Books From Best Selling, Award Winning Author
Judith Lucci
Included in the set
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center (Book 1)
It's Mardi Gras in post-Katrina New Orleans. Thousands of tourists have flocked the city, paralyzed traffic and jammed the French Quarter with drunken crowds and garbage. City officials expect record crowds and the biggest boost to the Crescent City economy since the big storm. Alexandra Lee Destephano, legal counsel for Crescent City Medical Center, anticipates her third Mardi Gras Ball with her date, dashing art historian Mitch Landry. Things change quickly. Alex is stat-paged to the hospital and learns the wife of the Governor of Louisiana has been found unconscious and covered in blood in her hospital room. By the end of the day, murder and mayhem are the only things on Alex’s mind. |
The Imposter (Book 2)
It’s hotter than hell in New Orleans and Police Commander Jack Francoise is battling horrific crime in the Vieux Carre. At the Psychiatric Pavilion, nurses are doling out Thorazine Slurpees to the criminally insane and viciously psychotic patients in the South. Alexandra Destephano, legal counsel for the hospital, is troubled by safety issues and is working hard to protect patients and staff. The violence escalates and brutal beatings and murder become the order of the day as life in the Big Easy becomes uneasy. |
Viral Intent: Terror in New Orleans (Book 3)
With POTUS and members of Congress in the Big Easy for a political convention, an unidentified killer virus in the Crescent City emergency room has physicians baffled, hospital staff frightened, and the CDC on their way to assist. When the first death from the virus is a Secret Service agent guarding the President, a terrorist attack is feared. Matters get worse with the murder of a prominent politician in the French Quarter. Alex and Jack join the CDC, FBI, and Secret Service to save the streets of New Orleans from disaster. |
Continue your Crescent City Medical experience with
Book 4, Toxic New Year: The Day That Wouldn’t End & Book 5, Evil: Finding St. Germaine.
Below you can find more from Judith Lucci!

Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center (Alexandra Destephano Book 1)
Alexandra Destephano is hospital lawyer living in New Orleans who struggles, like all of us, to find her way. Life is tough. She’s been hurt in love, deserted in life and left bruised and vulnerable. Violence in her hospital, terror in the streets and threats against her life have panicked her. Will she make it? And, if so, at what cost?
Its Mardi Gras season in post-Katrina New Orleans. Thousands of tourists have flocked to the city, paralyzing traffic and jamming the French Quarter with drunken crowds and garbage. City officials are hoping for record crowds and to generate the biggest boost to the Crescent City since the big storm.
Alexandra Lee Destephano, legal counsel for the “world class Crescent City Medical Center, is anticipating her third Mardi Gras Season and most of all, her date with dashing art historian Mitch Landry. The couple has tickets to the Endymion Extravaganza, the biggest Mardi Gras Ball in New Orleans at the Super Dome on Saturday evening. After many months, life is good again and Alex is determined to experience and appreciate all it has to offer. She can hardly wait until Saturday evening.
But, things change. Alex is stat-paged to the Medical Center at 6:00 am on Monday and learns from her CEO boss, and her former husband, Dr. Robert Bonnet that Grace Raccine, the Governor of Louisiana and a cancer patient at CCMC, has been found unconscious in her room covered with blood with no visible injury. To make matters worse, patients are leaving CCMC against medical advice and staff are refusing to work creating crisis and chaos in the changing Obamacare hospital environment. By the end of the day, the Endymion Ball is the last thing on Alex's mind!
Alexandra Destephano is hospital lawyer living in New Orleans who struggles, like all of us, to find her way. Life is tough. She’s been hurt in love, deserted in life and left bruised and vulnerable. Violence in her hospital, terror in the streets and threats against her life have panicked her. Will she make it? And, if so, at what cost?
Its Mardi Gras season in post-Katrina New Orleans. Thousands of tourists have flocked to the city, paralyzing traffic and jamming the French Quarter with drunken crowds and garbage. City officials are hoping for record crowds and to generate the biggest boost to the Crescent City since the big storm.
Alexandra Lee Destephano, legal counsel for the “world class Crescent City Medical Center, is anticipating her third Mardi Gras Season and most of all, her date with dashing art historian Mitch Landry. The couple has tickets to the Endymion Extravaganza, the biggest Mardi Gras Ball in New Orleans at the Super Dome on Saturday evening. After many months, life is good again and Alex is determined to experience and appreciate all it has to offer. She can hardly wait until Saturday evening.
But, things change. Alex is stat-paged to the Medical Center at 6:00 am on Monday and learns from her CEO boss, and her former husband, Dr. Robert Bonnet that Grace Raccine, the Governor of Louisiana and a cancer patient at CCMC, has been found unconscious in her room covered with blood with no visible injury. To make matters worse, patients are leaving CCMC against medical advice and staff are refusing to work creating crisis and chaos in the changing Obamacare hospital environment. By the end of the day, the Endymion Ball is the last thing on Alex's mind!

