As the orangutans whoop and the champagne is sipped, no one knows that murder is in the air at the Zoo-To-Do, the swank affair of the New Orleans spring social season. Then shots are fired and events quickly escalate. Ryley Worthington, an amateur sleuth, rushes into the fray to investigate. The victim is the wife of Brad Byrnes, her best friend and long-time secret flame. The tragedy that affects Brad stirs hidden and unfulfilled emotions as Ryley determines to get to the bottom of the murder. Her discoveries shock and unsettle her when she realizes her closest friends are involved. She is forced to re-examine her values and to come to terms with her deepest fears and insecurities. Her own sanity begins to unravel as the trail draws her into the dark world of maniacal wannabes and twisted egos. Drawing on Laurie Ellis's personal knowledge of the mysteries and romance that make the Crescent City such a unique place, A Mind to Kill is at once a mystery and a study of the power of love and friendship. It is a story of transformation as a murder investigation becomes the test of individual resolve and one woman's journey toward the attainment of personal fulfillment.