The Devil in Her Way

Loehfelm’s excellent second novel featuring Maureen Coughlin takes the former Staten Island bartender to New Orleans, where she finds a fresh start with the NOPD and redemption trying to save one child from the violence of the streets. Although her first day as a rookie cop starts badly, with a suspect punching her in the stomach, the arrest uncovers a large stash of drugs and guns. But Maureen is more interested in two boys—one 12, the other an older teen—hanging around the crime scene. Her concern for the kids leads her to a shadowy figure who makes children into criminals before disposing of them. Aided by her training officer, Preacher Boyd, Maureen learns to be a cop and follow her instincts. Loehfelm meshes graceful prose with edgy suspense and an authentic view of New Orleans’ myriad neighborhoods, bars, and restaurants, where a “Café du Monde frozen au lait” is “the closest thing in this world to ambrosia.” Agent: Barney Karpfinger, the Karpfinger Agency. (May)