The Imposter (Alex Destephano #2) (Alexandra Destephano)
LIFE IS NOT EASY IN THE BIG EASY
It is hotter than hell in New Orleans and newly promoted Police Commander Jack Francoise is battling horrific crime in the Vieux Carre. At the Psychiatric Pavilion, nurses are doling out Thorazine Slurpees to the criminally insane and viciously psychotic patients in the South. Alexandra Destephano, legal counsel for the hospital is troubled by safety issues and is working hard to protect patients and staff. The violence escalates and brutal beatings and murder becomethe order of the day as life in the Big Easy becomes Uneasy.
LIFE IS NOT EASY IN THE BIG EASY
It is hotter than hell in New Orleans and newly promoted Police Commander Jack Francoise is battling horrific crime in the Vieux Carre. At the Psychiatric Pavilion, nurses are doling out Thorazine Slurpees to the criminally insane and viciously psychotic patients in the South. Alexandra Destephano, legal counsel for the hospital is troubled by safety issues and is working hard to protect patients and staff. The violence escalates and brutal beatings and murder becomethe order of the day as life in the Big Easy becomes Uneasy.

5 Stars!!!
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo
The Imposter by Judith Lucci is the second book in the Alex Destephano series, a gripping medical thriller that will entertain readers and have them enthralled for a very long time. The story starts with the newly promoted police commander Jack Françoise, “a man’s man,” yelling obscenities and cursing over the unsettling news of a murder case, one among many that he’d have to handle. But there is more to keep the authorities concerned and everyone looking over their shoulders, because the criminally insane are rising like maddened beasts at the psychiatrist hospital where Monique Desmonde, Alexandra Destephano, and Robert Bonnet work as a psychiatrist, a nurse attorney, and a reformer respectively. Hold your breath for a terrific ride with this new medical thriller. Judith Lucci gets many credits for her awesome writing, her unique, gripping style, her powerful voice, and for the gift of storytelling. She seems to write from the psychiatric ward, coming across very convincingly to readers. The characters are well-grounded and monumental, and readers will love to see each of them evolve in their role as the story progresses. Apart from being a great storyteller, the author has a gift for developing plot-driven conflict, and characters with attributes that many readers will certainly identify with easily. From the very first line of this story, the reader is already warned that there is much at stake. The plot is well-paced and it moves even faster as the conflict reaches a climax, enhanced by the short, punchy chapters that make it impossible to put the book down. As a reader, you’ll find yourself saying, “Just one more chapter” until you turn the last page. Highly entertaining.
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo
The Imposter by Judith Lucci is the second book in the Alex Destephano series, a gripping medical thriller that will entertain readers and have them enthralled for a very long time. The story starts with the newly promoted police commander Jack Françoise, “a man’s man,” yelling obscenities and cursing over the unsettling news of a murder case, one among many that he’d have to handle. But there is more to keep the authorities concerned and everyone looking over their shoulders, because the criminally insane are rising like maddened beasts at the psychiatrist hospital where Monique Desmonde, Alexandra Destephano, and Robert Bonnet work as a psychiatrist, a nurse attorney, and a reformer respectively. Hold your breath for a terrific ride with this new medical thriller. Judith Lucci gets many credits for her awesome writing, her unique, gripping style, her powerful voice, and for the gift of storytelling. She seems to write from the psychiatric ward, coming across very convincingly to readers. The characters are well-grounded and monumental, and readers will love to see each of them evolve in their role as the story progresses. Apart from being a great storyteller, the author has a gift for developing plot-driven conflict, and characters with attributes that many readers will certainly identify with easily. From the very first line of this story, the reader is already warned that there is much at stake. The plot is well-paced and it moves even faster as the conflict reaches a climax, enhanced by the short, punchy chapters that make it impossible to put the book down. As a reader, you’ll find yourself saying, “Just one more chapter” until you turn the last page. Highly entertaining.

