A Miss Fortune Mystery

Latest release: February 20, 2024
Series
26
Books

About this ebook series

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon brings you the Miss Fortune series. 

It was a hell of a long shot....

CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever-in Sinful, Louisiana.

With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play.

Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed.

Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late.

Louisiana Longshot is a humorous mystery set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong woman sleuth in a fish-out-of-water storyline. Louisiana Longshot is the first book in the Miss Fortune series and appeals to readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. 

Louisiana Longshot is a free ebook at Google Play.

"Southern wit at its best!" - NYT Bestselling author Gemma Halliday

"Sinfully funny!" - NYT Bestselling author CC Hunter/Christie Craig

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

To learn more about Jana and her books visit her at:

http://janadeleon.com

http://facebook.com/janadeleonauthor

@JanaDeLeon

 

Louisiana Longshot
Book 1 · Sep 2014 ·
4.6
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon brings you the Miss Fortune series. 

It was a hell of a long shot....

CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever-in Sinful, Louisiana.

With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play.

Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed.

Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late.

Louisiana Longshot is a humorous mystery set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong woman sleuth in a fish-out-of-water storyline. Louisiana Longshot is the first book in the Miss Fortune series and appeals to readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. 

Louisiana Longshot is a free ebook at Google Play.

"Southern wit at its best!" - NYT Bestselling author Gemma Halliday

"Sinfully funny!" - NYT Bestselling author CC Hunter/Christie Craig

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

To learn more about Jana and her books visit her at:

http://janadeleon.com

http://facebook.com/janadeleonauthor

@JanaDeLeon

 

Lethal Bayou Beauty
Book 2 · Sep 2014 ·
4.7
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon brings you the second book in the bestselling Miss Fortune series. 

No one in Sinful liked Pansy Arceneaux, but who hated her enough to kill her?

When aspiring actress Pansy Arceneaux returns to Sinful, Louisiana to head up the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival, CIA assassin Fortune Redding knows she’s in for trouble. Her undercover identity as a former beauty queen make Fortune the perfect choice to chair the event with Pansy, but Pansy’s abrasive personality make it impossible to get through a single rehearsal without a fight.

When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune is the prime suspect.

Armed with only her wits and two conniving seniors referred to locally as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune launches an investigation to find the real killer before her cover is blown. 

Lethal Bayou Beauty is a humorous mystery set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong woman sleuth in a fish-out-of-water storyline. Lethal Bayou Beauty is the second book in the Miss Fortune series and appeals to readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. 

"Southern wit at its best!" - NYT Bestselling author Gemma Halliday

"Sinfully funny!" - NYT Bestselling author CC Hunter/Christie Craig

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

To learn more about Jana and her books visit her at:

http://janadeleon.com

http://facebook.com/janadeleonauthor

@JanaDeLeon

 

Swamp Sniper
Book 3 · Sep 2014 ·
4.8
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the third book in the Miss Fortune Mystery series.

When only a crack shot will do…

In the two weeks CIA assassin Fortune Redding has been hiding in Sinful, Louisiana, she’s been harassed, poisoned, and shot at…and that was the easy part. But now, she’s about to face her biggest challenge since setting foot in the tiny bayou town.

When mayoral candidate Ted Williams is murdered, everyone is surprised. Ted was a blowhole and a Yankee, but those usually weren’t good reasons to kill someone. When Sinful Ladies Society leader Ida Belle becomes the lead suspect in the crime, Fortune knows she’s got to solve a murder and save one of the only friends she’s ever had. 

But as the investigation begins, more and more secrets surface, and Fortune realizes that sometimes nothing is as it seems.

Swamp Sniper is a humorous mystery set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong woman sleuth in a fish-out-of-water storyline. Swamp Sniper is the third book in the Miss Fortune series and appeals to readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. 

Praise for Jana DeLeon:

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

To learn more about Jana and her books visit her at:

http://janadeleon.com

http://facebook.com/janadeleonauthor

@JanaDeLeon

Swamp Team 3
Book 4 · Sep 2014 ·
4.8
 From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the fourth book in the bestselling Miss Fortune series.

What’s a little arson between friends?

Undercover CIA agent Fortune Redding spent her first three weeks in Sinful, Louisiana dodging insults, makeup advice, guard dogs, bullets, and Deputy Carter LeBlanc, both professionally and personally. But just when she thinks things are going to settle down in the small bayou town, someone sets her friend Ally’s house on fire.

