Rhode Island Red

A New York Times Best Mystery Novel of the Year

'This year's most original fictional detective - a sassy, black intellectual and saxophonist who is plunged into mayhem when an undercover cop gets killed in her apartment' Good Housekeeping on Rhode Island Red

The first book in the Nanette Hayes series introduces us to New Yorker and jazz-loving street musician Nanette, whose love life leads her into some very hot water.

Nanette's day is not off to a good start. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Walter is off. . . again, and when she offers a fellow busker a place to stay for the night he ends up murdered on her kitchen floor. To make matters worse, the busker turns out to have been an undercover cop. And his former partner has taken an immediate and extreme dislike to Nanette. When she finds that the dead man stashed a wad of cash in her apartment, cash that could go to help his blind girlfriend, Nanette's desire to do the right thing lands her in trouble.

Soon she's on the hunt for a legendary saxophone worth its weight in gold. But there are plenty of people who would kill for the priceless instrument, and Nanette's new beau just might be one of them.

Originally published in the 1990s, this stylish piece of noir is an original and page-turning read starring an unforgettable heroine.

PRAISE FOR THE NANETTE HAYES MYSTERIES:

'The sweet, clear sound of Nanette's musical voice keeps us on her corner, tossing all the change we've got' The New York Times on Rhode Island Red

'This Grace Jones lookalike with a degree in French is a splendid creation' Sunday Telegraph

'A terrific novel, from those witty, subversive opening sentences, to the edgy, melancholy and very satisfying ending' Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland

“'Nanette Hayes may be the most charismatic crime-fiction heroine to appear in the last decade' - Booklist'This Grace Jones lookalike with a degree in French is a splendid creation' - Sunday Telegraph'The sweet, clear sound of Nanette's musical voice keeps us on her corner, tossing all the change we've got' - The New York Times on Rhode Island Red'This year's most original fictional detective - a sassy, black intellectual and saxophonist who is plunged into mayhem when an undercover cop gets killed in her apartment' - Good Housekeeping on Rhode Island Red”

'Nanette Hayes may be the most charismatic crime-fiction heroine to appear in the last decade' Booklist
'Style's the thing in this breezy, sexy mystery narrated by Nanette, a French-speaking, sax-playing street musician' Publishers Weekly
'A terrific novel, from those witty, subversive opening sentences, to the edgy, melancholy and very satisfying ending' Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland
'Charlotte Carter has . . . the practical discipline needed to craft functional, human sentences [that] flow one into the next without embellishment or posturing' Crime Times
'This Grace Jones lookalike with a degree in French is a splendid creation' Sunday Telegraph
'The sweet, clear sound of Nanette's musical voice keeps us on her corner, tossing all the change we've got' The New York Times on Rhode Island Red
'This high-spirited tour of Paris has terrific charm . . . with the infectious energy of eternal youth' The New York Times on Coq au Vin
'Funky scenes of New York's musical underworld . . . [a] sweet and saucy narrative voice' The New York Times on Drumsticks
'This year's most original fictional detective ­- a sassy, black intellectual and saxophonist who is plunged into mayhem when an undercover cop gets killed in her apartment' Good Housekeeping on Rhode Island Red
'The love affair between jazz, black musicians and Paris is an eternal story; Carter illuminates it with rare intelligence and a gripping vortex of thrills, feeling and wit' Time Out on Coq Au Vin

CHARLOTTE CARTER is the author of an acclaimed mystery series featuring Nanette Hayes, a young Black American jazz musician with a lust for life and a talent for crime-solving, and the critically acclaimed literary noir novel Walking Bones. Her short fiction has appeared in a number of American and British anthologies. Charlotte Carter has lived in the American Midwest, North Africa, and France. She currently resides in New York City.

A New York Times Best Mystery Novel of the Year 'This year's most original fictional detective - a sassy, black intellectual and saxophonist who is plunged into mayhem when an undercover cop gets killed in her apartment' Good Housekeeping on Rhode Island Red The first book in the Nanette Hayes series introduces us to New Yorker and jazz-loving street musician Nanette, whose love life leads her into some very hot water. Nanette's day is not off to a good start. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Walter is off. . . again, and when she offers a fellow busker a place to stay for the night he ends up murdered on her kitchen floor. To make matters worse, the busker turns out to have been an undercover cop. And his former partner has taken an immediate and extreme dislike to Nanette. When she finds that the dead man stashed a wad of cash in her apartment, cash that could go to help his blind girlfriend, Nanette's desire to do the right thing lands her in trouble.Soon she's on the hunt for a legendary saxophone worth its weight in gold. But there are plenty of people who would kill for the priceless instrument, and Nanette's new beau just might be one of them.Originally published in the 1990s, this stylish piece of noir is an original and page-turning read starring an unforgettable heroine. PRAISE FOR THE NANETTE HAYES MYSTERIES: 'The sweet, clear sound of Nanette's musical voice keeps us on her corner, tossing all the change we've got' The New York Times on Rhode Island Red 'This Grace Jones lookalike with a degree in French is a splendid creation' Sunday Telegraph 'A terrific novel, from those witty, subversive opening sentences, to the edgy, melancholy and very satisfying ending' Margo Jefferson, author of Negroland

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