When her late-night "Crop Till You Drop" session is interrupted by the murder of a neighboring shop owner, scrapbooking queen Carmela Bertrand finds herself, as well as her customers, under the scrutiny of the police, forcing her to carefully assemble the clues to solve the crime.

In the terrible wake of Hurricane Katrina, Carmela has her hands full getting Memory Mine back in business and her relationship with her ex-husband, Shamus, back on its feet. But the reconciliation is shattered when Shamus is kidnapped from their home. And when Carmela hurries to tell Shamus's uncle, Henry, she finds him sitting in his library with a bullet through his forehead. Her problems come to a head when Shamus's odious sister kicks her out...

Jekyl Hardy is hosting a Mardi Gras party in his French Quarter apartment, amid Zydeco rhythms and popping champagne corks. On a wild night like this, anything can happen. The guests--including scrapbook-store owner Carmela Bertrand--never imagine it will be murder. But as the evening progresses, Jekyl's neighbor, float designer Archie Baudier, is found on the balcony choked to death with a barbed wire garrote. Buried up to her neck in strange clues,...

With the help of her best friend Ava Gruiex, scrappy sleuth Carmela Bertrand is building a giant monster puppet for the French Quarter's gala Halloween Monsters and Mayhem Torchlight Parade. But things get terrifying earlier than expected when they overhear an argument between Jekyl Hardy and Brett Fowler--and just minutes later they find Fowler's body, his heart pierced by the razor-sharp horns of a gigantic Minotaur head. But Carmela has known Jekyl...

Theres a parade rolling through the historic French Quarter, with gigantic floats, silver beads, and dizzying lights-and Kimber Breeze of KBEZ-TV is broadcasting live from a small balcony on the fourth floor of the Hotel Tremain, interviewing locals and capturing the spectacle down below. Her next subject will be Carmela Bertrand, owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking shop. Carmela has never been a fan of Kimber, but she isnt about to turn down the chance...

"An evening's work deciding on the class schedule for her scrapbooking shop has put Carmela in the mood to kick up her heels. But after some strange noises draw her into Oddities , the neighboring antiques shop, Carmela's night is abruptly put on hold when a bloody body falls out of a curio cabinet --and into her arms. While shop owner Marcus Joubert was known for being an eccentric with a penchant for eclectic merchandise, Carmela never thought he...

The Winter Market in the French Quarter is in full swing, but murder isn t taking a holiday in the latest from the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Parchment and Old Lace..." "" The holidays are a busy time for scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand but not so hectic that she doesn t have time to enjoy browsing the booths at the Winter Market with her best friend Ava. The last thing the ladies expect to see is a lurching man stabbed by a serving...

"It's Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and the giant puppets from the Beastmaster Puppet Theatre are parading through the French Quarter. Some are very spooky and veiled, others are tall and gangly, like strange aliens. As the parade proceeds, Carmela Bertrand and her best friend, Ava, follow behind, down Royal Street and past the food booths. Suddenly, they hear a terrible crash from Devon Dowling's antiques shop. They rush inside to find Devon collapsed...