Carter, who’d just started pursuing Fortune on a personal basis, goes back into cop mode and admonishes her to stay out of his investigation. This time, he swears he won’t issue any warning before arresting her. But with her friend’s safety hanging in the balance, Fortune can’t resist taking matters into her own hands and calls on her partners in crime fighting, Ida Belle and Gertie, to help.

This is a mission for Swamp Team 3. 

Swamp Team 3 is a humorous mystery set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong woman sleuth in a fish-out-of-water storyline. Swamp Team 3 is the fourth in the Miss Fortune series and appeals to readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

"Southern wit at its best!" - NYT Bestselling author Gemma Halliday

"Sinfully funny!" - NYT Bestselling author CC Hunter/Christie Craig

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

To learn more about Jana and her books visit her at:

http://janadeleon.com

http://facebook.com/janadeleonauthor

@JanaDeLeon

 

Gator Bait
Book 5 · Oct 2014 ·
4.8
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the fifth book in the hilarious Miss Fortune series.

Things are starting to look up for Fortune Redding. Even though her life was at stake, the CIA assassin had balked at taking on a new identity in Sinful, Louisiana. But instead of hating it like she’d thought she would, Fortune now has friends she cares about and just finished up an incredible first date with the sexiest deputy in the state. Sure, there’s been a murder or two that she’s gotten mixed up in since she arrived in town, but she’s hoping all of that is behind her.

But when someone almost kills Deputy Carter LeBlanc, Fortune tosses her dreams of peace and quiet into the muddy bayou and shifts back into being the deadly trained professional that she is. With the help of Ida Belle and Gertie, Fortune launches a manhunt, intending to find a killer before he tries again.

Gator Bait is a humorous mystery set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong woman sleuth in a fish-out-of-water storyline. Gator Bait is the fifth book in the Miss Fortune series and appeals to readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

"Southern wit at its best!" - NYT Bestselling author Gemma Halliday

"Sinfully funny!" - NYT Bestselling author CC Hunter/Christie Craig

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

To learn more about Jana and her books visit her at:

http://janadeleon.com

http://facebook.com/janadeleonauthor

@JanaDeLeon

 

Soldiers of Fortune
Book 6 · Mar 2015 ·
4.7
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the sixth installment in the bestselling Miss Fortune series.

When Celia Arceneaux was elected mayor of Sinful, Louisiana, Fortune Redding expected trouble. The woman has an unmatched talent for making the worst of any situation, especially if it means getting revenge on her sworn enemies Ida Belle and Gertie.

At the Fourth of July celebration, an explosion rocks Sinful and it’s not from fireworks. Most people assume it was a moonshine still, but when evidence points to a meth lab deep in the bayous of Sinful, Fortune realizes how dire the situation is for the tiny town. With Carter on medical leave and no one left at the sheriff’s department who can handle the investigation, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie decide to take matters into their own hands.

This is (another) mission for Swamp Team 3.

Soldiers of Fortune is a humorous mystery set in the bayous of southern Louisiana. It has a cozy mystery feel and features a strong woman sleuth in a fish-out-of-water storyline. Soldiers of Fortune is the sixth book in the Miss Fortune series and appeals to readers of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

Hurricane Force
Book 7 · Sep 2015 ·
4.7
From New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the seventh book in the Miss Fortune series.

A force to be reckoned with…

During missions as a CIA assassin, Fortune Redding saw and overcame most every obstacle, but Sinful, Louisiana, keeps producing new challenges for her. When a hurricane blows through, it brings a shower of counterfeit money raining down on the tiny bayou town.

When the money is linked back to Ahmad, the arms dealer who issued the kill order on Fortune, everyone is worried that her nemesis is far too close for comfort. When Ahmad’s men turn up in Sinful, the situation becomes life-and-death for Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie, and Deputy Carter LeBlanc learns Fortune’s true identity.

As Swamp Team 3 rushes to locate the counterfeiter, Fortune hopes to take down Ahmad and free herself from her fake life. But will her relationship with Carter make it now that he knows the truth?

Fortune Hunter
Book 8 · Apr 2016 ·
4.8
 Someone has created a fake social media identity and is online romancing the lonely women of Sinful in order to scam them out of money. Because he always seems to pick the perfect targets, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie think he must be either a Sinful resident or someone with a close association to the town.

Playing with emotions for pay is dirty pool, but the game turns deadly when one of the women is murdered. Fortune decides the victim must have figured out who the scam artist is and threatened him with exposure. Deputy Carter LeBlanc is hard at work to find the gunman, but sometimes it takes a woman to expose a lady-killer. Fortunately, Swamp Team 3 is on the job.

