What do you think?
Rate this book
Tubby Dubonnet #7
Tubby Meets Katrina
Just when he thought it was safe to come back to New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina boils up a rich gumbo of trouble for lawyer Tubby Dubonnet. He rides out the storm okay, but then the levees break, the city floods, and he ends up with thousands of other refugees in the hellish Convention Center. In the chaos, an escaped psychopath assaults and then stalks Tubby’s daughter. The police are no help, and Tubby must use his wits and his connections to protect himself and his family while trying to restore his home and help bring his beloved city back to life. The fast-paced story includes incisive vignettes of the dangerous days just after Katrina hit and of the frustrating weeks that followed.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2006
49 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Tony Dunbar
43 books100 followersTony Dunbar started writing at quite a young age. When he was 12, growing up in Atlanta, he told people that he was going to be a writer, but it took him until the age of 19 to publish his first book, Our Land Too, based on his civil rights experiences in the Mississippi delta. For entertainment, Tony turned not to television but to reading mysteries such as dozens of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories. Among his favorites are: Dashiell Hammett, author of The Maltese Falcon, and Tony Hillerman, and John D. MacDonald, and Mickey Spillane.
He has lived in New Orleans for a long, long time, and in addition to writing mysteries and more serious fare he attended Tulane Law School and continues an active practice involving, he says, “money.” That practice took a hit in the Hurricane Katrina flooding, but the experience did produce a seventh Tubby Dubonnet mystery novel, Tubby Meets Katrina
The Tubby series so far comprises seven books: The Crime Czar, City of Beads, Crooked Man, Shelter from the Storm, Trick Question, Lucky Man, and Tubby Meets Katrina. The main character, Tony says, is the City of New Orleans itself, the food, the music, the menace, the party, the inhabitants. But Tubby Dubonnet is the actual protagonist, and he is, like the author, a New Orleans attorney. Unlike the author, however, he finds himself involved in serious crime and murder, and he also ears exceptionally well. He is “40 something,” the divorced father of three daughters, a collector of odd friends and clients, and he is constantly besieged by ethical dilemmas. But he is not fat; he is a former jock and simply big.
Tony’s writing spans quite a few categories and is as varied as his own experiences. He has written about people’s struggle for survival, growing out of his own work as a community organizer in Mississippi and Eastern Kentucky. He has written about young preachers and divinity students who were active in the Southern labor movement in the 1930s, arising from his own work with the Committee of Southern Churchmen and Amnesty International. He has written and edited political commentary, inspired by seeing politics in action with the Voter Education Project. And he has had the most fun with the mysteries, saying, “I think I can say everything I have to say about the world through the medium of Tubby Dubonnet.”
Hurricane Katrina and the floods, which caused the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans for months, blew Tony into an off-resume job serving meals in the parking lot of a Mississippi chemical plant to hundreds of hardhats imported to get the complex dried out and operating. It also gave Tony time to write Tubby Meets Katrina, which was the first published novel set in the storm. It is a little grimmer than most of the books in the series, describing as it does the chaos in the sparsely populated city immediately after the storm. “It was a useful way for me to vent my anger,” Tony says. Still, even in a deserted metropolis stripped of electric power. Tubby manages to find a good meal.
The Tubby Dubonnet series has been nominated for both the Anthony Award and the Edgar Allen Poe Award. While the last one was published in 2006, the author says he is now settling down to write again. But about what? “Birds and wild flowers,” he suggests. Or “maybe television evangelists.” Or, inevitably, about the wondrous and beautiful city of New Orleans.
