Customer Reviews

Louisiana Bigshot: A Talba Wallis Novel

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Young women starting out as PIs start cheap and often finish early in the mystery fiction business -- but hope that Baroness de Pontalba, a/k/a Talba Wallis will be around for many more pleasurable reads. She has more prickles than a porcupine and apparently less fear than Zeus in solving mean, bitter problems. Her personality glints like silver as she dances between personal and business tragedy; underestimate her, and you're the one playing the fool's gold.

This is a forceful, beautifully written story that, in all likelihood, will cast you as a stranger in a strange land. But you will probably not be able to put down the book and chances are you will also be unable to untangle the strands of mystery much before the final acts play out. It's probably too complex, or they would ruin the delicious ruminations of the Baroness on the other characters, but there ought to be a movie here. Just read the book. It's hard to imagine a movie subtle and strong enough to capture both dynamic action and the tension between emotion and thought.

Even the simplest of tasks seem to land Private Eye/Poet, Talba Wallis, in big trouble in Julie Smith's, LOUISIANA BIGSHOT. ... Julie Smith successfully blends mystery and social commentary as Talba faces big hurdles, due to the color of her skin, in her investigation of Babalu's death. Smith has created a complex character who uses wit, and sheer nerve, and not always successfully, to navigate herself through some tough situations. You can't help but root for Talba Wallis.

I loved this second fast-paced tale of the irrepressible, sassy, intelligent poetess-turned-detective, Baroness Pontalba. The plot had more surprising twists and turns than a Louisiana bayou country road...and keeps you guessing until the very end. It always cracks me up when Ms. Smith brings Detective extraordinairre, Skip Langdon into the story....she's the main character in her excellent Skip Langdon series. If you're just discovering Ms. Smith's writing, you're in for a delectable treat and a fabulous story. She's the best!

When New Orleans PI Talba Wallis does a pre-marital background check on her friend Babalu Maya's fiance, things quickly go from bad to worse. The fiance is a cad, but Babalu seems to have other, darker problems on her mind. Yet, when Babalu turns up dead, it is none other than the fiance who believes she was murdered and hires Talba to look into it.

Talba immediately runs into a roadblock when she finds that Babalu Maya doesn't seem to exist. Following a trail which eventually leads to Clayton, Louisiana, Talba keeps digging. People in Clayton aren't talking, however. Refusing to give up, Talba and her boss, Eddie Valentino, both put their lives on the line to learn the murky secrets the town is hiding.

Talba Wallis's new adventures far surpass her last one. I hope Julie Smith hasn't killed off her Skip Langdon series but, if such is the case, Talba is a more than worthy successor. The atmosphere in this fast-paced tale is earthy and real. The dialogue is crisp, the writing is superior, and the plot is strong. If you haven't yet discovered the world of Talba Wallis, a/k/a the Baroness Pontalba, treat yourself to this book. It's definitely a winner.

Not being a big fan of urban detective fiction, I never would have bought this book if not for taking a half-day class on character development in fiction writing taught by the author. The class was fun and informative, but I haven't written any fiction since the class. However, I did buy and read "Louisiana Bigshot", one of Ms. Smith's 20 or so novels. The heroine of the story is young African-American Talba Wallis, a PI by day and the performance artist Baroness Pontalba by night. A friend is murdered and she convinces her boss to take the case. Investigation involves digging in the past of a nearby small town that hasn't advanced much culturally since the 1950s. Race, sex, violence and politics, the grist of a good Louisiana-set novel, are all here and capably handled by Smith's fast-moving style.

Hip, computer-savvy, but accident-prone Talba is a fun leading character, but with some issues of her own that she works on in parallel with the murder investigation. Her boss Eddie is an obese Yat from the old school, but he knows the key to unlock almost any door. Smith also creates a touching character to be Talba's spiritual guide, an aging retired minister who devotes his life to caring for his aging and ailing wife. Though the town at the center of the story is fictitious, Louisiana readers will recognize many of the settings. Like a fresh fried shrimp poboy, "Louisiana Bigshot" (which sounds like a good name for a hot sauce or a rock band) - is a quickly-consumed and tasty treat. Three-and-a-half stars for the book and the extra half for its author teaching the fun course for a total of four stars.

