Redding is joined on her journey by Gertie and Ida, two elderly ladies who know everything there is to know about the town and, thus, prove particularly useful to Redding’s efforts. The more mysteries she solves, the more murders she encounters down the line, the harder it becomes for Redding to keep a low profile. Each new novel in the Miss Fortune Mystery series finds Fortune Redding facing off against a new murder mystery. However, her attempts only delay the inevitable. Redding is forced to investigate what could be murder if only to divert attention away from her person. Her situation is further complicated when her new dog discovers a body on her property. As such, the heroine struggles to find her footing in her new home. The protagonist has spent so many years undertaking CIA training and pursuing the Agency’s mission that she hasn’t had the time to hone her interpersonal skills. The Bayou town isn’t without its charm and any other operative would relish the opportunity to take a break from all the dangers that CIA work attracts. Posing as a former beauty queen, Redding does what she can to play the role of Sinful, Louisiana’s new librarian. Redding is assured that she only needs to stay off the grid for a couple of months while the leak at the CIA is plugged and her identity is secured once more. The situation isn’t expected to be permanent. To keep her safe, Fortune Redding’s boss forces her to settle down in the little town of Sinful, Louisiana. She made a litany of enemies.Īnd as a result, there is a substantial price on her head. Redding went a little overboard the last time she went to the Middle East. So she is less than amused when a leak at the Agency exposes her to trouble. She has slept, eaten, and breathed tactics, strategies, and training.

When she is first introduced to readers in Louisiana Longshot, Redding has dedicated the last several years of her life to the CIA. The books revolve around Fortune Redding, a woman whose luck runs out when her identity is leaked. So it comes as little surprise that the Miss Fortune Mystery series is set in Louisiana. Jana loves Louisiana not only the landscape but the culture and the people. Jana still remembers the several hours she spent exploring the bayous of Louisiana and studying its animal and plant life. She has written plenty of stories set in bayous the result of a childhood spent at a camp on a bayou that her family owned. Jana Deleon is a bestselling author who grew up in Louisiana.

Louisiana longshot by jana deleon