Rampart Street (valentin St. Cyr Mysteries)

From Shamus award winner David Fulmer comes another mystery in his acclaimed Storyville series.
Just returned to New Orleans and only recently having solved the case of the jass murders, Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr is reluctantly drawn into the investigation of a new murder--that of a well-to-do gentleman on seedy Rampart Street. Soon another society man turns up dead, and the only potential witness is the man who's now keeping Justine, Valentin's old girlfriend, as his paramour. As Valentin probes deeper, the city's most powerful leaders pressure him to drop the investigation. What could he be getting close to, and what nerves might he unwittingly strike? "Rampart Street" is David Fulmer's most heart-pounding mystery and his soulful detective's most dangerous case yet.

"You can almost taste the gumbo . . . Fulmer's languid, conversational style perfectly matches the Crescent City setting with its complex web of murder, corruption and betrayal."--"San Francisco Chronicle"

"A bittersweet trip to New Orleans . . . the journey is a blues-soaked pleasure."--"The Christian Science Monitor"

"The sense of place is so palpable you can almost hear the music. Fulmer's writing is crisp and nuanced. Valentin is a hero for whom it's easy to cheer." --"Detroit Free Press "

DAVID FULMER's first novel, "Chasing the Devil's Tail," was a finalist for the "Los Angeles Times" Mystery/Thriller Book Prize and the winner of the Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel. Fulmer lives in Atlanta.

As the third Storyville mystery begins, Creole detective Valentin St. Cyr has just returned to New Orleans. Having only recently solved the case of the jass murders, he is drawn reluctantly into the investigation of a new murder--that of a well-to-do gentleman on seedy Rampart Street. When another wealthy society man turns up dead, the detective learns that the two victims were acquainted years ago. In a spider's web of coincidence, the second murder has been witnessed--or has it?--by the man who's now keeping Justine, Valentin's old girlfriend, as his paramour. Valentin probes deeper even as the city's most powerful leaders pres-sure him to drop the investigation. What could he be getting close to, and what nerves might he unwittingly strike? David Fulmer has created a heart-pounding mystery in this, his soulful detective's most dangerous case yet.