A Supernatural Speakeasy Cozy Mystery

Life in the French Quarter is quiet—which is exactly how Ofeila Archer likes it. She's making plans for Christmas, trying not to fixate on the fact that her mother is picking up trash as part of her community service, and otherwise just lazing about. Then life takes a turn, as it so often does in New Orleans, and her mother calls with a problem. It seems she's found a body. Ofelia and her fiancé Zach Sully race to Bywater and are shocked to find that Ofelia knew the victim. She went to school with him, and at one time, he was close friends with her brother Felix.

Christmas has come to the Quarter, and that means big things for Ofelia Archer. Her father is getting out of the hospital for a holiday visit, she’s about to meet two future sisters-in-law for the first time, and this is her first Christmas with her fiancé. She should be on top of the world. There’s just one little problem. Bodies are showing up around the French Quarter, what looks to be candy canes pierced through their hearts. When those candy canes are removed, some of the victims come back, and they’re different people.

Carnival is just around the corner, so New Orleans is enjoying the last gasps of the off-season. It should be a quiet time in the French Quarter, but nothing is ever truly quiet on Bourbon Street. When a man and woman walking home from dinner are attacked by a monster, Zach Sully and Ofelia Archer are called to the scene. The man is dead, killed in an instant, and the woman is shaken. She also happens to be Sully’s ex-girlfriend. As Ofelia looks into things—monsters are her specialty after all—disturbing stories start to emerge.

Ofelia Archer thought she’d faced off with every paranormal enemy known to man. She was wrong. She’s about to fight something even bigger than she ever imagined. The weird thing is the packaging is somewhat smaller. When at a Carnival parade, goblins descend and take Ofelia and her fiancé Zach Sully by surprise. The attack is quick and brutal. When the dust clears, one of New Orleans’ richest men is dead. Was that an accident or by design? As Ofelia and Sully start digging, they find a tangled web of deceit.

Mardi Gras is in full swing, which means the French Quarter is bustling with activity and overflowing with people. Ofelia Archer has her hands full and doesn’t need anything extra on her plate. Then the unthinkable happens.