He has lived in New Orleans for a long, long time, and in addition to writing mysteries and more serious fare he attended Tulane Law School and continues an active practice involving, he says, “money.” That practice took a hit in the Hurricane Katrina flooding, but the experience did produce a seventh Tubby Dubonnet mystery novel, Tubby Meets Katrina
The Tubby series so far comprises seven books: The Crime Czar, City of Beads, Crooked Man, Shelter from the Storm, Trick Question, Lucky Man, and Tubby Meets Katrina. The main character, Tony says, is the City of New Orleans itself, the food, the music, the menace, the party, the inhabitants. But Tubby Dubonnet is the actual protagonist, and he is, like the author, a New Orleans attorney. Unlike the author, however, he finds himself involved in serious crime and murder, and he also ears exceptionally well. He is “40 something,” the divorced father of three daughters, a collector of odd friends and clients, and he is constantly besieged by ethical dilemmas. But he is not fat; he is a former jock and simply big.
Tony’s writing spans quite a few categories and is as varied as his own experiences. He has written about people’s struggle for survival, growing out of his own work as a community organizer in Mississippi and Eastern Kentucky. He has written about young preachers and divinity students who were active in the Southern labor movement in the 1930s, arising from his own work with the Committee of Southern Churchmen and Amnesty International. He has written and edited political commentary, inspired by seeing politics in action with the Voter Education Project. And he has had the most fun with the mysteries, saying, “I think I can say everything I have to say about the world through the medium of Tubby Dubonnet.”
Hurricane Katrina and the floods, which caused the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans for months, blew Tony into an off-resume job serving meals in the parking lot of a Mississippi chemical plant to hundreds of hardhats imported to get the complex dried out and operating. It also gave Tony time to write Tubby Meets Katrina, which was the first published novel set in the storm. It is a little grimmer than most of the books in the series, describing as it does the chaos in the sparsely populated city immediately after the storm. “It was a useful way for me to vent my anger,” Tony says. Still, even in a deserted metropolis stripped of electric power. Tubby manages to find a good meal.
The Tubby Dubonnet series has been nominated for both the Anthony Award and the Edgar Allen Poe Award. While the last one was published in 2006, the author says he is now settling down to write again. But about what? “Birds and wild flowers,” he suggests. Or “maybe television evangelists.” Or, inevitably, about the wondrous and beautiful city of New Orleans.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 14, 2017
I read this a long time ago and remember liking it quite a bit. Reading Victoria's summary of Thrill Kill: A VooDoo Mystery reminded me of having read this. The images evoked in it were so vivid of pre and post hurricane New Orleans, I felt like I was there.
March 1, 2025
Book #7 Tubby Meets Katrina, was published by a different publisher, NewSouth Books in 2005. The Kindle on it is about $25. I found no epub deals on it anywhere. I did find a used hardback copy of #7 I could afford so will have a Tubby break until it comes in. Retirement is not all it's cracked up to be, not much money, but there is lots of time to READ! I'm too old to enjoy heavy hard-backed books but I had to have this one. It's about warm enough to lie in the New Mexico sun and read it, with lemonade and a lazy cat for company.
AND my review for #7 -
Tubby Meets Katrina, #7 in the Tubby Bubonnet series, was published after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 took out huge swaths of the southern US, and Tony Dunbar, as a New Orleans resident, was right in the middle of it all - the storm, the flooding when the city's earthern levees were breached, the mandatory city-wide evacuations of 300,000 folks, the months when residents were not allowed to return to NO, LA to assess and try to recover their property and lives - and he tells it like it was. So many residents had been bussed off to Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, Pennsylvania when the levees broke, flooding the various city-wide facilities those families had retreated to for safety during the storm. Many of them had only the clothes on their backs, no personal transportation at their final retreat, no knowledge of the community that took them in, little if any money, and no idea how their homes, jobs, and neighborhood had faired through it all. They just knew they couldn't go home. Many months later when the city was re-opened, the traffic was so heavy returning families averaged about 20 miles an hour on every road coming into Louisiana, whether traveling by private car or bus. There were still no trains or airport services available. There were still no grocery stores, pharmacies, daycare centers. Even Walmart had been ransacked and stripped bare by looters. Unhappily, some of the looters were the very police who were hired to protect the community. And there were few jobs to be had unless you were healthy and strong enough to do construction work and tear out soaked, mildewed wallboard and carpets. They had a special dumping ground just for the ruined refrigerators. Unless we lived through this or something just as devastating, most of us had no clue it could get this bad. I was in Hurricane Camille in Pensacola in 1969, knocked my pear tree into my kitchen and took out the neighborhood pier, which flapped like a sheet in the wind before it broke up. But I still had a community, a job, friends and neighbors to help pick up the pieces and move on.
