Bad Blood in the Bayou

Some cases never thaw.When a rare snowfall blankets New Orleans, former forensic photographer Jessica Martin uncovers something far colder than the weather: a forgotten box of police files connected to the disappearance of five-year-old Dana Tucker.The case has been frozen for years, but one photograph catches Jessica’s trained eye. A detail others overlooked suggests Dana’s disappearance may not have happened the way investigators believed-and that someone went to great lengths to bury the truth.Working alongside Detective Baker and an unexpected ally with secrets of his own, Jessica follows a trail of missing records, false identities, fractured families, and long-held lies. Each clue draws her deeper into a mystery stretching far beyond New Orleans, where the difference between protecting a child and concealing a crime has become dangerously blurred.But reopening a cold case means disturbing people who believed the past was safely sealed away. As old loyalties unravel and hidden connections come into focus, Jessica must trust her instincts and use every investigative skill she possesses to discover what really happened to Dana Tucker.Atmospheric, suspenseful, and rich with authentic investigative detail, Bad Blood in the Bayou: Freeze-Frame is the third book in Julie Belmont’s An LA to LA Cozy Mystery series, featuring a determined woman sleuth, an unforgettable New Orleans setting, and a mystery where every answer reveals another layer of deception.A missing child. A forgotten photograph. A truth waiting seventeen years to be developed. 6