Viral Intent: An Alexandra Destephano Novel Book #3
An unidentified virus in the CCMC Emergency Department is killing dozens of people, a horrific death of a popular politician in the French Quarter has the NOPD hopping, and internet chatter suggesting the unspeakable has chilled the hearts of law enforcement all over the world. Read how Alex and Jack learn to play well with the CDC, FBI, and Secret Service to save the streets of New Orleans.
Viral Intent Excerpts
An unidentified virus in the CCMC Emergency Department is killing dozens of people, a horrific death of a popular politician in the French Quarter has the NOPD hopping, and internet chatter suggesting the unspeakable has chilled the hearts of law enforcement all over the world. Read how Alex and Jack learn to play well with the CDC, FBI, and Secret Service to save the streets of New Orleans.
Viral Intent Excerpts

2017 Reader's Favorite Gold Medal Winner for Best Suspense Thriller!
5 stars!!! Reviewed By Ray Simmons
Viral Intent: Terror In New Orleans(Book 3)
I knew where this story was going when I read the quote from the Quran on page five, right after the dedication. I love New Orleans. I grew up about a three-hour drive from there so I have visited often. Judith Lucci gets the feel of the city right in Viral Intent. Viral Intent starts in an emergency room and ends with a party. As you can imagine, that is one hell of a roller coaster ride. A ride that includes nurses, doctors, terrorist, cops, and politicians. I imagine this scenario has at least been thought about by a lot of nervous Americans concerned with the war on terror. Judith Lucci has created a thrilling suspense novel based on the possibility that the next time terrorists decide to target the United States, they will use something a little subtler than airplanes, guns, or bombs. A great idea. I liked Viral Intent. I especially liked that Judith Lucci got the setting right. She put us there in a big hospital and the hospital scenes were well written and very tense. Judith also got the police and terrorists right, and having terrorists who are international students studying at an American university is a timely detail with the current public discussion on immigration and one candidate’s idea to ban all Muslim entry into our great country. With a great plot and lots of interesting characters, I found Viral Intent hard to put down. If you love terrorist stories, politics, or medical drama, then this is definitely the book for you.
5 stars!!! Reviewed By Ray Simmons
Viral Intent: Terror In New Orleans(Book 3)
I knew where this story was going when I read the quote from the Quran on page five, right after the dedication. I love New Orleans. I grew up about a three-hour drive from there so I have visited often. Judith Lucci gets the feel of the city right in Viral Intent. Viral Intent starts in an emergency room and ends with a party. As you can imagine, that is one hell of a roller coaster ride. A ride that includes nurses, doctors, terrorist, cops, and politicians. I imagine this scenario has at least been thought about by a lot of nervous Americans concerned with the war on terror. Judith Lucci has created a thrilling suspense novel based on the possibility that the next time terrorists decide to target the United States, they will use something a little subtler than airplanes, guns, or bombs. A great idea. I liked Viral Intent. I especially liked that Judith Lucci got the setting right. She put us there in a big hospital and the hospital scenes were well written and very tense. Judith also got the police and terrorists right, and having terrorists who are international students studying at an American university is a timely detail with the current public discussion on immigration and one candidate’s idea to ban all Muslim entry into our great country. With a great plot and lots of interesting characters, I found Viral Intent hard to put down. If you love terrorist stories, politics, or medical drama, then this is definitely the book for you.

Toxic New Year: The Day That Wouldn't End (Alex Desephano Series Book 4)
The party of the year in the rural Virginia countryside turns into a day of horror as the enemies of Alex's grandfather, Congressman Adam Patrick Lee, bring the war to his Virginia estate killing, maiming and destroying every thing in their path.
The party of the year in the rural Virginia countryside turns into a day of horror as the enemies of Alex's grandfather, Congressman Adam Patrick Lee, bring the war to his Virginia estate killing, maiming and destroying every thing in their path.

