Sashé Boudreaux: Beignets, Bones, and Buried Secrets

by Coco McQ

Winner, First Horizon Award — Eric Hoffer Book Award

Former Miss Crawdad Queen of Houma Parish, Louisiana, Sashé Boudreaux has an eye for fashion, a heart for her community, and some of the best cooking skills in the state. Monday - Friday she's delivering home cooked lunches to shut-ins and by 2 she's color coordinating the ladies of Cypress Grove—a charming little bayou town of moss-draped oaks, porch swings, and gossip over beignets.

When a neighbor misses his Monday fried chicken and mashed potatoes, and a grim discovery surfaces at the recycle drop-off, Sashé stumbles into a centuries-old mystery as dark and murky as the swamp. With her friends beside her, she uncovers an ancient tragedy that ties forgotten crimes to present danger.

But in Cypress Grove, digging into the past can be deadly—and some will do anything to keep its secrets buried.

Sashé returns in Book 2 — Entanglements, Espionage, and Étouffée — coming Summer 2025.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2025

About the author

Coco McQ is the award-winning author of the Sashé Boudreaux Mystery Series and the Night Hunt! Explore picture books for children.

Her debut novel, Sashé Boudreaux: Beignets, Bones & Buried Secrets, won the Eric Hoffer Award for Best Commercial Fiction, the First Horizon Award for Superb Debut Novel, and was named to the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Short List. The series continues with Sashé Boudreaux: Entanglements, Espionage & Étouffée, another twisty trip to the fictional bayou town of Cypress Grove, Louisiana.

Coco’s mysteries blend Southern charm, quirky characters, food, friendship, and suspense with threads of real history.

For younger readers, her Night Hunt! Explore series turns bedtime into an after-dark expedition. Beginning with Night Hunt! Ryukyu and continuing with Night Hunt! Limpopo, the books invite children to explore wild places, solve riddles, and discover real nocturnal wildlife along the way.

Coco draws inspiration from the places she’s lived and explored, from the American South to the Ryukyu Islands and beyond. She loves uncovering the hidden stories tucked inside old towns, wild landscapes, and family traditions.

Coco writes for curious minds, brave hearts, and wild imaginations.

Reviews

[J Kropa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read mystery

The descriptions are not something to wade through to get to the plot but are as much a part of the story as the action. Makes one want to find a good Cajun restaurant and overdose on the food. The way the characters care about people, from friends to strangers, makes one want to find a community to live in like this one, but maybe without the bouffant hair.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like a Cajun set story.

[Phyllis Handy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery, Danger, and Louisiana style

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written with fully developed characters,and Louisiana style. I'll be looking forward to her next installment of Sashe Bondreanux and friends.

[Jodell Larimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it non-stop. Excellent character and setting development.

[kdq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, shouldn’t be missed!

Loved all the characters in this story, each of them was brought to life, and left me feeling as though I truly knew them. Great twists and turns! I have laughed, cried, and was so very scared at a couple of points. this was a quick read for me, but completely enjoyed this book. A heartfelt thanks to Coco McQ.

[Cross & Bloom C Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first few chapters, I was hooked. The author does such an excellent job building the characters that I could clearly see them—relatable, entertaining, engaging, and completely believable. The friendship and community feel are a big part of what makes this story work so well.

The small-town Louisiana atmosphere is vivid and authentic, with just the right touch of southern hospitality and a gentle thread of faith woven in. It’s present and meaningful without ever feeling preachy or heavy-handed, and it adds warmth to the story in a way that fits the setting perfectly.

I also loved the food details—they’ll make you smile and hungry at the same time (don’t be surprised if you end up doing a quick Google search for a couple of things). The diverse cast didn’t feel forced at all; it felt natural and added depth to the storyline.

One of my favorite parts was the way real Louisiana history and local legends were worked into the mystery. It added an extra layer of depth and made the story feel richer, and I especially appreciated the historical facts included in the back of the book—it was a fun bonus that made me want to learn more.

I usually read psychological thrillers, dark mysteries, and even horror, so I didn’t expect a cozy mystery to pull me in like this—but it had a sprinkle of the elements I love, along with humor, wit, sass, quirky characters, and a touch of supernatural flavor. A few scenes genuinely moved me, and I’m excited to see what comes next. I finished it wanting more time with these characters.

