Jana DeLeon

Follow to get new release updates and improved recommendations

About Jana DeLeon

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get there by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretched out over the water where Jana spent many hours reading books.

Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.

Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.

She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.

Mandy M Roth

Janet Evanovich

Michelle M. Pillow

Leslie Langtry

Kristen Painter

Shari Hearn

Are you an author?

Help us improve our Author Pages by updating your bibliography and submitting a new or current image and biography.

Learn more at Author Central

1 11 1

$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition
$5.99

Kindle Edition

Author Updates

Titles By Jana DeLeon

All Formats Kindle Edition Audible Audiobook Paperback Large Print See more

Flame and Fortune (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 22) Mar 27, 2022

by Jana DeLeon

( 4,504 )

$5.99

No smoke without a fire.

It’s New Year’s in Sinful, and the competition for the New Year’s Queen is heating up as the warring churches go head-to-head. Fortune Redding is not the sequined dress kind of woman, but reluctantly agrees to partake in the debacle so that Ida Belle and Gertie can best their nemesis, Celia, who’s put up former Sinful mean girl RJ Rogers.

RJ and her friend Brock Benoit left plenty of devastation in their wake when they fled Sinful after high school. So when they return and Brock is found dead, there’s no shortage of suspects. Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie know all too well what it’s like to live under suspicion of a crime with no resolution. When good people become the targets of gossip, they know they have to rush to unravel the tangled lives of RJ and Brock and expose a killer before the wrong person’s reputation is ruined. Or worse—they’re arrested for a crime they didn’t commit.

Other Formats: Paperback

Swamp Sweets (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 21) Oct 3, 2021

by Jana DeLeon

( 5,927 )

$5.99

Just Desserts?

It’s November in Sinful and everyone is gearing up for Thanksgiving. But when Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie bag a body on their turkey hunting trip, the quiet enjoyment of fall is over. No one really knew Miles Broussard well, and as he’d recently sold the building his business was in to retire in another state, no one could explain how he’d ended up murdered and dumped in the bayou.

Ally Lemarque has been waiting her entire life to open her bakery, and that day finally arrived when she purchased the building from Miles. But when she visits the site late at night and interrupts an intruder, she comes away with a crack on her head and concerns about why someone would break into an empty building.

Fortune doesn’t think for a minute that Miles’s murder and the attack on Ally are unrelated. And Swamp Team 3 won’t rest until they’re sure Ally is safe.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Audio CD

Frightfully Fortune (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 20) May 2, 2021

by Jana DeLeon

( 7,101 )

$5.99

Rest when you’re dead?

It’s time for the annual Halloween festival in Sinful, and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie can’t wait to suit up and enjoy the food and activities. But when a dead man gallops through the park on a black stallion and slides to a decapitated stop right in front of Swamp Team 3, they know another festival is about to be turned on its head…so to speak.

Gil Forrest never won any popularity contests and his dramatic and somewhat horrifying ride isn’t going to improve his statistics. But since his body was supposed to be tucked away in a funeral home, no one could explain how it ended up on a horse in the middle of the festival. Everything about the set-up is strange and Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie suspect there is more to the Headless Horseman ride than just a tasteless prank. And they plan to find out what it is.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Audio CD

Fortune Funhouse (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 19) Feb 7, 2021

by Jana DeLeon

( 9,012 )

$5.99

Death is a roller coaster.

The traveling carnival has made its stop in Sinful and everyone is ready for thrilling rides, challenging games, and most importantly, funnel cake. But when a man is murdered in the funhouse and Emmaline LeBlanc is knocked unconscious so the killer can escape, the good times are over. Carter is beside himself wanting to hunt down the man responsible for putting his mother in the hospital, but he can’t investigate when he’s related to one of the victims.

