Louisiana Fever: An Andy Broussard/Kit Frankly Mystery

The paths of two unrepentant killers are unexpectedly linked as their deadly intentions play out in steamy New Orleans. One is a pathological smuggler of rare birds. The other is a small insect, the carrier of a deadly virus and a passenger inside one of the birds. One of the first to fall victim to the virus is the smuggler's partner, who dies just as he's made contact with Kit Franklyn, an expert in criminal psychology, who, with her sleuthing partner, medical examiner Andy Broussard, has appeared in four previous books, most recently New Orleans Requiem. Donaldson entertains even as the gruesome death count mounts. The icy logic of Roy, the human killer, is effectively offset by rotund, good-natured Andy's mental agility. Both he and Kit confront serious, life-threatening dangers and some life-changing realities before the predators are effectively contained. Against the humid, wild and funky Crescent City setting, Donaldson delivers some genuinely heart-stopping suspense, such as the moment the insect assassin crawls purposefully across a kitchen floor in search of an open wound and fresh blood. (June)