Blood on the Bayou

by J.T. Kunkel

A self-made millionaire living in Malibu, Miranda Marquette is summoned by her cousin Sabine, to return home to New Orleans and solve a mystery.

Miranda, an ex-undercover vice cop, jumps in with both feet to help her cousin. While investigating the case, she learns more about her family than she ever wanted to know, including a secret that will change her relationship with Sabine forever.

No matter what you think, when you go below the surface, things are seldom what they seem.

The first book in J.T. Kunkel's Miranda Marquette Mysteries series, BLOOD ON THE BAYOU is set against the beautiful backdrop of the Gulf Coast.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2024

About the author

I am a lifetime singer/songwriter. When I realized that I would need to move to Nashville to succeed in country music, I decided to keep my day job and began to dabble in writing.
Writing a book and having it published has been a lifetime dream of mine. I'm thankful to my agent and publishing company and all that they do to help me.
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Reviews

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got about halfway and gave up. Couldn’t identify at all with the main character. Whole story premise was far fetched.

[Michael Campbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a very good book. Especially if you know anything about law enforcement or the legal system. Aside from the inaccurate portrayal of an investigation, law enforcement and court proceedings, it was just ok. It jumped around a lot and was hard to follow some conversations. Mostly the lack of research into how the law and legal system works was frustrating. That is by far my biggest pet peeve when it comes to books. Do the research.

[Linda Look · Rating 5 out of 5]

A self made millionaire and ex policeman, Miranda is asked to go back to Louisiana to help investigate her cousins shrimping business. Good characters, strong plot. I rate this a 5.0

[Annie (is so far behind 😬) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mm. I’m giving it 2 stars because I finished it, and it was okay, although it was a bit of a struggle to get & stay engaged. Almost gave up about 1/3 of the way in. Some odd formatting in the Kindle version (particularly around dialogue and who was speaking), lots of winking (including in court by a deputy & the DA!) and folks touching/hugging other folks, clunky dialogue and ‘not quite there’ characterisation. Not quite one-dimensional, but not wholly rounded out either. I think the premise is great, it just wasn’t done that well and needed another couple of rewrites/editing rounds to tidy it up.

[Normalee M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't get behind the protagonist

The plot for this story doesn't make sense in the least with Miranda as the lead. She came across as immature and naive and after the way she clumsily got herself arrested for murder, there's no way I'd believe she'd been in law enforcement. Honestly, Sabine seemed much smarter, so her asking Miranda to help solve her shrimp shortage mystery doesn't make sense either. I made it to the 50% mark when Miranda was being sarcastic with someone who was doing his best to help her and decided it was time to give up.

[Joyce A Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jumping to Conclusions

I enjoyed following Miranda's return to the bayou. There is something unique about this part of the country. I was blown away by the quick and misguided arrest of Miranda, and pleased she faced a sensible judge. The hunt for the killer led me through some surprises. The ending sure was unexpected. I was glad Miranda is reconnecting with her family after such a long time.

[Karla Coulter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read!

I'm an avid reader and honestly didn't think I would be into this book. Why? I can't explain. From the beginning to the end I couldn't put it down. It was perfectly written. You could imagine yourself there. Absolutely loved this book and will look for more books by this author.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary electronic copy of this excellent Southern mystery from the author. Thank you, J. T. Kunkel. This is a series I'm going to have to binge on. You will find that this book's reviews on many sites are either 5* or just one or two*. Personally, I am among the 5* crowd. I found Blood on the Bayou is well-written with bold, well-defined characters, an intricate and well-presented plot line, and excellent control of the flow of the tale. This is the South I love, presented with verve and respect.

This was also responsible for another all-nighter on my Kindle, and I've ordered #2, Murder in the Extreme. I have a feeling I will be losing even more sleep as I pursue these Miranda Marquette Mysteries. Part of the allure, for me, is a lovingly, picture-perfectly described New Orleans and other sites in the Deep South. It's been 50 years since I left my Southern life to return home to New Mexico, but I love 'returning' through the pages of a well-written book, and this one really took me back to places I love. Kunkel is right up there with Vito Zuppardo in bringing to life the beauty, social lives, and generationally ingrained mores found only in the Deep South.
REVIEWED on November 23, 2025, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, BookBub, Kobo, Barnes&Noble.

