His critically acclaimed debut, Cold Steel Rain, was "a complex, seductively dark story" (The Dallas Morning New's) that proved Kenneth Abel "is more than able to write a gripping crime drama that will beguile readers" (Midwest Book Review).
Now Big Easy lawyer Danny Chaisson. returnsto settle an explosive dispute between the Old South and the new. In a small town north of New Orleans, a forgotten slave cemetery has become a drinking hangout for a group of white teenagers. Racial tensions begin to spiral out of control, ultimately erupting in violence. And Dannyhired by a property developer to protect his propertyfinds himself on the wrong side of an emotionally charged struggle over land, power, and tradition.
"There's no shortage of literature depicting New Orleans as a cesspool of sin and corruption. Kenneth Abel justhappens to do it better than most people....
His gift for language and storytelling comes across on every page."San Francisco Chronicle
"This is the rare book that doesn't hit even one wrong note. Abel nails dialogue...so well that you keep going back and savoring the words and phrases. And there's plenty of action.When I finished the last sentence...I said, 'Wow.' Out loud."The New Orleans Times-Picayune
"Among the best new crime series."Booklist (starred review)