A fun, fast-paced book, first in a series of urban fantasy novels filled with wizards, mermen, and pirates that are perfect for readers of paranormal fiction and "fans of Charlaine Harris and Cat Adams" ( Booklist). RT Bookreviews agrees that "for readers missing Sookie Stackhouse, this series may be right up your alley." As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco's job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ's boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond. Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans' fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters. While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover. To make it worse, Gerry has gone missing, the wizards' Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ's new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the serial killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter gumbo. The Sentinels of New Orleans Series: Royal Street River Road Elysian Fields Pirate's Alley Belle Chasse “Equal parts paranormal romp and homage to NOLA, I raced down Royal Street . Not only is this book an enchanting urban fantasy debut, but it's also one of the most sensitive and honest depictions of post-Katrina NOLA I've read.” ― Nicole Peeler, author of Tracking the Tempest “Rarely has an urban fantasy so moved and entertained me on the very same page! Royal Street offers an insider's view of post-Katrina New Orleans, in all its heartache--and all its heart. A witty, resilient heroine and an irresistible cast make this a sure hit with fans of Charlaine Harris and Jim Butcher.” ― Jeri Smith-Ready, award-winning author of the SHADE and WVMP RADIO series Suzanne Johnson lives in Auburn, Alabama, and works as associate editor of Auburn Magazine . She is a veteran journalist with more than fifty national awards for writing and editing nonfiction. She is the author of the urban fantasy novels Royal Street and River Road . Royal Street By Suzanne Johnson Tor Books Copyright © 2012 Suzanne Johnson All right reserved. ISBN: 9780765327796 Royal Street FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2005 "Once [Tropical Storm Katrina] moved over the gulf today, it was expected to wheel north, pick up speed and hit the Florida Panhandle on Sunday."--THE NEW YORK TIMES CHAPTER 1 A secluded Louisiana bayou. A sexy pirate. Seduction and deceit. My Friday afternoon had the makings of a great romantic adventure, at least in theory.In practice, angry mosquitoes were using me for target practice, humidity had ruined any prayer of a good hair day, and the pirate in question--the infamous Jean Lafitte--was two hundred years old, armed, and carrying a six-pack of Paradise condoms in assorted fruit flavors.I wasn't sure what unnerved me more--the fact that the historical undead had discovered modern prophylactics, or that Lafitte felt the need to practice safe sex.Nothing about the pirate looked safe. Tall and broad-shouldered, he had dark-blue eyes and a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as he watched me set two glasses and a bottle of dark rum on a rickety wooden table. A tanned, muscular chest peeked from his open collar, and shaggy dark hair framed a clean-shaven face. A jagged scar across his jaw reminded me the so-called gentleman pirate also had his ruthless side.He'd arrived by way of a stolen boat at this isolated cabinnear Delacroix, a half hour outside New Orleans, to pursue two of the world's most timeless pleasures: sex and money. I'd met him here to play the role of a gullible young wizard falling under the spell of the legendary pirate, at least for a while. Then I'd do my duty as deputy sentinel and send his swashbuckling hide back to the Beyond, where he could rub shoulders with other undead legends and preternatural creatures unfit for polite human company.My hand shook as I poured the rum, sloshing a few drops of amber liquid over the side of the glass. I'd finally been given a serious assignment, and I needed it to go without a hitch.Lafitte's fingers brushed mine as he took the drink, sending an unexpected rush of energy up my arm. " Merci, Mademoiselle Jaco--or may I address you as Drusilla?"Actually, I'd prefer he didn't address me at all. Despite his obvious hopes for the evening, this wasn't a date. "Most people call me DJ.""Bah," he said, taking a sip of rum. "Those are alphabet letters, not a name."From beneath the red sash tha