Created by Tony Dunbar
“Never screw a client and never lie to a judge… That’s all of the so-called legal ethics that make sense to me. The rest of it is just so many little rules you can twist around to suit whatever you want to do.”
— Tubby on the legal profession in Crooked Man
Pudgy, would-be easy-going attorney New Orleans TUBBY DUBONNET is 40-something, the divorced dad of three daughters (Debbie, Christine and Collette), and no stranger to ethical dilemmas. And he wants everyone to know that he is “not fat; he is a former jock and simply big.”
Tubby’s the star of a series of lighthearted but engaging mysteries by Tony Dunbar in which he gets to fight evil and pass a good time, cher.
But truth be told?
His preference is definitely for the latter.
He’d much rather drink (he has an “ongoing battle with the great drug alcohol”) and eat shrimp scampi or crab etoufée at one of the many local bars and restaurants he frequents. Or go fishing. Or do a little off-track betting. Or swap a few tall tales with his large circle of colourful and peculiar friends.
Anything, really, rather than deal with the demands of his but troublesome, often annoying and frequently downright weird clients.
Not that the ever-genial Tubby doesn’t rise to the occasion when he absolutely has to, but still…
Imagine a more genial Horace Rumple transplanted to the Big Easy, and let the good times roll.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Atlanta, Tony Dunbar grew up reading mysteries by Rex Stout, Dashiell Hammett, Tony Hillerman, John D. MacDonald, and Mickey Spillane, and published his first book, Our Land Too, based on his civil rights experiences in the Mississippi delta, at nineteen,
He has lived in New Orleans for a long, long time (he attended Tulane Law School there), and continues an active practice involving, he says, “money.”
THE EVIDENCE
- ”Look around, dearie, and you will see things you’ve never imagined before.”
— Tubby’s advice to a tourist in Shelter From the Storm - “Well, in a day or two, when all this blows over, let’s get together.”
— Tubby to his daughter, just before Katrina hits, in Tubby Meets Katrina
UNDER OATH
- “Take one cup of Raymond Chandler, one cup of Tenessee Williams, add a quart of humor, and you will get something resembling Dunbar’s crazy mixture of crime and offbeat comedy.”
— Baltimore Sun - …sharp and jolly…There’s a lot to enjoy.”
— The Chicago Tribune - “This is a terrific first novel. … Dunbar has an excellent ear for dialogue, and his story is very well crafted. His stylish take on Big Easy lowlife is reminiscent of the best of Donald Westlake and Elmore Leonard. This book deserves a wide and enthusiastic readership; don’t miss it!”
— George Needham on Crooked Man (Booklist)
NOVELS
- Crooked Man (1994) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- City of Beads (1995) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Trick Question (1997) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Shelter From the Storm (1997) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- The Crime Czar (1998) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Lucky Man (1999) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Tubby Meets Katrina (2006) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Night Watchman (2015) | Buy the book | Kindle it!
- Fat Man Blues (2016) | Buy the book | Kindle it!
- Flag Boy (2017) | Buy the book | Kindle it!
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- O’Neil de Noux’s Big Easy Favourites
And Other Louisiana Eyes
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