Every time I came up for air while reading this story, I realized how lucky I was not to have experienced anything even approaching this devastation. It has renewed my faith in humanity - I had forgotten this heroic brand of community spirit as I got old, isolated and cynical. And as with everything else in life, what goes around, comes around. Community is a two-way street, as my mother used to say. Thank you, Tony Dunbar, for giving me this wake-up call. I needed it.
AND my review for #7 -
Tubby Meets Katrina, #7 in the Tubby Bubonnet series, was published after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 took out huge swaths of the southern US, and Tony Dunbar, as a New Orleans resident, was right in the middle of it all - the storm, the flooding when the city's earthern levees were breached, the mandatory city-wide evacuations of 300,000 folks, the months when residents were not allowed to return to NO, LA to assess and try to recover their property and lives - and he tells it like it was. So many residents had been bussed off to Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, Pennsylvania when the levees broke, flooding the various city-wide facilities those families had retreated to for safety during the storm. Many of them had only the clothes on their backs, no personal transportation at their final retreat, no knowledge of the community that took them in, little if any money, and no idea how their homes, jobs, and neighborhood had faired through it all. They just knew they couldn't go home. Many months later when the city was re-opened, the traffic was so heavy returning families averaged about 20 miles an hour on every road coming into Louisiana, whether traveling by private car or bus. There were still no trains or airport services available. There were still no grocery stores, pharmacies, daycare centers. Even Walmart had been ransacked and stripped bare by looters. Unhappily, some of the looters were the very police who were hired to protect the community. And there were few jobs to be had unless you were healthy and strong enough to do construction work and tear out soaked, mildewed wallboard and carpets. They had a special dumping ground just for the ruined refrigerators. Unless we lived through this or something just as devastating, most of us had no clue it could get this bad. I was in Hurricane Camille in Pensacola in 1969, knocked my pear tree into my kitchen and took out the neighborhood pier, which flapped like a sheet in the wind before it broke up. But I still had a community, a job, friends and neighbors to help pick up the pieces and move on.
Every time I came up for air while reading this story, I realized how lucky I was not to have experienced anything even approaching this devastation. It has renewed my faith in humanity - I had forgotten this heroic brand of community spirit as I got old, isolated and cynical. And as with everything else in life, what goes around, comes around. Community is a two-way street, as my mother used to say. Thank you, Tony Dunbar, for giving me this wake-up call. I needed it.
March 21, 2025
Tubby Meets Katrina by Anthony Dunbar, is book seven of the suspenseful series, “A Tubby Dubonnet Mystery.” I especially enjoyed this novel that takes place in New Orleans, 2005.
New Orleans lawyer Tubby Dubonnet arrives home after an extended stay in Bolivia. He arrives at Louis Armstrong International Airport to the news that a massive hurricane is making its way to New Orleans. Oh, well. Just another inconvenience. But the storm becomes more than an inconvenience, it becomes Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that causes over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.
Following record-breaking winds, New Orleans has massive flooding when the levee system that held back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne becomes overwhelmed, flooding southeastern Louisiana.
As the flood waters overtake a New Orleans detention center, escaped psychopath Bonner Rivette breaks out of jail when a guard unlocks the cell door to save the inmates from drowning. Bonner makes his way to an office building that happens to be Tubby’s office. He devises a way to lure Tubby’s college-age daughter into the office under the guise of helping her injured father. She falls for the ruse and is held hostage. Tubby asks a private detective friend for his help in freeing his daughter.
