Julie Smith

Going undercover as a housekeeper in the home of a corrupt judge, who is suspected of setting up those who would expose his illegal activities, Talba Wallis locates evidence about a network of bribes and kickbacks.

On the trail of Axeman, a 1990s reincarnation of New Orleans' notorious serial killer of the 1920s, detective Skip Langdon goes undercover in the city's hundreds of self-help groups to find the killer.

The author, a championship swimmer, recounts incidents from her own career and gives hints on various strokes, water activities, and safety precautions.

"In Jazz Funeral, Julie Smith once again takes us behind the scenes in New Orleans, with a multi-faceted story of murder, music, and family sorrow. This time, homicide detective Skip Langdon finds herself trying to solve the stabbing death of the universally beloved producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. To confuse the case further, the victim's sixteen-year-old sister has disappeared, and Skip suspects that if the young woman isn't herself the murderer, she's in mortal danger from the person who is. With her long-distance love, Steve Steinman, and her landlord, Jimmy Dee, to assist her, Skip trails an elusive killer through the steamy city that Julie Smith has claimed as her own fictional territory."--BOOK JACKET.