SOLVED. Mystery Set in New Orleans; Serial Killer; h is a journalist, secondary characters named Prejean and Christine. [s]

[Jenna]

SPOILERS BELOW

Setting: Contemporary
Place: New Orleans

Basic Plot: Heroine is a journalist who has just finished writing a true-crime about her brother's disappearance/murder, but her editor tells her it doesn't have enough of "her" in it. A serial killer is obsessed with kidnapping women who are jogging; they have an uncanny resemblance to the heroine. Heroine is widowed or divorced and has two younger sons and is now dating a cop/detective (his last name might start with a "T."). She recognizes a clue (related to voodoo/Santaria) in serial killer case and gets local police to call in friend/mentor (Prejean) from another city to assist. Heroine's friend (Christine) gets abducted close to the end of the book. Serial killer may dress up as an LEO (or is one?); often interacts with his victims in this guise before kidnapping them later.

just finished reading and returned to library (and library does not keep a record of what we checked out) and forgot title; I was going to look and see if there was another book in this series. My sense was this book was not the first one, but that may have just been the author creating a lot of background for the character also.

Thanks.

[Mai]

Searching online I found the Julia Gooden Mystery Series by Jane Haseldine. Book 4 is You Fit the Pattern and it fits your description!

[Jenna]

Mai wrote: "Searching online I found the Julia Gooden Mystery Series by Jane Haseldine. Book 4 is You Fit the Pattern and it fits your description!"

YES! That is it, thank you!