Author Anthony Dunbar, a New Orleans-based attorney and writer, writes what he knows, and does so with aplomb. I’ve spent some time in New Orleans when I visited The Big Easy with my husband on a business trip, then again when I worked with the American Red Cross after Katrina. I’ve seen the good and the bad, and found that the author describes both with accuracy. I again enjoyed vicariously visiting the great landmarks of the city, the French Quarter, fine restaurants, and some of the elite neighborhoods. With the Red Cross I also witnessed unbelievable devastation—miles and miles of ruined homes, curbs lined with moldy refrigerators and furniture, destroyed businesses, the city’s infrastructure turned upside down. Dunbar describes it all. Tubby Meets Katrina is an enjoyable read about the dangerous days just after Katrina and of the frustrating weeks that followed. The story line is intriguing with a mix of suspense and low-key humor.
New Orleans lawyer Tubby Dubonnet arrives home after an extended stay in Bolivia. He arrives at Louis Armstrong International Airport to the news that a massive hurricane is making its way to New Orleans. Oh, well. Just another inconvenience. But the storm becomes more than an inconvenience, it becomes Hurricane Katrina, a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that causes over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.
Following record-breaking winds, New Orleans has massive flooding when the levee system that held back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne becomes overwhelmed, flooding southeastern Louisiana.
As the flood waters overtake a New Orleans detention center, escaped psychopath Bonner Rivette breaks out of jail when a guard unlocks the cell door to save the inmates from drowning. Bonner makes his way to an office building that happens to be Tubby’s office. He devises a way to lure Tubby’s college-age daughter into the office under the guise of helping her injured father. She falls for the ruse and is held hostage. Tubby asks a private detective friend for his help in freeing his daughter.
Author Anthony Dunbar, a New Orleans-based attorney and writer, writes what he knows, and does so with aplomb. I’ve spent some time in New Orleans when I visited The Big Easy with my husband on a business trip, then again when I worked with the American Red Cross after Katrina. I’ve seen the good and the bad, and found that the author describes both with accuracy. I again enjoyed vicariously visiting the great landmarks of the city, the French Quarter, fine restaurants, and some of the elite neighborhoods. With the Red Cross I also witnessed unbelievable devastation—miles and miles of ruined homes, curbs lined with moldy refrigerators and furniture, destroyed businesses, the city’s infrastructure turned upside down. Dunbar describes it all. Tubby Meets Katrina is an enjoyable read about the dangerous days just after Katrina and of the frustrating weeks that followed. The story line is intriguing with a mix of suspense and low-key humor.
July 23, 2018
As usual, an excellent book. I am an avid reader of the Tubby Dubonnet series and somehow missed this one, but caught it when I bought his latest and noticed that I had not checked off #7 of the series as read, so I remedied that.
I love all his books, and, in spite of the fact that I really never looked at Tubby as being stupid, which he was to remain when there was a mandatory evacuate order given, I forgave him for playing "macho man" and went on to enjoy the book, but I hope Mr. Dunbar never again alludes to stupidity on Tubby's part.
As a point of interest, I heartily recommend this series to any and all mystery buffs, of which I am one.
I love all his books, and, in spite of the fact that I really never looked at Tubby as being stupid, which he was to remain when there was a mandatory evacuate order given, I forgave him for playing "macho man" and went on to enjoy the book, but I hope Mr. Dunbar never again alludes to stupidity on Tubby's part.
As a point of interest, I heartily recommend this series to any and all mystery buffs, of which I am one.
December 11, 2016
Another fabulous book
I love love love these stories. I felt like I was right in a flooded New Orleans. Mr. Dunbar is a wonderful story teller and I love Tubby. Looking forward to many more Tubby tales.
I love love love these stories. I felt like I was right in a flooded New Orleans. Mr. Dunbar is a wonderful story teller and I love Tubby. Looking forward to many more Tubby tales.
