Rhode Island Red: Charlotte Carter

The first book in the Nanette Hayes series introduces us to New Yorker and jazz-loving street musician Nanette, whose love life leads her into some very hot water.

Nanette's day is not off to a good start. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Walter is off. . . again, and when she offers a fellow busker a place to stay for the night he ends up murdered on her kitchen floor. To make matters worse, the busker turns out to have been an undercover cop. And his former partner has taken an immediate and extreme dislike to Nanette. When she finds that the dead man stashed a wad of cash in her apartment, cash that could go to help his blind girlfriend, Nanette's desire to do the right thing lands her in trouble.

Soon she's on the hunt for a legendary saxophone worth its weight in gold. But there are plenty of people who would kill for the priceless instrument, and Nanette's new beau just might be one of them.

Originally published in the 1990s, this stylish piece of noir is an original and page-turning read starring an unforgettable heroine.