Later Gator
Book 9 · Nov 2016 ·
4.8
A poacher is at work in Sinful, Louisiana, and Deputy Carter LeBlanc is hot on the trail of the outlaw, trying to apprehend him before the state gets wind of the crime and sends a game warden to take over his investigation. Unfortunately, he’s hindered every step of the way by Sinful’s current mayor and all-around horrible person, Celia Arceneaux, who wants nothing more than to drive Carter to resign.

When a game warden turns up with evidence that implicates a relative of Gertie’s, Carter is left with no choice but to arrest the boy, even though no one thinks he did it. With Carter under the watchful eye of Celia and the state, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie decide to catch a poacher…before he gets away. 

Hook, Line and Blinker
Book 10 · Jun 2017 ·
4.8
Nobody knows speed like Ida Belle.

Behind the wheel of her hopped-up Blazer, she’s the queen of the back roads. But when someone tries to kill Hot Rod and steals only black SUVs from his shop, Fortune worries that excessive horsepower is the least of the trouble that comes along with her friend’s new ride. When it becomes clear that the car thieves didn’t get what they were looking for the first time around and Ida Belle’s vehicle becomes their next target, Fortune and Gertie are determined to protect their friend.

Ida Belle is determined to protect the Blazer.

Change of Fortune
Book 11 · Feb 2018 ·
4.8
Sinful, Louisiana, is always a hotbed of activity, and despite the steamy heat, August is no exception. Godzilla is terrorizing the town, looking for a home-cooked meal, and Gertie is worried someone will take the gator out before she can get him under control. Francine has a situation of her own at the café, where food is missing from inventory. And Celia is always up to no good.

But summer is almost over, which could mean huge changes for Fortune Redding. Her undercover time in Sinful has always been limited to three months, and that time is almost up. With Ahmad still on the loose, Fortune is forced to remain in hiding, but soon she’ll have to move to another town and start all over with a new identity. And that’s the last thing she wants to do. Determined to get her life back, Fortune decides to draw Ahmad out and end this once and for all.

Can Fortune take down one of the most dangerous men in the world? And if she can, does she have a future in Sinful?

Reel of Fortune
Book 12 · Jul 2018 ·
4.9
Nothing says Welcome Home like a murder.

 

It’s official. Fortune Redding is out of the CIA and a newly minted resident of Sinful, Louisiana. She never expected her homecoming to be all apple pie and hugs, but a murder wasn’t on her list of things to deal with before she’d even gotten her name stenciled on her mailbox. 

 

Boone Carre—Hooch, to the locals—was a drunk and a louse and had shafted pretty much everyone he’d ever done business with. So when someone kills him, there is no shortage of suspects. Unfortunately, Ally is at the top of the list. 

 

Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie know that Ally isn’t capable of murdering anyone, but with an ambitious ADA looking to make a name for himself, and the local gossip train intent on finding someone to blame, they know they have to find the killer and clear Ally’s name.

Swamp Spook
Book 13 · Oct 2018 ·
4.8
When black cats roam, and spooks are seen,

Come celebrate, it’s Halloween.

 

Sinful, Louisiana, really knows how to throw a party, and it goes all out for Halloween. The weeklong celebration kicks off with a maze of horror in the park built of hay bales. And Fortune has the perfect assignment—the executioner. Her scene comes complete with a head block, a hatchet, and a fake body with removable head. It’s the perfect setup…for a crime.

 

When Fortune returns from break and realizes the body in her scene is a real one and not the prop, she knows trouble is coming. Before she can shake a broomstick, Celia Arceneaux has raised the alarm and the state police show up to take over the investigation. With Carter on the sidelines and Fortune the prime suspect, Swamp Team 3 sets out to catch a real monster. 

Fortune Furlough
Book 14 · Apr 2019 ·
4.8
It’s not a vacation until there’s a murder.

 

Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie are finally off to Florida on the vacation they’ve always talked about. Days filled with white sand, turquoise water, and fruity drinks are the only thing on the agenda. But when Gertie’s “hot date” turns up dead and she’s the number one suspect, they’re forced to hang up their bathing suits and shift to investigating mode.

 

They soon discover that Gertie’s beau was up to all kinds of shady behavior, leaving them with a long list of people who are happy he’s dead. But which one resorted to murder? 

Cajun Fried Felony
Book 15 · Jul 2019 ·
4.8
Venus Thibodeaux had a reputation for being trouble. Some said she started at birth. When she finally left Sinful shortly after turning eighteen, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. When she blew back into town four years later, no one was happy about her return. She immediately launched into her same old scams, picking off Sinful residents with ease before disappearing again as quickly as she’d appeared.