June 20, 2019
Personal
This Katrina story, told through the eyes ofTubby, really opened my eyes to the really horrific situation that was one of the worst disasters in history. Normally I tell me readers to read the series from the start, but in this case the book can be a stand alone.
This Katrina story, told through the eyes ofTubby, really opened my eyes to the really horrific situation that was one of the worst disasters in history. Normally I tell me readers to read the series from the start, but in this case the book can be a stand alone.
December 5, 2016
Written by one who was there
Dunbar can take disaster and wrap a crime into it and make it convincing and honest at the same time. Great, fast, yet memorable read.
Dunbar can take disaster and wrap a crime into it and make it convincing and honest at the same time. Great, fast, yet memorable read.
February 26, 2017
Not my favorite. But good but reds eye
View of the devastation.
View of the devastation.
June 7, 2017
Readable
A fan of these books and author, I was slightly disappointed in this one. They have always been a break from some more intense mysteries
A fan of these books and author, I was slightly disappointed in this one. They have always been a break from some more intense mysteries
February 15, 2018
I have enjoyed all the Tubby Dubonnet books. This one was a bit different from the others as it was about the hurricane and how it affected the characters in the book. I enjoyed the story.
December 5, 2018
Great series!
March 21, 2020
Katrina
What a great story!! I am just loving this series. Tubby isn’t perfect; he’s just a fun, fallible, and sweet man. I love reading about his adventures!
What a great story!! I am just loving this series. Tubby isn’t perfect; he’s just a fun, fallible, and sweet man. I love reading about his adventures!
December 26, 2017
Well done mr Dunbar
Enjoyed every single word of this one.
Read all the others in the series, this one didn't disappoint. Well done.
Enjoyed every single word of this one.
Read all the others in the series, this one didn't disappoint. Well done.
February 9, 2017
Tubby Meets Katrina
I cried reading this, there were some great suspenseful moments. It doesn't seem to far out of the realm of possibility that criminals took advantage of the situation. The nearly empty city had to have been appealing.
It seemed to really capture the awfulness of the tragedy. It was such a terrible thing to see fellow humans going through. So many displaced, and so many gone. Knowing that many didn't go back because they no longer had anything to go back to is incredibly sad.
It's hard to believe it was so long ago, and still they're recovering.
I cried reading this, there were some great suspenseful moments. It doesn't seem to far out of the realm of possibility that criminals took advantage of the situation. The nearly empty city had to have been appealing.
It seemed to really capture the awfulness of the tragedy. It was such a terrible thing to see fellow humans going through. So many displaced, and so many gone. Knowing that many didn't go back because they no longer had anything to go back to is incredibly sad.
It's hard to believe it was so long ago, and still they're recovering.
December 23, 2016
This was more a therapeutic exercise for the author to explain what New Orleans was like after Katrina hit: the devastation, the frustration with slow assistance, the impact of no food or water or utilities, the dangers, the way people coped. Tubby suffered damage to his home, but less than many; he was able to get around and make connections; he had food. His daughter comes to stay with him and is tricked into a situation that places her in danger from an escaped murderer. There are no police, no authorities, available to help, so Tubby gathers a ragtag group of folks who need help and they help each other thru the worst of things, including rescuing the daughter.
December 28, 2015
Katrina did a number on NOLA
I liked the descriptions of all of what, how and where Katrina destroyed. A lot of that is in half or more of the story. Katrina was something I never want to happen again. I like v ed in Charlotte NC and saw our old colosseum fill up fast. All the thousand of people displaced so quickly. Even without the late family criminal involvement coming into more focus at 80% into the book, and the catching up with the bad guy it was still a l. Interesting read. If you wanted to know more about Katrina, this is an interesting point of view.
I liked the descriptions of all of what, how and where Katrina destroyed. A lot of that is in half or more of the story. Katrina was something I never want to happen again. I like v ed in Charlotte NC and saw our old colosseum fill up fast. All the thousand of people displaced so quickly. Even without the late family criminal involvement coming into more focus at 80% into the book, and the catching up with the bad guy it was still a l. Interesting read. If you wanted to know more about Katrina, this is an interesting point of view.
