Murder In The Atchafalaya (Hawk Theriot & Kristi Blocker Mysteries Book 1)

"Trixie’s
unblinking gaze fixed onto whatever follows death as her last breath
left her body."

A
lot of things can kill you in the Louisiana swamps, not the least of
which are water moccasins, alligators, and maybe even something
unworldly called a Rougarou. But as the body count rises in this
jambalaya mystery, it becomes apparent that the increasing death toll
is mostly due to some very bad villains and some very tough law
enforcers.

Kristi
is a young college graduate from West Texas recently hired and
trained by the Treasury Department. While on the hunt for two of her
colleagues, she manages to get herself assaulted and lost in the
Atchafalaya Basin. Hawk is an ex-military combat vet now working for
the United States Ranger Services. He’s asked by his old friend,
the Parish Sheriff, to try to find Kristi. What he finds is not only
the woman he’s looking for but also a hell of a lot of trouble.
Together, Hawk and Kristi wind up in the middle of ruffians,
counterfeiters, financial scalawags, and murderers. As they try to
figure out what’s happening and why, while continually staying one
step ahead of assassins, they begin to form a bond of respect,
friendship, and perhaps even more.

Author
Riley does a first-rate job of steeping the reader in the milieu of
South Louisiana and Cajun mores. From murders at mudbug fests to
menacing mosquito swarms to monumentally malevolent snake pits, he
puts the heat and humidly on every page. He’s also adept at weaving
a spider-webbed plot that is both intricate and credible. There’s
action, suspense, humor, and even a dash of romance in this gumbo of
a novel that promises to start a series of adventures for Kristi and
Hawk.