1920s New Orleans: a city of bootleg gin, hot jazz, gangsters and voodoo. Slave shacks and swamps form the backdrop for gritty crime and dark, dark secrets...On a summer night in 1927, in a slave shack on his family estate, infamous lawyer Charles St Claire has been found brutally murdered. In the big house stands his wife. Remy Lelourie is a hometown girl made good - a glamorous Hollywood filmstar and one of the most beautiful women in America. She is covered in bruises and soaked in her husband's blood.As in any small town, suspects, lawyers and the police all know each other - and all of them know the prime suspect. Many, including the investigating detective, are her former lovers. As each works to his own agenda, the layers of deceit, entangled relationships and false pretensions build into a delicious and dark portrayal of unforgettable people, in a time and place like no other.