The Inheritance

When her high-powered job falls victim to a corporate merger, widowed attorney Hannah DuPont-Lowell leaves Manhattan and heads home to New Orleans to do what she'd always planned: turn her family's 18-room mansion in the Garden District into an inn. The idea gets a boost when three of her "downsized" New York colleagues come to visit and agree to think about becoming part of her new venture. Her return also coincides with her 40th high school reunion, where she reconnects in a big way with her former lab partner now history professor, St. John (pronounced Sin-jun) McNair. Rich in the history of New Orleans and Creole culture (information on the gens de couleur libres—free people of color—is especially pertinent), this story puts the multicultural landscape in perspective and describes a vibrant community.