I’m happy to announce the future release next year of a new Zeke Malone murder mystery entitled MARDI GRAS MADNESS.
Former NOPD detective Zeke Malone still has nightmares about the death of his wife two years ago. With no more stomach for police work, he sets up a small-time Private Eye office investigating small-time cases. He’s hired to follow the wife of a prominent New Orleans doctor who he suspects is having an affair.
Things escalate when she is murdered in plain sight behind the Crescent City’s most icon landmark—the St. Louis Cathedral.
Zeke’ teams up with his colorful old partner, Detective Bull, in the investigation.
Things spin out of control as the search leads to a case of mistaken identity, mass-shootings, police cover-ups, and a drug cartel smuggling drugs into the country via art objects destined for the art museum.
About half-way through, Zeke is confronted with an unexpected discovery: His dead wife may have been part of the smuggling operation.
Malone finds himself torn between seeking the truth or protecting the memory of his wife.
His moral dilemma leads him away from the glitz of Mardi Gras into the gritty underbelly of New Orleans, and, if he isn’t careful, he may not only lose the good image of his wife but his life as well.
The plot is full of jaw-dropping twists and turns to keep you holding your breath and guessing till the end. This is a tense thriller but told with enough humor to overcome its noir nature.
DeSoto is obviously a fan of hard-boiled novels and pays homage to three of his favorites authors: Raymond Chandler, Elmore Leonard, and Robert B. Parker. When asked, he said there must a hundred writers on his list.