House of Blues — Julie Smith

After prominent New Orleans restaurateur Arthur Hebert is murdered in his beautiful Garden District home, three family members suspiciously vanish: Hebert's daughter, who was soon to have taken over the management of his restaurant, his ex-addict son-in-law, and his small granddaughter-all missing without a trace. A kidnapping gone wrong? Homicide Detective Skip Langdon thinks it's possible, but why should the kidnappers have taken three hostages when one would have been enough?

Skip's hunt for a murderer and the missing Hebert heirs embraces worlds within worlds-the elegant, dangerous Garden District, the French Quarter, the seedy Treme, broken-down projects, exclusive mansions, and lowdown bars. It takes her into places where the city's dirty business is transacted, and those where life is mostly madness, sadness, and badness. It may even take her to her death....