Everyone assumed she’d headed back to New Orleans.


But when an accident at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Run uncovers her body, everyone Venus took for a ride becomes a suspect. The man at the top of that list sees the writing on the wall and hires Fortune to figure out who killed Venus, before he goes to prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie start poking around into Venus’s complicated life, hoping to find the killer. And to solve their first official case.

Swamp Santa
Book 16 · Oct 2019 ·
4.8
It’s Christmas in Sinful and Fortune is set to participate in all the local hoopla. A Christmas gala, caroling, and a sleigh ride are on the agenda. Murder is not. But when someone bumps off Santa, Fortune is aware a killer is lurking among the holiday cheer. But with no client and no reason to interfere with a police investigation, it looks as if Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie will have to sit this one out.


Big and Little Hebert might be criminals, but they prefer no competition in their territory, especially someone brazen enough to kill a man at the Christmas gala. When they hire Fortune to investigate the man’s death, she gets her Christmas wish and Swamp Team 3 sets out to solve their final case of the year. 

Bullets and Beads
Book 17 · May 2020 ·
4.9
Let the good times roll?


It’s Mardi Gras time and Fortune is looking forward to seeing the spectacle firsthand, but when a visitor to Sinful is murdered during the celebration there, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t help but wonder what happened. As they start looking into the woman and the family in Sinful she came to visit, their investigation sends them to New Orleans, right at the height of the Mardi Gras celebration. But instead of relaxing a little and enjoying the festivities, Fortune can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. 


When she catches sight of her father in the Mardi Gras crowd, she knows why.


Unfortunately, her father’s presence in Louisiana has brought with it a host of terrorists, all with only one thing in mind—locate and terminate Dwight Redding. Can Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie manage to evade the killers long enough to figure out why Dwight has returned from the dead? And will knowing the answer make things worse or better?

Gators and Garters
Book 18 · Aug 2020 ·
4.9
‘Til death do us part?

Ida Belle, Fortune, and Gertie are gearing up for the big day—Ida Belle’s wedding to Walter—but when the caterer goes missing just a week before the big day, it puts a huge black mark on the joyous celebration. Molly Broussard is no stranger to being in the limelight, so when the former cage fighter turned in her boxing gloves for pots and pans, everyone who knew her was surprised…until they ate her food.

From all appearances, Molly took her boat out that day and simply never returned. An extensive search of the bayous finally produces the boat, but there is no sign of Molly. With no evidence of foul play, Sinful residents are ready to conclude that this is simply another tragic and all-too-common accident. 

Nickel Bordelon spent half of his time in trouble and the other half paying for it. But one thing he knows for certain—Molly was murdered. When he asks Fortune to take the case, she isn’t sure there’s anything to find, but his emotional plea has her agreeing to look into it. As Swamp Team 3 begin their investigation, they find more layers to Molly’s disappearance than in Ida Belle’s wedding cake.

Fortune Funhouse
Book 19 · Feb 2021 ·
4.9
Death is a roller coaster.

The traveling carnival has made its stop in Sinful and everyone is ready for thrilling rides, challenging games, and most importantly, funnel cake. But when a man is murdered in the funhouse and Emmaline LeBlanc is knocked unconscious so the killer can escape, the good times are over. Carter is beside himself wanting to hunt down the man responsible for putting his mother in the hospital, but he can’t investigate when he’s related to one of the victims. 

Palmer Reed was well known as a boy by most everyone in Sinful for being a sneak, a liar, and sometimes a thief. As an adult, he continued his reign of underachieving and mostly making people angry wherever he went. Now he’s a state police detective and is assigned to the case, but Fortune knows that to get Carter the answers he needs, Swamp Team 3 has to take on the investigation. As they dig deep into the confusion and lies that surround the murder, they uncover a secret that could devastate Carter and Emmaline, but Fortune is determined to discover the truth…whatever that may be.  

Frightfully Fortune
Book 20 · May 2021 ·
4.8
Rest when you’re dead?


It’s time for the annual Halloween festival in Sinful, and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t wait to suit up and enjoy the food and activities. But when a dead man gallops through the park on a black stallion and slides to a decapitated stop right in front of Swamp Team 3, they know another festival is about to be turned on its head…so to speak.


Gil Forrest never won any popularity contests and his dramatic and somewhat horrifying ride isn’t going to improve his statistics. But since his body was supposed to be tucked away in a funeral home, no one could explain how it ended up on a horse in the middle of the festival. Everything about the set-up is strange and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie suspect there is more to the Headless Horseman ride than just a tasteless prank. And they plan to find out what it is.