Saint Lolita: LaStanza Series Book 9 - Paperback

by O'Neil De Noux (Author)

THE SETUP: Private-Eye Dino LaStanza meets with his friend FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Office where he is asked to assist in the recovery of the largest red diamond every discovered, stolen by the Nazis and currently on the small Caribbean island of Saint Lolita. THE PLAN: LaStanza goes to the island with a fake wife, FBI Special Agent Marisa Vecchio, a movie star Virna Lisi look-a-like, all blond hair, pretty face, sleek body and mischief in her blue eyes. He's to lure out a girl he knew a few years back, a girl suspected of purloining the diamond. Donna Maria Diaz was 17 when LaStanza worked her father's murder case and she fell for LaStanza. She is in hiding and will seek him out once she learns he's on Saint Lolita. Yeah. Right. THE COMPLICATION: LaStanza's not about to go, doesn't give a damn about a lost diamond until his wife's father, Alexandre Louvier, steps into the conference room. The nearly-priceless diamond is owned by the Louvier family and since it's a family matter - well, that's a different thing. SAINT LOLITA is a lush, green Caribbean isle, western-most of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. There are friendly constables, unfriendly European thugs, nude beaches, howler monkeys, the rising lust from steamy days and carnal evenings. With the occasional dead body, LaStanza's back where he belongs - investigating homicides. SAINT LOLITA is the ninth novel in the LaStanza New Orleans Police / Private Eye Series. The previous novel in the series, THE LONG COLD, was a finalist for the Private Eye Writers of America SHAMUS Award.

Author Biography

O'Neil De Noux brief bio Born in New Orleans, O'Neil De Noux is a prolific American writer of novels and short stories with 35 books in print and over 400 short story sales. Much of De Noux's writing is character-driven crime fiction, although he has written in many disciplines including historical fiction, children's fiction, mainstream fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, religious, romance, humor and erotica. Educated at Archbishop Rummel High School before attending Loyola University and securing a Bachelor of Science degree in European History at Troy University in Alabama. He is a US Army veteran and worked as an FBI Clerk and with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, where he served in the Intelligence Division, the Regional Organized Crime Center and as a road deputy. Promoted to homicide detective, Mr. De Noux earned seven commendations before being named Homicide Detective of the Year. He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville. A lucrative position as chief investigator with a New Orleans private investigative firm drew Mr. De Noux into private practice for eight years. He returned to law enforcement and retired in 2017. O'Neil De Noux's writing has garnered a number of awards including the UNITED KINGDOM SHORT STORY PRIZE, the SHAMUS AWARD (given annually by the Private Eye Writers of America to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction), the DERRINGER AWARD (given annually by the Short Mystery Fiction Society to recognize excellence in short mystery fiction) and POLICE BOOK of the YEAR (awarded by PoliceWriters.com). Two of his stories have been featured in the prestigious BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES annual anthology (2003 and 2013). In 2012, O'Neil De Noux received an Artist Services Career Advancement Award from the Louisiana Division of the Arts for BATTLE KISS, a 320,000 word epic of love and war set against the panorama of the Battle of New Orleans. His other novels include USS RELENTLESS, a saga of the US Navy in the Age of Sail, and the World War II novel DEATH ANGELS. He is a past Vice-President of the Private Eye Writers of America. For additional O'Neil De Noux material, go to: http: //oneildenoux.com