Legend has it the loup-garou, a shape-shifting fiend with a human body and the head of a wolf, prowls the swamps of Louisiana looking for its next meal.

Sure, the concept of a flesh-eating Cajun werewolf may seem far-fetched, but for the people of New Iberia parish, the legend is something to be feared.

The story begins when Deputy Ramond Thibodeaux stumbles upon the gruesome scene of Adele Herbert, the town outcast, crouching over the ravaged body of Henry Bastian, a wealthy plantation owner.

In all the horrors he witnessed while fighting in the war, he’d never seen anything that chilled him so deeply.

“For one long moment he stood and stared at the woman. At what lay at her feet. At the blood glistening in the moonlight on her hands and face and the rivulets of it tracing the path of the rain along the dirt road. At the long, twisted ropes of intestines that had been pulled from  the savaged abdomen of the dead man.”

And so begins Haines’ chilling story of murder and mysticism in post-World War II Louisiana. With the townsfolk in a panic about the loup-garou on the loose, Raymond is determined to restore order. Although his neighbors believe the woman is a mythical were-creature, Raymond suspects she was set up.

Tormented by the atrocities of war, Raymond feels a strange connection to Adele. After the death of her twin boys and the suicide of her sister, she lost everything, including her sense of reality. Haunted by guilt and wartime flashbacks, Raymond knows his only salvation is to prove Adele’s innocence and possibly give her a chance to rebuild her life.  

When a child goes missing and Adele breaks loose, the town spirals into a frenzy. And Raymond is forced to seek out the killer before it’s too late. With some help from a mystical healer and the town mistress, Raymond pieces together the clues and discovers something far more sinister than a loup-garou is at work.

Will Raymond prove Adele’s innocence before the townsfolk burn her alive?  What twisted secrets lie behind the walls of the Bastion plantation home? You’ll have to read to find out!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Haines’ cozy Bones mystery series, but I love it when she takes a spin on the dark side! Just like James Lee Burke and Joe Lansdale, she has a real talent for creating a deliciously atmospheric Southern mystery filled with complex characters.  

Whether her books are dark and spooky or cozy and warm, Haines knocks it out of the ballpark every time.  Keep ‘em coming Carolyn!

Want to know about this talented author? Well then check out her Q&A.