Big Easy Backroad [Hardcover]

Martin Hegwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 1999

Meet Jack Delmas. Born and raised on the bayou, Delmas is a Dixie boy to the core. Working as a freelance investigator in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, Jack has seen his share of Southern Trouble. When he stops by a dockworker's bar after winding up a case, he's taken in by a barmaid's beautiful green eyes--and that's where the trouble begins.

Turns out the barmaid is distraught over her boyfriend's disappearance. Not one to let a lady down, Jack agrees to help track down her missing beau. When Jack finds out he's an associate of illustrious local crime figure Ricky Dee McCoy, he knows he's about to get in way over his head. Things get even worse when the boyfriend turns up dead and accusing fingers start pointing at Jack. Besides being wanted for questioning by the New Orleans Police Department, he's also made his way onto somebody's hit list. So now Jack's on the run, looking for answers ...stopping just long enough for a cold Dixie beer and a bowl of gumbo along the way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hegwood's first novel trails PI Jack Delmas from the Louisiana bayou to the French Quarter of New Orleans as he dodges murder accusations from every angle. When Jack meets Barb Novak at the shady Comus Bar in the Big Easy, he's taken in by her sparkling green eyes and agrees to help locate her missing friend, Toulouse Caron. Days later, Caron is found with his throat cut alongside a miniature coffin with candles on it. Jack suspects the death is the work of "the Undertaker," the fiend responsible for numerous local murders, but before he can make much headway with the theory, Barb is stabbed to death and Jack is under arrest for her murder, a victim of circumstance. Aided by Josh Hallman, who sports a powdered white wig but is "the best criminal defense lawyer in New Orleans," Jack gains bail and launches an investigation. With Barb's sister Angie in tow, Jack puts the pieces together, driven by his desire to stay out of prison and by his b?te-noir, Sheriff Artis Wade, who cares more about his golf dates than about the city's crime rate. Summertime readers will relish this saucy gumbo of backcountry adventure. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

First-time novelist Hegwood bravely steps onto James Lee Burke's turf with this gritty tale featuring New Orleans investigator Jack Delmas, who shares Dave Robicheaux's hot-headedness. When Delmas offers to help a pretty bartender find a missing truck driver, he opens a can of worms that leads to murder. In fact, he soon finds himself accused of murdering the damsel in distress he was attempting to help. While attempting to clear his name, Delmas stumbles across a major drug operation, corruption in the police department, and the attractive sister of the dead bartender. Another part of his mission is avenging the death of his mentor, Big Jim, who was shot in the back by the same man Delmas believes killed the bartender. Hegwood's straightforward style bears little resemblance to Burke's lyrical prose, but those who find that lyricism a bit purplish may prefer the no-frills approach. A suspenseful and entertaining beginning to a promising series. Jenny McLarin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 5 edition (July 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312202776
• ISBN-13: 978-0312202774
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,066,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Southerner who loves James Lee Burke, August 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Easy Backroad (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you like James Lee Burke, you will love Martin Hegwood. His descriptions are just as wonderful, even more to the point. A really delightful read, a must.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight from New Orleans!, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Easy Backroad (Hardcover)

This first time novelist is a "MUST-READ"! Written with humor, excitement, and real characters, this intricate plot is kind of like Magnum PI hits the Deep South. Hopefully, Martin Hegwood's first mystery novel is only the beginning of a delightful series of well-written and thought-out bonuses for mystery lovers. This one's "movie material"!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily a winning tour of the back Bayou, June 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Easy Backroad (Hardcover)

In Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, private investigator Jack Delmas feels pretty good about completing his latest case. He stops to celebrate with a few bottles of Dixie beer at the Comus Bar near the docks. The bartender, Barb, asks Jack to find a missing trucker. Unable to resist a pretty face even if she has a boy friend, Jack agrees to locate her beloved.

However, being a knight in shining armor backfires on Jack who was planning to renege on his previous night's promise. The police think he is the prime suspect in the murder of Barb. Worse yet, Jack finds himself being chased by the local mob as the bartender's boy friend had connections with mobster Ricky Dee McCoy. As he flees from the law and the mob, all Jack wants to do is kick back, go sailing, and have a beer.

BIG EASY BACKROAD is an engaging regional mystery that works due to the genuine detail that make the characters seem so real. The story line is fun as Jack seems to plunge deeper into Bayou trouble with every page. However, what makes this novel easy to like is the feel of the area as if Martin Hegwood is taking readers on a tour (by pickup truck) of the Bayou. Sub-genre fans will want more backroad tales starring Jack.

Harriet Klausner