Margins
First and Fabulous book cover
First and Fabulous
Detective Debuts To Die For
2020
First Published
4.25
Average Rating
919
Number of Pages

THREE KICKASS FEMALE DETECTIVES WALK INTO ONE SPELLBINDING BOOK... We’ve compiled this little library for readers seeking addictive, action-packed, new female sleuth series. Each of these three books contains a gripping introduction to a fun, feisty, woman detective, each with many more stories to enjoy. The set’s like a cocktail mixer in a box—perfect for those who want to meet and mingle with a few different sleuths at once! If you hit it off, you can move into more serious relationships with all of them. First, we introduce Rebecca Schwartz, a quick-witted lawyer turned detective who solves mysteries in bustling San Francisco. In her debut, she starts out happily playing piano in a brothel—then ends up having to unpuzzle the murder of a dead hooker. This lively mystery manages to strike a balance between gritty and funny—with a few romantic entanglements, for good measure. It will appeal to both cozy readers as well as those looking for laughs and adventure. Next up is Skip Langdon: she’s a firecracker rookie cop whose hellbent on cleaning up the lush yet seedy city of New Orleans. Her series begins with the mid-Mardi Gras murder of a prominent uptown socialite. As a former debutante, Skip uses her white glove contacts to scour the New Orleans elite for the killer. Skip is so arresting that this gritty mystery won the 1991 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel. More hard-boiled than DEATH TURNS A TRICK, but definitely a match for those who love wit with their grit. Last, we’ve included New Orleans native Talba Wallis’s debut as a PI. Grumpy, old-school Eddie Valentino needs to team up with a sharp young IT addition to his out-of-date detective agency. Talba Wallis—a twenty-something computer wiz who also happens to be a poet and all-around free spirit—snatches up the opportunity, almost over Eddie’s dead body. This mismatched dynamic duo quickly gets on the case of a twisted, sociopath with a ton of recording industry clout. He should be no match for tech-savvy Talba and street-wise Eddie—if they can only leave their baggage at the door. A very fun read for those who like banter and sarcasm, yet with all the good will in the world.

Avg Rating
4.25
Number of Ratings
80
5 STARS
55%
4 STARS
21%
3 STARS
19%
2 STARS
4%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads

Author

Julie Smith
Julie Smith
Author · 42 books

Author of 20 mystery novels and a YA paranormal adventure called BAD GIRL SCHOOL (formerly CURSEBUSTERS!). Nine of the mysteries are about a female New Orleans cop Skip Langdon, five about a San Francisco lawyer named Rebecca Schwartz,two about a struggling mystery writer named Paul Mcdonald (whose fate no one should suffer) and four teaming up Talba Wallis, a private eye with many names, a poetic license, and a smoking computer, with veteran P.I. Eddie Valentino. In Bad GIRL SCHOOL, a psychic pink-haired teen-age burglar named Reeno gets recruited by a psychotic telepathic cat to pull a job that involves time travel to an ancient Mayan city. Hint:It HAS to be done before 2012! Winner of the 1991 Edgar Allen Poe Award for best novel, that being NEW ORLEANS MOURNING. Former reporter for the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE and the San Francisco CHRONICLE. Recently licensed private investigator, and thereon hangs a tale. Resident of New Orleans, Louisiana

548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2025 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved