Returning home from a long day at work, Wanda Nell Culpepper isn't happy to find her no-good ex-husband Bobby Ray in her home, flashing a wad of cash Wanda Nell knows he didn't come by honestly. After exchanging insults, she orders him out and leaves for her second job, which she wouldn't have if Bobby Ray made any effort to live up to his obligations to his children. Coming home early the next morning, she's aggravated to discover her yard art - a pink flamingo -- missing. After a brief search, Wanda Nell finds it -- in the neck of the now very dead Bobby Ray.

As far as local deputy and longtime friend of Bobby Ray's is concerned, Wanda Nell is the only suspect in Bobby Ray's death, and he's determined to see her behind bars. Wanda Nell is more concerned about the two men who broke into her trailer and terrorized her daughters. Missing, too, is the money Bobby Ray was so proud of, and someone is determined to get it back from Wanda Nell. When a second murder occurs and suspicion turns to Wanda Nell's son, she's determined to prove her boy innocent by finding the real killers.

Steeped in the traditions of the south, FLAMINGO FATALE is an enjoyable read. Wanda Nell is a sympathetic character; her devotion to her children, despite their behaviors, is admirable and believable, and her shotgun-toting best friend is a real hoot. However, I was left with a few unanswered questions by the end of the story.