[loni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful fun read!!! Can’t wait for the next book.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, community oriented, close knit, small Southern town who done it. A quick read. Enjoyable characters. Would have loved a recipe or two included for some of the dishes Sashé coola up while also solving murder. Great summer or vacation read.

[Linda Rodeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy crap! What did I just read? This book was so chaotic. The author seemed like she must have had so many ideas, but simply didn't know how to edit it down to a coherent story. Was she trying to be cutesy southern? Toss in some historical fiction, yet not really delve deep enough for it to be of significance to the story? Cozy mystery, but without a proper lead in or follow through?

We have this whole cast of characters that aren't fleshed out well at all, and what we do know about them is irrelevant. The main character, Sashe, cooks and delivers food for supposed shut-ins, gives fashion advice (badly), and is an amateur detective (?). No linking factors to any of that and no income from any of those endeavors. She notices that one old man doesn't answer his door on a Tuesday and by Friday an entire crime ring has been busted, including an apparent kidnapping and human trafficking.

Don't even get me started on the overuse of similes! The first was cute and cheesy, but the use of them to add humor to the book fell flat because there were just too many.

Kudos to the author for getting a book published, but hopefully you can find a better editor who will help you focus in on the important details and flesh out the story better.

Editing to add: We are told the main character was born in 1965 and is 45 years old, so the book is set in 2010, yet at the end Senator J Kennedy is suppose to have shown up at a celebratory party. And as per the authors own notes, she says she added a real contemporary person to add authenticity to the story. However, John Kennedy did not become Senator of Louisiana until 2017. Another glaring editing miss.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the charming bayou town of Cypress Grove, Louisiana, Sashé Boudreaux balances her life between delivering hot meals to shut-ins and giving fashion-forward color consultations to the local ladies. When a neighbor disappears and a grim discovery surfaces, Sashé stumbles into a centuries-old mystery as murky as the swamp. Aided by her friends, she uncovers a tragedy that connects past crimes to a present danger.

This was a terrific first experience with this author, and I was immediately drawn in by the quality of the writing. The book features a memorable cast of fun, entertaining, and truly awesome characters who make the journey thoroughly enjoyable. The narrative style is superb; the story manages to immediately drop the reader right into the thick of the action and maintains that pace throughout, making it nearly impossible to put down. If you're looking for a light, engaging "who-dun-it"—one that is full of mystery without being overly dark—I highly recommend this read. I am already eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The food, the mystery, the secrets and the people! I loved it.

The food, I gained 10pounds just reading and now I have to find recipes and make some of these. Minus chicken gizzards, please. The story is great, enough twists and turns to keep the mind busy but not so much you get dizzy in the process. Secrets, secrets are great until you tell one person, then it’s no longer a secret. The people are amazing, their colors as done by Sash’e, there is not one character in the book that is blah in personality or in their attire. I enjoyed this book so much. I love books based in Louisiana, the heritage, history, beliefs, and a touch of mysticism. Perfect!

[Bonniestx · Rating 5 out of 5]

good food makes the world better

I loved the history that was woven in through the whole story. Sashe' was hilarious, between her one liners, lip gloss and choice of clothing- she's a force to be reckoned with. The mystery was well done, friends are important and prayers definitely help.

[Pamela Faust · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sache’ and her crowd are wondering what’s going on in the Indian tunnels. Sache’ is also missing Harold Landry, who hasn’t been around since lunch on Monday. Meanwhile, Bobbie Rae is having dreams about trafficked children and the sheriff. It’s a whole motley crew of Scooby-Doo detectives, but they figure out who the bad guys are.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters didn't convince me to read although I attempted to read it at different times of the day. The plot was not memorable and I found it a little long winded...I was looking forward to reading and hoped it would get better the more I read...maybe it is just on the edge of the genre - mystery.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Corliss O'Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd mix of Christianity and Native American beliefs. Every character is a cliche to the max. A few glitches in the matrix; for instance leaving Francine at the Piggly Wiggly, then being picked up and taken home, only to be driving Francine in the next scene. Good plot and denouement.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and easy read with some really cute characters. Maybe could have trimmed the story down a little bit to fill out some of the details and characters. But overall I enjoyed it. I’ll read the next installment too

[Brenda Maximenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read! Going to read Sashe Boudreaux books. I was drawn to the bayou. So fun!