French Quarter [Hardcover]

Stella Cameron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

When New Orleans businessman Errol Petrie hires Celina Payne to represent "Dreams"--a company that caters to the whims of the wealthy and uses the profits to fund the wishes of dying children--her newfound happiness is soon shattered by Petrie's untimely death.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stella Cameron's French Quarter is an entertaining and suspenseful romantic thriller that offers something for everyone: murder, passion, lust, greed, organized crime, and political ambition, all skillfully blended and served up with a Cajun flair.

In contemporary New Orleans, beautiful and talented former Miss Louisiana Celena Payne is thrown into an uneasy partnership with Jack Charbonnet when a mutual friend, Errol Petrie, is killed. As the two slowly piece together a complex puzzle of murder and intrigue, Celena fears for her safety as enemies begin to emerge, including her own ne'er-do-well parents, an ambitious politician with his own plans for her, and the vicious gangsters linked to Jack through his parents' mob connections. Her growing feelings for Jack are mingled with a distrust that she must overcome, while Jack's own tormented past just may keep him from Celena's arms.

For readers who like their murder mysteries enlivened with a touch of steamy romance, French Quarter is a fast-paced and engaging choice. The perfect summer read. --Lisa Wanttaja

From Publishers Weekly

Mystery, more than romance, defines Cameron's (The Best Revenge) appealing if conventional first outing into hardback romantic suspense. Peopled by standard types?growling mob boss, simpering drag queen, pushy newspaper gossipmonger, unscrupulous evangelists, conscienceless politicos?in a cartoon New Orleans, the novel nonetheless succeeds in weaving a taut web of murder and sexual liaisons (the latter sometimes played out in dog-ear-worthy pages of steamy lust). Jack Charbonnet, part owner of a riverboat casino, is thrown together with a former Miss Louisiana, Celina Payne, when her boss, Errol Petrie, is murdered. Jack's wife died four years ago in murky circumstances; Celina is pregnant after a rape by a man whose identity she conceals. Their decision to marry, for respectability's sake, long precedes the predictable resolution of their mistrustful relationship and the more interesting exploration of the connections among Celina's parents, Errol's spiritual guides and Senate-hopeful Wilson Lamar. Cameron's exploration of family?from mob loyalty to parental betrayal?lends a certain thoughtfulness to the work.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 371 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; illustrated edition edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575663120
• ISBN-13: 978-1575663128
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,207,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stella Cameron is the New York Times best selling author of the acclaimed Court of Angels Series, the Bayou Books and many others. There are fourteen million copies of her books in circulation worldwide. She is the recipient of the Pacific Northwest Achievement Award for distinguished professional achievement and for enhancing the stature of the Northwest Literary community. She lives in Washington State.

Stella's current titles include OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF BODY and OUT OF MIND from her critically acclaimed Court of Angels series as well as her recent exclusive eBook releases BREATHLESS (contemporary romantic-suspense) and BARGAIN BRIDE: A NOVELLA (historical romance).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Susepenseful romance with New Orleans backdrop, September 22, 2001

By 

"mariedodson" (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French Quarter (Paperback)

This is the first Stella Cameron book I have read. I was very impressed. I loved the hero, Jack, and he definitely had the sensualness of a southern Cajun man. The suspense was sustained throughout the book and I literally did nothing for a whole day until I finished reading it. And it is truly a nail biter!

Marie from Ohio

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FANTASTIC READ!!, February 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: French Quarter (Hardcover)

I own many of Stella Camerson's books, some where great reads and other's a great disappointment. Not so with FRENCH QUARTER. This is a fabulous book telling the love story of Jack Charbonnet and Celena Payne. Their story is filled with murder, suspense, humor, and a passionate love. Both characters grow throughout the book, learning to trust and depend on one another. Jack's daughter Amelia is a wonderful little girl whose rare adult intelligence is amazing. Other characters such as Dwayne, whose humor is absolutely comical, and Celina's brother, Cyrus, a sexy priest, are also intriguing additions to the story. This is a wonderful read. You'll love it. Trust me!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Sizzles!, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: French Quarter (Hardcover)

French Quarter drips with the humid and romantic atmosphere that is New Orleans. Stella Cameron serves it this up with the mystery and intrigue that are her hallmark. Celina Payne is a former beauty queen with a painful past and a dark secret. Hiding that secret becomes more difficult when her employer dies in a sudden and compromising manner. Celina believes in the vision of the late Errol Petrie: Dreams, a company that funnels money from the wealthy to make the wishes of sick children come true. Celina will do her best to keep Errol's foundation alive. Should the way in which Errol died become public, the elite upon whose funding Dreams relies might spend their money elsewhere. Jack Charbonnet is Errol's best friend and a major benefactor of Dreams. When Jack's wife died he was left with questions surrounding her death and a young daughter to raise. As a child Jack's parents' were brutallly murdered. Jack has been on the long, patient road to revenge ever since. Jack wants to preserve Errol's good reputation but at the same time will not allow Celina's secrets, and he is sure she has secrets, to get in the way of his life's work. Can two people with troubled pasts fill the voids in each other's hearts and souls? Can two people survive when powerful and ruthless people decide it is time for them to be silenced forever? If you did not pick this up in hardback, don't miss the paperback. Don't plan on sleeping until you finish reading it either.