letcher has a writer's conference in New Orleans and can't resist staying an extra week for the annual Jazz Festival. In her short time there, she gets a chance to sample everything the city has to offer-- its delectable food, its wonderful music and, of course, its unique brand of murder and corruption...

Arts critic Wayne Copely is desperately searching for the fabled recordings of New Orleans jazz legend Little Red LeCoeur. But when he hears that his old friend Jessica Fletcher is in town, he's more than happy to take a break from work and give her an insider's view of the festival. Unfortunately, her jazz lesson and his search are tragically cut short when he turns up dead next to the grave of an old voodoo queen. And when the cops pass off the bizarre event as a mere 'accidental death', it's up to Jessica to get to the bottom of it...