Big Easy
Eric Wilder
Lulu, 2006http://www.ericwilder.com/
The Voodoo Strangler
Wyatt Thomas, Bertram Picou, Mama Mulate and other characters from Eric Wilder's 2006 collection Murder Etouffee are back in a novel of their own. Big Easy is a voodoo-tinged murder mystery set, naturally, in post-Katrina New Orleans.
A down-and-out former English teacher is found horribly strangled not far from the city's French Quarter tourist district. New Orleans Police Department detectives swiftly nab a violent schizophrenic as their prime suspect- only to have him inexplicably disappear from custody. Two more bodies follow swiftly- one, an important witness. This homeless English teacher is even more gruesomely defiled. And, bafflingly, nearby lies the savagely-throttled remains of their escaped mental patient.
Strange, ritualistic elements of the killings bring NOPD to Bertram Picou's bar to enlist the help of unofficial Crescent City investigator Wyatt Thomas and his voodoo priestess friend, Mama Mulate. In between Wyatt's other cases and romantic subplot with a beautiful young Psychology professor, the pursuit of The Voodoo Strangler takes the colorful allies through jazz clubs, secret rituals, mansions, housing projects, Cajun country and New Orleans' above-ground cemeteries- the "Cities of the Dead" so evocatively portrayed on Big Easy's magnificent cover.
Though Wilder's novel kept me entertained for a week on the Florida beaches, I have to hold it up to the same standards that praised Gene Kerrigan and slammed Booker prize-winner John Banville. Like it says in the FAQ, honest opinions only.
I do not feel that this manuscript was ready for publication. There's a typo in the very first sentence of the back-cover blurb. And in places the novel's wording is unclear: "Sally had not eaten in three days. Hunger rarely concerned her. Any nutritional value Tokay Rose lacked cheap aftershave from the dollar store on Canal generally provided." (page 1)
Big Easy contains several inconsistencies. The first suspect's age changes from thirty-two (page 31) to twenty-five (page 92). Next the real villain's name changes from Gaylon (page 70) to Clayton (page 101). After burning incriminating clothing early in the novel, this baddie commits a long enough string of murders for Lieutenant Tony "Fat Tony" Nicosia to lose 50 pounds chasing after him. Then the key to Gaylon LeBlanc's arrest proves to be an item stolen from his house on that evidence-torching day, which is announced as having taking place only a week previously (page 264).
Wyatt solves the mystery using a skill that had not been established earlier in the novel. There is repetition (stopping to describe how a shotgun house is laid out both on page 98 and page 324) and unrelated asides for Wyatt to solve additional minor cases. These slow the pace as the novel progresses toward its climax.
Still, Big Easy contains all the elements for a potboiler of Cajun cauldron proportions- good guys, bad guys, beautiful women, colorful settings and black magic. Check out Gerard F. Bianco's description of how he re-engineered his self-published novel Dying for Deception into the tighter, more thrilling, Publisher's Choice award-winning The Deal Master. I have no doubt that Eric Wilder can ultimately find the same success with Big Easy.
Wyatt's cat, Bob was one of my favorite characters. The running subplot regarding Bob's illness was well enough done to be touching.
Read Critical Mick's August 2006 interview with Eric Wilder!
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