Courting Death

J.Z. Mackenzie has been unlucky at love, though not for lack of trying on the part of her best friend, Samantha Devaraux. And things are about to take a turn for the worse. While Sandy Garrett seems warm, kind, loving, and reasonably well-balanced, the police seem to think that she murdered her ex-lover, prominent trial attorney, Chris St. James. It's always something. J.Z. learns of this startling development not long after sharing an intimate and passionate night with Sandy. So much for the warm afterglow. Sam, naïve creature that she is, has no doubt about Sandy's innocence. But then, Sam has never been overly concerned with logic or details. J.Z., a private investigator by trade, has nagging doubts, despite the warm tingly feeling she gets when she thinks about Sandy. After all, the police did find Sandy's fingerprint, smeared in the victim's blood at the scene of the crime. Reluctantly, J.Z. agrees to investigate the murder, hoping to unearth the truth about the brutal crime. But will the truth reveal Sandy's guilt or innocence? Renowned criminal defense attorney, Mavis "Slick" Weathers, a brilliant legal mind in a disheveled package, takes on Sandy's case. Along the way, we meet Ethel Hale, J.Z.'s feisty old neighbor who has trouble remembering who she is. Then there's Nealy Constantine, Sam's earthy significant other whose quiet and subdued manner belies her inner depth. There are plenty of other quirky characters, including J.Z.'s cats, Corey and Tasha, who have perfected the "happy tuna dance" and endless ways in which to torture each other. Join J.Z. and her friends as they weave their way through the clues in this humorous romp.