Talba Wallis now has her private detective's license and works for E.V. Anthony Investigations. When her day job is finished she writes poetry and reads it in her persona as the Baroness de Pontalba. One day when she is tailing a cheating husband she gets into a car injury and feels pretty banged up. She pays a visit to healer Babalu Moya who make Talba feel as good as new.

The next time she hears about Babalu is when her boyfriend invites Talba to investigate his fiancé's supposed suicide. Since Talba doesn't think her friend was suicidal, she agrees to take the case. The answers she needs are in Babalu's hometown of Clayton and the residents there are engaged in a conspiracy of silence. The deeper Talba digs, the more feathers she ruffles until it reaches the point that she either quickly finds out who killed her friend or expect a life expectancy no longer than a week.

Julie Smith has written another exciting private detective thriller starring a colorful and clever protagonist who thinks she has all the answers or knows where to find them. The author is a master at characterizations, so much so that the audience will pity some of the minor characters for their weaknesses. The story line is fast paced and intricately plotted, a roller coaster rider of thrills and chills.

Harriet Klausner

Private Investigator Talba Wallis is working on routine cases when her friend, Babalu Maya, hires Talba to prove that Babalu's fiancé is cheating on her. But Talba gets more than she bargained for when Babalu is found dead of a drug overdose after receiving her report. When Babalu's fiancé unexpectedly hires Talba to look into Babalu's death, she begins to realize that she didn't know her friend as well as she thought.

Her investigation turns up another name for Babalu, taken from her hometown of Clayton, Louisiana. Talba soon discovers that not only is she not welcome in Clayton, someone wants to put an end to her investigation and to her.

The more she finds out about the case, the more danger she puts herself in. From a gruesome, covered-up attack that happened decades ago, to a suspicious political campaign, Talba uncovers enough to make people uneasy.

But will she find the answers she's searching for before the person who wants to silence her finds her? With the help of Eddie, her supervisor, and the cunning tricks of a P.I., Talba fights until the end to solve her friend's death and unravel the mystery that has gone on for decades.

"Louisiana Bigshot" is a lively, twisting novel that provides the reader with a look into the life of a private investigator through Talba Wallis's confident, headstrong personality. Julie Smith also intersperses meaningful poetry and several sub-plots throughout the story, keeping the reader interested.

The Baroness de Pontalba is back. The Baroness aka Talba Wallis, the young, black up and coming private investigator returns in author Julie Smith's latest installment of the Baroness series. Not only does Talba return, she also brings along some old friends and we'll also get to meet some new people as well.

Talba leads a very interesting life. By day she is a private investgator working under the tutelage of seasoned PI Eddie Valentino, a white man with an attitude. At night she becomes the Baroness de Pontalba, aspiring poet. And as if her career and poetry aren't enough, she has a boyfriend ans she also has demons that she must exorcise. These demons were left behind by her father who deserted the family when Talba was a young child.

One day Talba visits an old friend, Babalu Maya. During Talba's visit Babalu hires her to look into the activities of her fiancee, who Babalu fears is cheating on her. Talba figures that this will be a fairly routine and easy case, she believes that the hardest part will be breaking the bad news to Babalu. Little does Talba know that less than a week later Babalu will be dead. Things just went from routine to way out of the ordinary.

After Babalu's death Talba dives into the investigation headfirst. She is having a hard time believing that her friend's death was just routine. Talba's investigation brings her face to face with racism, scandal, and danger. Louisiana Bigshot is a wild ride that I highly recommend that everyone take. I, for one, cannot wait for the next installment of the Baroness's adventures.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks

Talba Wallis is a hip young Private Investigator who also happens to be Black and a poet. A friend of hers dies. Police consider it a suicide. But, Talba and the deceased girls ex fiancee think otherwise. The ensuing investigation comes up with plenty of action and reveals skeletons in many closets including that of a favored gubernatorial candidate as well as those of prominent local families. A quick solid read.