Bayou Bloodline

Rachelle Toussaint's world is turned upside down when her twin brother, Michie, dies from a fall from a balcony, forcing her to return home to New Orleans and take control of the family's cruise line. Rachelle does not believe her brother's death was an accident or a suicide. She believes he was murdered...and the prime suspects reside under the roof of the family's opulent, historic mansion... Rachelle's vicious stepmother and two stepsisters. The spice in the gumbo is the pregnant stepsister Amanda's engagement to Charles-Michel Toussaint. However, in accordance with the family will, the child she carries cannot inherit the family fortune. The fortune can be inherited only through the legitimate bloodline...in this case, Rachelle. Michie had physical and mental problems resulting from the time he spent in the Army as a captive in the Middle East, and Rachelle wonders if Amanda's child actually belonged to Michie. Handsome and charming Lieutenant Marcus Laborde is in charge of the investigation and is captivated by the beautiful Rachelle. His efforts to discover how Michie died are sidetracked by a series of slaughters of young prostitutes, victims of a slaver network. Headstrong Rachelle finds the police procedures too slow. Forensics proves Michie was under the influence of exotic drugs when he died. Rachelle learns the drugs may have come from the Shadow Bayou Voodoo traiteur Mirabelle Lebeau. Rachelle forms an unlikely alliance with Mirabelle to solve the mystery of her brother's death and suspects her cruise line is being as a pipeline for the slavers to move women about the country. Rachelle fears family members may be involved with the slavers, and her snooping puts her own life in danger. As Rachelle wades deeper into the family swamp, long dead secrets emerge, and she discovers the people she trusted are capable of heinous crimes.