louisiana bayou. Rumble on the Bayou is a humorous mystery and contemporary romance set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. Rumble on the Bayou has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong heroine, a sexy hero, and a ghost unlike any you’ve ever heard of. It appeals to fans of romantic comedy, cozy mysteries and also to fans of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. "Southern wit at its best!" - NYT Bestselling author Gemma Halliday "Sinfully funny!" - NYT Bestselling author CC Hunter/Christie Craig “DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews “I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews “Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader “Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction “The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger To learn more about Jana and her books visit her at: http://janadeleon.com http://facebook.com/janadeleonauthor

'Tis the season to be wary... Christmas is coming and all is far from calm in Pointe Judah, Louisiana. Newcomer Christian DeAngelo--Angel to his friends--is at his wit's end trying to manage Sonny, the hotheaded nineteen-year-old everyone believes is his nephew. In fact, Sonny is the orphaned son of a notorious mob boss, a protected witness...and Angel's responsibility. Angel has been commiserating with Eileen Moggeridge, whose lonely son Aaron has latched on to Sonny and gotten into deeper trouble than ever. But nothing could prepare Angel and Eileen for the boys' latest crisis: as they are horsing around in the swamp one afternoon, a shot rings out. Aaron is hit, but was the bullet meant for Sonny? Suddenly, goodwill toward men is in short supply and Angel doesn't know who's more dangerous: the hoodoo mystic with an eerie hold over the boys, the hit man roaming the bayou or Eileen's volatile ex-husband, Chuck.

When TJ Dunn enlisted in the US Army, she knew the combat and emotional risks. Six years earlier her father, an army veteran, killed himself. But TJ is tough, determined to carry her own weight as a soldier, until one day when her team is ambushed during a mission in Iraq. As the only survivor, TJ is left both physically and psychologically traumatized. Yet even as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her friends, she receives another devastating blow: her fiancé, stationed in Afghanistan, has taken his own life. Discharged from the army and back in the States, TJ is unable to cope. She spirals into an emotional daze, spending her days working at a suicide hotline and her evenings moonlighting as an exotic dancer. Her only outlet for her anger is a punching bag at the local boxing ring where she works out with a handsome trainer, Duffy. Just when she thinks she’s reached her limit, an anonymous phone call shocks her back to life and gives her a new mission, justice for those she loves and she won’t stop at anything to do it. Getting Dunn is a tension-filled military thriller that brings the reader insight into the mind of a struggling soldier fighting for her life. Praise for Getting Dunn: “Schreck's hard-hitting, plot-driven conspiracy thriller provides nonstop action with a dizzying blur of weaponry and covert activity. The characters come out of central casting, but are perfect for NCIS: Los Angeles or JAG fans. Schreck takes a new direction in this entry, although his series character Duffy Dombrowski plays a cameo role as TJ's sparring partner. Recommend to Merry Jones and Christa Faust readers, i.e., those who like really tough female leads.” —Library Journal

In the tradition of the modern classics The Tender Bar and The Liars’ Club, Blaine Lourd writes a powerful Gothic memoir set in the bayous and oil towns of 1970s Louisiana. In this rags-to-riches memoir of finding your way and becoming a man, Blaine Lourd renders his childhood in rural Louisiana­ with his larger-than-life father, Harvey “Puffer” Lourd, Jr., a charismatic salesman during the exploding 1980s awl bidness. From cleaning a duck to drinking a beer, Puffer guides Blaine through the twists and turns of growing up, ultimately pointing him to a poignant truth: sometimes those you love the most can inflict the most pain. Set against a lush landscape of magnolia trees and majestic old homes, haunted swamps and swimming holes filled with wildlife, Lourd gets to the heart of being a Southerner with rawness and grace, beautifully detailing what it means to have a place so ingrained in your being. Just as the timeless memoirs All Over but the Shoutin’ and The Liar’s Club evoke the muggy air of a Southern summer and barrels of steaming crawfish, so does Blaine’s contemporary exploration of what it means to find yourself among the bayous and back roads. Charting his journey from his rural home to working the star-studded streets of Los Angeles as a financial advisor to the rich and famous, Blaine’s story is about the complicated path to success and identity. With witty grace and candid prose, he pays homage to family bonds, unwavering loyalty, and deep roots that cannot be severed, no matter how hard you try.

“It echoed around my head. The carbon wing blade flexed in the water as I thrust like a man possessed. Past the point of no return, I was above the log jam. A broken blade, maybe even a missed stroke and that could be my last. The river was rough, it was ugly and I was bouncing like a cork.” Lovers of adventure will thrill at the task Steve Posselt set himself on the biggest kayak trip of his life. Up the Mississippi, through the canals of the US and the UK, down the Thames, across the channel and up the Seine to Paris. Crazy? Steve Posselt is a climate warrior, determined to raise the awareness of climate chaos and its impact on our daily lives. He set off from Canberra in January 2015 to drag his kayak through three continents and attend the Paris Climate Conference officially known as COP21. This is the story of what he learned about himself on the way. It is also the story of despair and redemption as a buoyant, enthusiastic movement embraced him when he finally returned home. A must read for every climate activist, adventurer and their friends.