November 12, 2010
I love this series, set in New Orleans, with a very soft-boiled lawyer who eats several lunches a day. They are usually great fun, full of New Orleans characters. This one was probably a book Dunbar felt he had to write--his mourning for the city during and after the storm. Hard to read for anyone who grieved for New Orleans.
November 6, 2016
A fascinating read......
I'm a Tubby Dubonnet fan who wasn't let Down by this book. It had the favorite cast of characters and a few new guys both good and bad. I especially enjoyed getting an inside look at life during the Katrina crisis. I am looking forward to more Tubby adventures.
I'm a Tubby Dubonnet fan who wasn't let Down by this book. It had the favorite cast of characters and a few new guys both good and bad. I especially enjoyed getting an inside look at life during the Katrina crisis. I am looking forward to more Tubby adventures.
December 16, 2015
I so enjoy the "tubby" series. The main character is dark and fun at the same time. The author also has done a great job by setting the books in New Orleans. As a frequent visitor to the city, it's fun being able to visualize the characterizations.
September 5, 2015
Katrina vs. New Orleans
Tubby, his family and friends find their hands full and their pockets empty as they cope with the devastation and semi-recovery. Dealing with a murderous felon causes people to lose sleep.
Tubby, his family and friends find their hands full and their pockets empty as they cope with the devastation and semi-recovery. Dealing with a murderous felon causes people to lose sleep.
November 12, 2015
Not what I was expecting..
I enjoyed the book but was a little disappointed to have continually read the word "refugees" when referring to those displaced due to the hurricane, or maybe I'm being shallow? Anyway, I'd still recommend it.
I enjoyed the book but was a little disappointed to have continually read the word "refugees" when referring to those displaced due to the hurricane, or maybe I'm being shallow? Anyway, I'd still recommend it.
January 8, 2016
Great book
Even though I am a native Texan, I have Louisiana roots, and have always liked the Cajun state and all it's colorful characters. I have read two of Mr. Dunbar's books on Tubby so far, have enjoyed them very much, and can't wait to read them all.
Even though I am a native Texan, I have Louisiana roots, and have always liked the Cajun state and all it's colorful characters. I have read two of Mr. Dunbar's books on Tubby so far, have enjoyed them very much, and can't wait to read them all.
February 4, 2016
Tubby strikes fear into a hurricane
Tubby once again has come out on top and his thoughts return to memories of pastimes when his supposed life was good and now he has found a reason to go on after Katrina...
Tubby once again has come out on top and his thoughts return to memories of pastimes when his supposed life was good and now he has found a reason to go on after Katrina...
December 20, 2016
I'm Addicted
Every time I start new Tubby Dubonnet mystery, I swear it will be the last one. And when I finish it, I go ahead and buy the next one. Both the characters and New Orleans fascinate me. I think they would fascinate most mystery fans.
Every time I start new Tubby Dubonnet mystery, I swear it will be the last one. And when I finish it, I go ahead and buy the next one. Both the characters and New Orleans fascinate me. I think they would fascinate most mystery fans.
April 25, 2015
Ok
Because it's written so well this basically spotless sorry is still a good one if you want to know a bit about katrina
Because it's written so well this basically spotless sorry is still a good one if you want to know a bit about katrina
October 4, 2015
What a joy to read another Tubby Dubonnet book! There's only one more in the series, so I hope the author gets busy and writes some more.
October 22, 2016
My least favorite in the series, this was more documentary and less story. The devastation of New Orleans was described in detail but the book had almost no plot.
April 15, 2017
A great novel set during hurricane Katrina, this story is all about Tubby's attempts to survive and then get over the effects of the giant storm. An interesting read on a number of levels.
March 30, 2015
An attention grabbing read. I plan to read the rest of the series.
April 20, 2016
Love me some Tubby, but this one never really grabbed me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews