Papa La-Bas (Carr, John Dickson) [Paperback]

John Dickson Carr (Author)

Book Description

Series: Carr, John Dickson | Publication Date: February 16, 1998

The scene in Papa La-Bas is New Orleans in 1858. There, strong men, lovely women, dark magic and violence swirl around Senator Judah P. Benjamin, who can solve any problem by logical analysis, and Richard Macrae, Her Majesty's Consul, when they witness a devilish murder.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (February 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786705027
• ISBN-13: 978-0786705023
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,271,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical setting-- elements of black magic and passion, October 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Papa La-Bas (Carr, John Dickson) (Paperback)

This gripping mystery is set in 19th century New Orleans. There is passion and even discreet references to sex-- New Orleans in those days was a very exotic place. The characters are well drawn, and the plot involves murder (of course), jealosy, witchcraft, romantic rivalries. The historical setting really comes to live in every detail. Carr must have researched carefully. You will not be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Curious For The Notes, June 5, 2009

By 

Bawlmer Guy (Mount Airy, MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Papa La-Bas (Carr, John Dickson) (Paperback)

Among dozens of John Dickson Carr novels read during the last few months, for some reason this one stands out as a curiosity. It is clearly not as good as many other Carr books, perhaps owing to the author's declining health at the time (1968, a good 30 years after Carr's prime years of output). At the same time, there's more than enough of what was best about Carr in here to recommend it.

Real-life Senator Judah P. Benjamin serves as the central "detective" if not the protagonist of a murder mystery set in New Orleans a few years before the start of the American Civil War. As usual in his historical novels, Carr researched the time and setting well, thus providing a nicely atmospheric backdrop (with a dash of voodoo for creepiness). The characters are diverse and reasonably well-drawn for the genre, although often histrionic in matters of the heart, an element common to several Carr novels. If the means of murder is unspectacular, the murderer's motive is interesting both in a dramatic sense and for the way Carr fictionally places it within the actual history of famous (and scandalous) New Orleans residents. Carr's Notes For The Curious at novel's end illuminate what interested the author about his subject matter. Even so, Carr often takes his time getting to any point here. Like Old Man River, the story alternately meanders and rushes through its turns.

While this is nowhere near the best place to start with John Dickson Carr's novels, it might be that it's the best of Carr's last, which would also make it a good place to end a foray into the works of a master of detective fiction.