Three woodland friends confront Mardi Gras litter and remind everyone to keep the environment clean.

What sort of creatures may have haunted the Mardi Gras festival and who may have said farewell to the flesh in a horribly unique way (and why and how) are the subjects of this collection of murder stories set in New Orleans.

The festival of Mardi Gras is a tradition dating back more than 200 years. Its roots can be traced back to the Latin 'carnivale', which means - roughly - 'farewell to flesh'. The premise was simple: a time of great feasting prior to the time of fasting that traditionally begins with Ash Wednesday.

Just a fun girls' weekend in New Orleans during Mardi Gras...except for the murders. Chantilly Romero held an important place as a mover and a shaker within the New Orleans business world. An upstanding member of the community, everyone admired and respected her. But she had her secrets. Did she run an illegal high-stakes poker game out of her whiskey distillery? Had her bodyguard committed a few dastardly deeds, so Chantilly could profit? Did Chantilly's husband die by his own hand, or did she help him along to the pearly gates? Regardless, the police never found proof of any wrong doing. Did someone take matters into their own hands? This book is the fourth of the Small-Town Girl Mystery Series.

MARDI GRAS: Beads, Belles, and Balls, transports the reader via verse and prose snapshots through seven days of Carnival distilled from Jack Beachs three decades in the toujours gai Lower French Quarter in New Orleans. Savor the anticipation when parades, balls, and strip bars are in full swing. Funky and glamorous; crazy and hilarious. At long last, Mardi Gras Day! Fantastic costumes flood the streets. Join the crowds. Kiss a pregnant nun! Fall in love! Then, the gray specter of Ash Wednesday and price tag of Lent: the long good-byes and heading home. Memories and mementoes to last a lifetime. After Hurricane Katrinas devastating assault this fall, you will cherish this superb record of how it was and, pray God, will be one day again.

Thirteen tales of crime set during the bacchanalia that is Mardi Gras. Featuring stories from Harriette Sackler, Marian Allen, Debra H. Goldstein and Nathan Pettigrew. The mayhem of Mardi Gras is served with a healthy dose of Cajun dishes and an unhealthy number of deaths. Dig into Bourbon Street Lucifer, Voodoo Honeymoon, a dish of Red Beans and Ricin, and other deadly treats.

By popular demand, we present the sequel to Mardi Gras Murder. Mardi Gras Mysteries offers seventeen tales of crime, mayhem, and murder set during the celebration and licentiousness of Carnival.For a savory sample of New Orleans lore, take a sip of "A Prayer to Momus" by DJ Tyrer or "Carnival Carnage" by John Kiste. For a dish of redemption and revenge, returning author and Louisiana native Nathan Pettigrew serves up "The Steel Pelican." Is a mystery with a literary flavor more to your taste? Try "The Brass Menagerie" by DG Critchley. If you prefer a racier seasoning, there's "Unholy Beads" and "Gussy Saint and the Case of the Three-Boobed Woman." For the deepest bowl of intrigue, we end with "Keep Your Head Up," a thriller by Tom Andes.