5 Stars!!!
Reviewed by Sefina Hawke
Toxic New Year: The Day That Wouldn't End (Alex Desephano Series Book 4) by Judith Lucci is a mix of multiple genres: thriller, mystery, medical drama, suspense, action, and terrorism. Toxic New Year will appeal most to an adult audience that enjoys fast paced thrillers with terrorist elements mixed in; it will especially appeal to those who enjoyed books one through three of the Alex Desephano series. Toxic New Year focuses on both the heroes and the villains of the plot to wreak havoc during a party at Congressman Adam Patrick Lee’s country estate located in Virginia. Congressman Adam Patrick Lee also happens to be the grandfather of the main character, Alex. Toxic New Year can pull in any reader, no matter if he or she has not read the books that came before it in the Alex Desephano series. I have to say that my favorite aspect of the book was how Judith Lucci did not just write from the perspective of the good guys and heroes, but also from that of the villains. This made it possible for me to understand the motivations of some of the bad guys and even feel sympathetic toward some of them. However, at the same time Alex most definitely remained my favorite character because of the way she handled the situations and interacted with the other characters. When I finished reading Toxic New Year, I was left feeling like I wanted to jump into the previous books in the Alex Destephano series so I can learn more about Alex and her relationship with Robert.
Reviewed by Sefina Hawke
Toxic New Year: The Day That Wouldn't End (Alex Desephano Series Book 4) by Judith Lucci is a mix of multiple genres: thriller, mystery, medical drama, suspense, action, and terrorism. Toxic New Year will appeal most to an adult audience that enjoys fast paced thrillers with terrorist elements mixed in; it will especially appeal to those who enjoyed books one through three of the Alex Desephano series. Toxic New Year focuses on both the heroes and the villains of the plot to wreak havoc during a party at Congressman Adam Patrick Lee’s country estate located in Virginia. Congressman Adam Patrick Lee also happens to be the grandfather of the main character, Alex. Toxic New Year can pull in any reader, no matter if he or she has not read the books that came before it in the Alex Desephano series. I have to say that my favorite aspect of the book was how Judith Lucci did not just write from the perspective of the good guys and heroes, but also from that of the villains. This made it possible for me to understand the motivations of some of the bad guys and even feel sympathetic toward some of them. However, at the same time Alex most definitely remained my favorite character because of the way she handled the situations and interacted with the other characters. When I finished reading Toxic New Year, I was left feeling like I wanted to jump into the previous books in the Alex Destephano series so I can learn more about Alex and her relationship with Robert.

Evil: Finding St. Germaine (Alexandra Destephano Book 5)
For Fans of Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Palmer
Alex returns to Wyndley Farm, her childhood home in Virginia, to await the birth of her baby. An urgent call from Crescent City Medical Center compels her to return to New Orleans to investigate cruel, questionable incidents and heinous patient deaths. Digger Stildove returns from Yemen where he has searched for Jacob Stark. Michaela McPherson travels from Richmond with police dog Angel to consult with Commander Francoise in his search for St. Germaine. Events unfold as the evil continues and the hospital attempts to safeguard patients and staff.
For Fans of Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Palmer
Alex returns to Wyndley Farm, her childhood home in Virginia, to await the birth of her baby. An urgent call from Crescent City Medical Center compels her to return to New Orleans to investigate cruel, questionable incidents and heinous patient deaths. Digger Stildove returns from Yemen where he has searched for Jacob Stark. Michaela McPherson travels from Richmond with police dog Angel to consult with Commander Francoise in his search for St. Germaine. Events unfold as the evil continues and the hospital attempts to safeguard patients and staff.

The Case of Dr Dude: A Michaela McPherson Mystery
A young woman disappears after a job interview at a well-known dentist’s office in Richmond, Virginia and retired homicide detective Michaela McPherson, along with her close friend, the aging Countess Dorothy Borghase, and Richmond police join forces to solve the crime. This case pits them against evil and greed armed with tentacles that span continents and generations.
A young woman disappears after a job interview at a well-known dentist’s office in Richmond, Virginia and retired homicide detective Michaela McPherson, along with her close friend, the aging Countess Dorothy Borghase, and Richmond police join forces to solve the crime. This case pits them against evil and greed armed with tentacles that span continents and generations.

