Baggage

During Hurricane Katrina, Patriarch Dominic Fontaine meets his freakish demise—the rubble of his “hurricane-proof” mansion all around him—and no one suspects that a vengeful woman came to kill him.

The characters that drive Baggage:

Real estate agent, Sienna Bachman, always ethical and historically judicious in her decisions, learns that karma can come in two flavors; but she fears that she may taste only one.

The dark, handsome artist, Jerrin Boudreaux, Dominic Fontaine's estranged son, must deal with the specter of his father's death, loathing him more and more Dominic's past betrayal is compounded by still more family secrets.

Established agoraphobe, Cherise Fontaine, never understood her brother's hatred for their father, but she needs him more than ever, now that Dominic won't be around to coax her out of her shell.

As Bay St. Louis sits in flooded, flattened ruin, sixteen year old Noah is stranded in Jackson during a gig with his band, waiting for his alcoholic mother to join him as Katrina bears down on the coast. She never appears. Desperate to find her, he has no resources left to him except the infamous Envelope. Finally, he must open it, per his mother's instruction, in order to find help from a stranger.

A petty thief named Kitcher is unaware of the role he plays in linking these people together.

In the aftermath of the worst hurricane in American history, the secrets held in a safe deposit box spur the Fontaine offspring into a journey of enlightenment and self-discovery as their lives converge with strangers, and the mysteries of karma, hope, and synchronicity take over.




"I have read 2 of Baeli's other books--Armchair Detective and Also Known as DNA, both of them in the lesbian fiction genre, so I decided i should also check out her mainstream novels--Achilles Forjan and Baggage. I started with Baggage. I have to say, Baeli is every bit as good in the mainstream genre; she's just a solid, quality writer who never disappoints, no matter what genre she chooses to write in. In this case, the book Baggage was an engaging, heartfelt and enjoyable story--it's a little bit family-saga, a little bit romance, a little bit suspense. But it grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Her characters, as usual, are real enough to imagine living next door to you, or as members of your social circle, or even as your family. I like the way Baeli gives them challenges and allows us to watch as they struggle to handle them. I really cared about these people and she was masterful at making them come alive in my mind. And she always provides a satisfying ending. I came away wishing for a sequel to this one too. Baggage belongs right up there on the bestseller list, as far as I'm concerned. It's that good."