So Small a Carnival

Meet Wes Colvin. He's the kind of guy who's on his way up and out--up from police beat reporter and out of New Orleans. A horrible mass murder in his favorite French Quarter bar offers him a one-way ticket to fame and fortune. This is the kind of story Pulitzer Prizes are awarded for.

Why? Among the victims of the bloody massacre is Auguste Lemoyne, a member of one of New Orleans's most important old families and, half a century ago, a deadly foe of the populist governor and redneck hero Huey Long.

As Wes Colvin begins to dig into the story, he realizes that more may be riding on it than a Pulitzer. His own life, for example. As well as his sudden fascination with Lemoyne's beautiful granddaughter, who could be just the friend he needs. Or something else entirely.