Palmer Reed was well known as a boy by most everyone in Sinful for being a sneak, a liar, and sometimes a thief. As an adult, he continued his reign of underachieving and mostly making people angry wherever he went. Now he’s a state police detective and is assigned to the case, but Fortune knows that to get Carter the answers he needs, Swamp Team 3 has to take on the investigation. As they dig deep into the confusion and lies that surround the murder, they uncover a secret that could devastate Carter and Emmaline, but Fortune is determined to discover the truth…whatever that may be.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Audio CD

Lethal Bayou Beauty (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 2) Mar 8, 2013

by Jana DeLeon

( 4,364 )

$5.99

From NY Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jana DeLeon, the second book in the Miss Fortune mystery series.

No one in Sinful liked Pansy Arceneaux, but who hated her enough to kill her?

When aspiring actress Pansy Arceneaux returns to Sinful, Louisiana to head up the beauty pageant portion of the Summer Festival, CIA assassin Fortune Redding knows she’s in for trouble. Her undercover identity as a former beauty queen makes Fortune the perfect choice to chair the event with Pansy, but Pansy’s abrasive personality makes it impossible to get through a single rehearsal without a fight.

When Pansy turns up dead, Fortune is the prime suspect.

Armed with only her wits and two conniving seniors referred to locally as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune launches an investigation to find the real killer before her cover is blown.

Praise for Jana DeLeon:

“Southern wit at its best!” – NY Times bestselling author Gemma Halliday

“Sinfully funny!” – NY Times bestselling author Christie Craig

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , MP3 CD

Swamp Sniper (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 3) Sep 25, 2013

by Jana DeLeon

( 3,716 )

$5.99

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the third book in the Miss Fortune Mystery series.

When only a crack shot will do…

In the two weeks CIA assassin Fortune Redding has been hiding in Sinful, Louisiana, she’s been harassed, poisoned, and shot at…and that was the easy part. But now, she’s about to face her biggest challenge since setting foot in the tiny bayou town.

When mayoral candidate Ted Williams is murdered, everyone is surprised. Ted was a blowhole and a Yankee, but those usually weren’t good reasons to kill someone. When Sinful Ladies Society leader Ida Belle becomes the lead suspect in the crime, Fortune knows she’s got to solve a murder and save one of the only friends she’s ever had.

But as the investigation begins, more and more secrets surface, and Fortune realizes that sometimes nothing is as it seems.

Praise for Jana DeLeon:

“DeLeon is excellent at weaving comedy, suspense and spicy romance into one compelling story.” – RT Book Reviews

“I don’t know where she comes up with this funny stuff, but I can’t wait to read the next book…” – Night Owl Reviews

“Jana DeLeon has a breezy style with enough of a comic touch to leave you smiling.” – The Romance Reader

“Son of a gun, we’re having fun in the bayou!” – Fresh Fiction

“The quirky characters keep the action moving…” – Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly Blogger

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , MP3 CD

Gator Bait (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 5) Oct 23, 2014

by Jana DeLeon

( 3,585 )

$5.99

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the fifth book in the hilarious Miss Fortune series.

Things are starting to look up for Fortune Redding. Even though her life was at stake, the CIA assassin had balked at taking on a new identity in Sinful, Louisiana. But instead of hating it like she’d thought she would, Fortune now has friends she cares about and just finished up an incredible first date with the sexiest deputy in the state. Sure, there’s been a murder or two that she’s gotten mixed up in since she arrived in town, but she’s hoping all of that is behind her.

But when someone almost kills Deputy Carter LeBlanc, Fortune tosses her dreams of peace and quiet into the muddy bayou and shifts back into being the deadly trained professional that she is. With the help of Ida Belle and Gertie, Fortune launches a manhunt, intending to find a killer before he tries again.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , MP3 CD

Swamp Team 3 (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 4) Mar 23, 2014

by Jana DeLeon

( 3,663 )

$5.99

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, a new installment in her bestselling Miss Fortune series.

What’s a little arson between friends?

Undercover CIA agent Fortune Redding spent her first three weeks in Sinful, Louisiana dodging insults, makeup advice, guard dogs, bullets, and Deputy Carter LeBlanc, both professionally and personally. But just when she thinks things are going to settle down in the small bayou town, someone sets her friend Ally’s house on fire.

