Profitable Little Pageant
Mardi Gras in the Big Easy usually means celebration. This year, the air smells of tear gas and desperation. My mission: a clean hit on Elliot Warren Caldwell, a defense-tech billionaire who trades human misery for profit, burying his black-site detention centers deep in the Louisiana bayou.
But between the volatile protests choking the French Quarter and the alligator-infested depths of the swamp, "clean" is a luxury I can't afford. My only guide through this chaos is Marc Baptiste, a ghost in the bayou who's known Jane's payroll for decades, as adept at keeping secrets as he is at handling a gas mask. Our path leads to Caldwell's private fortress: a grotesque "disposal system" where the music never stops, the guards stay drunk, and the swamp takes care of the rest.
When Caldwell arrives ahead of schedule, crashing his own date with death, I'm faced with a brutal choice. Follow Jane's cold orders, or unleash a storm of vengeance that will stain the bayou far deeper than any secret.
- Marin - Professional assassin
- Jane - Marin’s agent
- Elliot Caldwell - Marin’s target, tech billionaire
- Marc - Marin’s New Orleans contact
- Maria - Detention center prisoner
- Yasmine - Marc’s wife
- Marin arrives in New Orleans while it’s in the midst of Mardi Gras and ICE protests.
- One of Elliot’s men fires into the crowd to cause chaos, and more of his men begin grabbing people and taking them to Elliot’s detention center.
- As everyone flees, Marin shoots and kills a man with a swastika tattoo that is stomping on a young man.
- Marin and Marc sneak into the detention center, incapacitate two guards and put on their uniforms.
- Elliot instructs Marin and Marc to bring Maria to his room and put her on his bed.
- Marin slits Elliot’s throat.
- Maria bolts from the room.
- Marc frees the detainees and Marin sets up a controlled burn.
- Marc and Marin escape by boat as the detention center goes up in flames.
- Marc tells Marin the mission was personal because Elliot hurt his wife Yasmine.
Marin brings a distinct sense of purpose to her jobs, and this fast-paced assignment stands out because the stakes go far beyond eliminating a single target. It is all about protecting the hundreds of innocent lives this bad guy has shattered. Her dynamic with her contact, Marc, worked well for me because their interactions are strictly business and zero flirting, keeping the focus entirely on the mission rather than forcing an unnecessary romance. There was a good little twist pertaining to the kill that I found intriguing as well. If you like capable assassins, and high-stakes vigilantism, then you will enjoy this book.
- False imprisonment
- Attempted sexual assault
- Murder
ASIN: B0GNH74GCT
Publication Date: February 14, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