2017 Reader's Favorite Gold Medal Winner for Best Sleuth!
Reviewed By Jack Magnus
The Case of Dr Dude: A Michaela McPherson Mystery is a private sleuth mystery written by Judith Lucci. Michaela was enjoying her retirement from the police force and had finally opened up Biddy’s Irish Pub in honor of her parents. She still remembered sitting in her dad’s pub and her enjoyment in being the pub owner’s daughter. Her friend and fellow sleuth, Dottie Borghase, who was a real live Italian countess, had other plans. She enjoyed their sleuthing work together too much to give it all up. Besides, there was a pressing problem that required their attention. Allison Massie, the granddaughter of Margaret and Beau Massie, Dottie’s friends, never came home again after her interview with Dr. Nicholas Smirkowitz, otherwise known as Dr. Dude, the dentist to the stars. Allison had just finished her schooling as a dental hygienist and was considering dental school. Dr. Smirkowitz was a talented cosmetic dentist, and she hoped to get a feel for the business first-hand by working for him. Allison’s parents were still en route from Europe, and her grandparents were getting frantic. Their granddaughter was diabetic, and her survival depended upon her receiving her insulin injections. Michaela knew all about Dr. Dude and had even been a patient of his at one point in time. She also knew he had had a number of complaints lodged against him by both his patients and his staff. Now, she and Dottie were racing against time to find Allison. Judith Lucci’s private sleuth mystery novel, The Case of Dr Dude: A Michaela McPherson Mystery, is exciting and fast-paced. While it’s not the first book in this mystery series, Lucci gives enough background information to allow this book to be read as a standalone novel. The interactions between Dottie, the octogenarian armchair sleuth, and Mic are grand fun, and Lucci’s plot addresses a real and pressing crisis that is ongoing -- the trafficking of children and women. Angel, Mic’s retired K9 companion, often steals the limelight in this taut and well-written novel of suspense, and that’s just as it should be, it seems. After all, he did take a bullet in the hip in order to save Mic’s life when they were on the job and, even when retired, takes his guardianship of her quite seriously. The Case of Dr Dude is the first Michaela McPherson mystery that I’ve read, and I’m looking forward to reading about her other detective cases. It’s highly recommended.
Reviewed By Jack Magnus
The Case of Dr Dude: A Michaela McPherson Mystery is a private sleuth mystery written by Judith Lucci. Michaela was enjoying her retirement from the police force and had finally opened up Biddy’s Irish Pub in honor of her parents. She still remembered sitting in her dad’s pub and her enjoyment in being the pub owner’s daughter. Her friend and fellow sleuth, Dottie Borghase, who was a real live Italian countess, had other plans. She enjoyed their sleuthing work together too much to give it all up. Besides, there was a pressing problem that required their attention. Allison Massie, the granddaughter of Margaret and Beau Massie, Dottie’s friends, never came home again after her interview with Dr. Nicholas Smirkowitz, otherwise known as Dr. Dude, the dentist to the stars. Allison had just finished her schooling as a dental hygienist and was considering dental school. Dr. Smirkowitz was a talented cosmetic dentist, and she hoped to get a feel for the business first-hand by working for him. Allison’s parents were still en route from Europe, and her grandparents were getting frantic. Their granddaughter was diabetic, and her survival depended upon her receiving her insulin injections. Michaela knew all about Dr. Dude and had even been a patient of his at one point in time. She also knew he had had a number of complaints lodged against him by both his patients and his staff. Now, she and Dottie were racing against time to find Allison. Judith Lucci’s private sleuth mystery novel, The Case of Dr Dude: A Michaela McPherson Mystery, is exciting and fast-paced. While it’s not the first book in this mystery series, Lucci gives enough background information to allow this book to be read as a standalone novel. The interactions between Dottie, the octogenarian armchair sleuth, and Mic are grand fun, and Lucci’s plot addresses a real and pressing crisis that is ongoing -- the trafficking of children and women. Angel, Mic’s retired K9 companion, often steals the limelight in this taut and well-written novel of suspense, and that’s just as it should be, it seems. After all, he did take a bullet in the hip in order to save Mic’s life when they were on the job and, even when retired, takes his guardianship of her quite seriously. The Case of Dr Dude is the first Michaela McPherson mystery that I’ve read, and I’m looking forward to reading about her other detective cases. It’s highly recommended.

The Case of the Dead Dowager: A Michaela McPherson Mystery Book II
Retired homicide detective Michaela McPherson and the aging Countess Dorothy Borghase team up again—this time to match wits with two serial killers stalking children, women and the elderly.
When Dottie Borghase's friend Camilla Rothrock collapses at a lunch gathering of old friends, the countess's only concern is to dial 911 for help. But Camilla's subsequent death has authorities buzzing about international safety and retaliation, because her son is decorated U.S. Army General Stuart Rothrock.
As other restaurant patrons in Richmond meet similar fates, Michaela and Dottie join forces with the Richmond Police and the FBI to track down the pair of heinous murderers. But in order to catch the killers, they will put their own lives and the lives of others in in serious jeopardy.
What Price Must a City Pay to Keep its Citizen's Safe?
Retired homicide detective Michaela McPherson and the aging Countess Dorothy Borghase team up again—this time to match wits with two serial killers stalking children, women and the elderly.
When Dottie Borghase's friend Camilla Rothrock collapses at a lunch gathering of old friends, the countess's only concern is to dial 911 for help. But Camilla's subsequent death has authorities buzzing about international safety and retaliation, because her son is decorated U.S. Army General Stuart Rothrock.
As other restaurant patrons in Richmond meet similar fates, Michaela and Dottie join forces with the Richmond Police and the FBI to track down the pair of heinous murderers. But in order to catch the killers, they will put their own lives and the lives of others in in serious jeopardy.
What Price Must a City Pay to Keep its Citizen's Safe?
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The Case Of The Man Overboard by Judith Lucci!!!
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