Carter, who’d just started pursuing Fortune on a personal basis, goes back into cop mode and admonishes her to stay out of his investigation. This time, he swears he won’t issue any warning before arresting her. But with her friend’s safety hanging in the balance, Fortune can’t resist taking matters into her own hands and calls on her partners in crime fighting, Ida Belle and Gertie, to help.

This is a mission for Swamp Team 3.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , MP3 CD

Later Gator (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 9) Nov 27, 2016

by Jana DeLeon

( 3,031 )

$5.99

A poacher is at work in Sinful, Louisiana, and Deputy Carter LeBlanc is hot on the trail of the outlaw, trying to apprehend him before the state gets wind of the crime and sends a game warden to take over his investigation. Unfortunately, he’s hindered every step of the way by Sinful’s current mayor and all-around horrible person, Celia Arceneaux, who wants nothing more than to drive Carter to resign.

When a game warden turns up with evidence that implicates a relative of Gertie’s, Carter is left with no choice but to arrest the boy, even though no one thinks he did it. With Carter under the watchful eye of Celia and the state, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie decide to catch a poacher…before he gets away.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , MP3 CD

Soldiers of Fortune (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 6) Mar 15, 2015

by Jana DeLeon

( 3,249 )

$5.99

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the sixth installment in the bestselling Miss Fortune series.

When Celia Arceneaux was elected mayor of Sinful, Louisiana, Fortune Redding expected trouble. The woman has an unmatched talent for making the worst of any situation, especially if it means getting revenge on her sworn enemies Ida Belle and Gertie.

At the Fourth of July celebration, an explosion rocks Sinful and it’s not from fireworks. Most people assume it was a moonshine still, but when evidence points to a meth lab deep in the bayous of Sinful, Fortune realizes how dire the situation is for the tiny town. With Carter on medical leave and no one left at the sheriff’s department who can handle the investigation, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie decide to take matters into their own hands.

This is (another) mission for Swamp Team 3.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , MP3 CD

Gators and Garters (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 18) Aug 16, 2020

by Jana Deleon

( 7,409 )

$5.99

‘Til death do us part?

Ida Belle, Fortune, and Gertie are gearing up for the big day—Ida Belle’s wedding to Walter—but when the caterer goes missing just a week before the big day, it puts a huge black mark on the joyous celebration. Molly Broussard is no stranger to being in the limelight, so when the former cage fighter turned in her boxing gloves for pots and pans, everyone who knew her was surprised…until they ate her food.

From all appearances, Molly took her boat out that day and simply never returned. An extensive search of the bayous finally produces the boat, but there is no sign of Molly. With no evidence of foul play, Sinful residents are ready to conclude that this is simply another tragic and all-too-common accident.

Nickel Bordelon spent half of his time in trouble and the other half paying for it. But one thing he knows for certain—Molly was murdered. When he asks Fortune to take the case, she isn’t sure there’s anything to find, but his emotional plea has her agreeing to look into it. As Swamp Team 3 begin their investigation, they find more layers to Molly’s disappearance than in Ida Belle’s wedding cake.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Audio CD

Fortune Hunter (Miss Fortune Mysteries Book 8) Apr 13, 2016

by Jana DeLeon

( 3,104 )

$5.99

From New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the eighth book in the Miss Fortune mystery series.

Someone has created a fake social media identity and is online romancing the lonely women of Sinful in order to scam them out of money. Because he always seems to pick the perfect targets, Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie think he must be either a Sinful resident or someone with a close association to the town.

Playing with emotions for pay is dirty pool, but the game turns deadly when one of the women is murdered. Fortune decides the victim must have figured out who the scam artist is and threatened him with exposure. Deputy Carter LeBlanc is hard at work to find the gunman, but sometimes it takes a woman to expose a lady-killer. Fortunately, Swamp Team 3 is on the job.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , MP3 CD

More Information

Are you an author? Visit Author Central to change your photo, edit your biography, and more

Jana DeLeon

Similar authors to follow

About Jana DeLeon

Customers Also Bought Items By

Are you an author?

Author Updates

Titles By Jana DeLeon

More Information