James Pumpelly

When culinary grad Maria Valentino falls in love with French Quarter chef Roman Robideaux, she is torn between honesty and a dark secret: her rape on a Florida beach. But when the rapist appears among Bourbon Street revelers, Maria is confronted with a past that could at any moment destroy what love is promising. A seductive story of redemption and triumph spiked with Louisiana culture, compelling mystery, and vivid characters, The Girl with the Pendant Pearl is breathtaking, yet complex and unpredictable, a feel-good, historically accurate narrative guaranteed to move you. Set in a post-Katrina French Quarter, the narrative addresses Louisiana's struggle with nature, the pending cataclysm of political neglect, and the workaday lives of imperiled natives.