[Cidney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm, not sure what to say about this book, I've just read two not so good books in a row and hope that I'm not settling into a pattern here! Miranda is an ex-cop who now runs her own business from home, she had to have a lot of plastic surgery to her face after an incident when she was a cop and is running a helpline for women who have had unsuccessful plastic surgery. She had a lot of compensation. She gets a call from her cousin Sabine who lives, now one of them lives in Louisiana but can't remember which one, who runs a successful business catching shrimps, but she thinks someone is sabotaging her business as her shrimp beds are not yielding up many fish now.

Miranda goes to wherever that is to look into the disappearance of her shrimps, the book isn't really moving along that fast and neither are the characters that interesting, I really wasn't that interested in either of them. Well it ends with Miranda being released on a murder charge and they all lived happily ever after I presume, as it says book no 1!!

[Heather Towles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like this was written by a teenager. The characters were not well developed and the main character was a female, but I don’t feel like the author has a good grasp on the inner workings of a woman.
Coming from a CJ background, it’s very clear that the author doesn’t fully understand the legal system. (Did it annoy anyone else that the judge kept calling the prosecuting attorney, “Mr Prosecutor”?? 🤦‍♀️)
Now I’m super irritated that I bought the second book in this series… Don’t know if I want to torture myself again…

[Larry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am disappointed with this story, not because there wasn't a lot of blood spilled or chase scenes. I saw a lot of finger pointing, people lying, and a whole lot of stretching the story out. The best part of the whole story was the older sister attacking the kidnapper instead of running away. That told a lot about her love for Miranda. The rest of the story was pure fluff and although I bought another of the books in the series. I am not sure I will be reading it.

[Bill Vocke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start to the series

An interesting main character caught in a jam with no clear way out. Family conflicts and history add to her problems. Looking forward to other books in the series.

[Samantha Garvie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess anyone can be an author...

The book just had too many things that didn't make sense. The writing and dialogue were boring, and the story was unrealistic. Only finished because I had spent time hoping it would get better.

[Anitajt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had the book not been so repetitive throughout I would have given 4 stars, why the author had to describe exactly the same things over and over I just don’t know. I loved the characters and the story was really captivating and clever

[Irene S. Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big surprise ending!

This was an easy read, but I couldn’t have guessed the full story! I had a suspicion, because the author provided that, but kept all the facts til the end. Enjoyable mystery!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got the book free with Kindle, read it in one day. Engaging story, may check out the rest of the series later.

[Patricia Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a new book and author for me. This book kept me guessing and getting it all wrong throughout the book. You don’t expect the conflicts and history for Miranda and her cousin Sabine

[Sarah Butine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story, quick wrap up but everything came together nice

[Dorothy Bouck]

Good transportation reading

Took the bus from Macon to NY and read the book in one trip. Couldn't put it down. Read it

[Cynthia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot twister

Very good story. Amazing characters. Touching story bringing the reader into the world of the new Orleans and the area. Amazing plot twist.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 12/24

[Fran Burdsall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot. Strong women. Good location color. Twisty ending. I like it!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a decent read with likable characters. The story really develops about halfway through, but then I was on the edge of my seat until the end.

[Jacquelyn V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling

This book was absolutely thrilling and kept you on your toes trying to figure out who did it. A must read.

[Dan Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Moon Rising

What else are you going to do when you're down on the bayou, eating Cajun shrimp and they pop you for murder? You best figure it out and soon or....

[Jackie Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jac

The heroine was smart, however slow to recognize clues, to trusting, and where were her ex cop instincts. Good read.

[Debra Helstowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9

[Carol Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great red with lots of twists & turns.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

I’m enjoying this series and I definitely recommend it it kept me wondering who do it till the end of the book on to the next book in this series