Nancy Lemann’s The Ritz of the Bayou finds the heart of a 1980s political scandal. by Maria Browning & Chapter16.org The Ritz of the Bayou By Nancy Lemann. Hub City Press. 184 pages. $24. “There is a lot of human frailty floating around,” observes Nancy Lemann in The Ritz of the Bayou, her account of the 1985 racketeering trial of Edwin Edwards, Louisiana’s colorful, crooked...

Murder overshadows a caving expedition at a unique tourist attraction in the 1930s. by Tina Chambers & Chapter16.org Ruby Falls By Gin Phillips. Atlantic Crime. 368 pages. $28.00. The latest novel by Gin Phillips, Ruby Falls, opens with a brief scene of a corpse in a cavern deep underground in Chattanooga. “He is not alone. … He is a banquet,” the author writes, “and, i...

When the facts are sealed, it’s the investigator’s job to read between the lines of search warrants, emergency board meetings, and carefully-worded statements to help clients assess risk. You have five minutes. Your client is on the line. They’ve already read the headlines. They know a superintendent is under federal investigation. They’ve seen the press ...