Murder By The Bayou (Louisiana Murder Mysteries Book 1)

A Fishing Trip Gone Fatally Wrong in the Heart of Louisiana

When Lucky Stryker ditches school for a day of fishing, he and his friends witness something they were never meant to see: a body being dumped into the murky bayou. Seconds later, gunshots ring out. One boy is hit. The others run for their lives.

Enter Niki Dupre, Louisiana’s most tenacious private investigator. Called by Lucky in a moment of desperation, she saves the boys—only to discover that the victim is none other than Caleb Glover, the richest man in the state. Now, Niki is a loose end in a high-stakes murder involving a twisted web of wealth, lust, and betrayal.

As Niki digs deeper, she uncovers the dark secrets of a deeply dysfunctional family: a trophy wife half the victim's age, a son drowning in gambling debt, a daughter scorned by a forbidden affair, and a beautiful assistant with ambitions far beyond her job title. Everyone had a reason to want Caleb dead—and now they want Niki gone too.

Gripping and atmospheric, Murder by the Bayou is a southern mystery steeped in danger, deception, and the slow-boil tension of the Louisiana heat.

Read Murder by the Bayou today and follow Niki Dupre into the swamp—where secrets don't stay buried for long.

Excerpt from the book

Lucky Stryker didn't need to see well to follow the familiar path through the woods. That was fortunate because the dense fog settled down to the brown pine needles. Reaching the clear creek, the fourteen-year-old deftly stepped on the flat stone in the middle with his bare foot and hopped to the other side.

He topped the next ridge and broke out of the treeline into the clearing that surrounded the blue water. It was Friday, and he was supposed to be in the eighth grade at Blanton Junior High. But it was spring and good weather. Lucky and two buddies saw no reason to sit in class on such a beautiful day. Fishing was a much better alternative.

Even though Lucky was close to the fishing hole, he still couldn't see Cliff Hand and Joey Lobell. He heard them, though. They were down by the water's edge and snickering about something. Probably about LaDonne Hood, the most beautiful girl in eighth grade in Lucky's opinion. Her rust-colored hair framed a perfectly freckled face. Her body was too young to form an hourglass figure, but she had more sand in hers than the other girls her age. And the sand filled all the spots important to a teenage boy.

Cliff Hand was much like Lucky, big for his age but not heavy. Lucky laughed when he got close enough to see him. Cliff dressed in cut-off jeans and a pink floral shirt. Lucky had never seen him wearing anything that feminine. Cliff went on the defensive before Lucky had a chance to tease him.

"It's my sister's," the boy said. "Mom put it in my drawer by mistake. It was dark, and I didn't turn on the light. It ain't my fault."

"Looks good on you," Lucky laughed. "I think you should wear pink more often. Heck, you might start a new fashion in Blanton."

"Ain't never gonna catch me in pink," Joey said.

He was taller and heavier than the other two boys. Joey was, by far, the biggest kid in eighth grade, but was slow, both physically and mentally. Lucky could be far down the road in a conversation while Joey was putting his brain in gear.

"They probably don't make frilly pink tops in your size, anyway," Lucky retorted. "You don't have to worry about it."

"Don't matter, no way," Joey scoffed. "Pink is for sissies."

They heard a boat motor heading their way from the direction of the bridge. Little did the three boys know how it would change their lives forever.