In New Orleans' historic Garden District, life is all about attending the right parties, impressing the right people, and making the right amount of money (a lot!) It's an attitude fifty-nine-year-old Charlotte La Rue has never really understood. She leads a quiet, simple, practical life—and it suits her just fine. Business is booming at her housecleaning service, Maid-for-a-Day—and in her down time, she loves reading mystery novels...

As the saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished." Charlotte LaRue knows she should take a broom and chase Joyce Thibodeaux off her front porch. Once married to Charlotte's tenant Louis Thibodeaux, Joyce is fresh out of detox and has no place to go. She pulls on Charlotte's heartstrings. . .and soon she's staying in Charlotte's guest room. Charlotte survived Hurricane Katrina, but Joyce proves to be an ill wind of a different kind. Charlotte knows...