Mr. New Orleans: The Life of a Big Easy Underworld Legend

by Frenchy Brouillette, Matthew Randazzo

Wiseguys called him "the Keith Richards of the American Mafia" and JFK hero Jim Garrison denounced him as "one of the most notorious vice operators in the history of New Orleans" ... but you can just call him MR. NEW ORLEANS. Mr. New Orleans tells the incredible story of Frenchy Brouillette, a redneck Cajun teenager who stole his big brother's motorcycle and embarked on a 60-year vacation to New Orleans, where he became a legendary gangster and the underworld political fixer for his cousin, Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards. Written by Crescent City native Matthew Randazzo V, the wickedly funny Mr. New Orleans is the first book to ever break the code of secrecy of the New Orleans Mafia Family, the oldest and most mysterious criminal secret society in America. "Mr. New Orleans is a rollicking, disturbing ride through the underbelly of a bygone New Orleans, lined with moments of dark, side-splitting hilarity. If you're a fan of James Lee Burke, drop what you're reading and pick this one up. In an era when popular wisdom tells us T.V. has stolen all depth from the literary true-crime narrative, Matthew Randazzo has found a way to beat that trend mightily; he's gone straight to the source and captured the singular, confounding voice of the New Orleans' mafia's top political fixer with fast-paced, riveting prose and a fine journalist's eye for detail." Chris Rice, New York Times Bestselling Author"Mr. New Orleans is a total Take everything you ever imagined about the sleazy good times to be had in New Orleans -- the sleazy good times capital of America -- and quadruple it, and you have a hint of what's inside these sticky pages." Bill Tonelli, Author of The Italian American Reader and Editor for Esquire and Rolling Stone

Genres: True Crime, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Memoir, Audiobook

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2010

About the author

Born and raised in New Orleans, MRV is the author of four books, including 2010's Godfather Knows Best with Johnny Fratto, the first book signed to Igniter, the HarperCollins imprint of superstar authors Neil Strauss and Anthony Bozza. His latest release Breakshot: A Life in the 21st Century American Mafia is the incredible true story of Kenny Kenji Gallo, the Japanese-American criminal mastermind who became the most controversial gangster in the history of the modern American Mafia."

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, crazy read that provides a look at a New Orleans that is no more, the high tide of the mafia. Much of how one enjoys this book depends on Brouillette. He is good at weaving a yarn, but some will be turned away by his informal tone, con man credentials, and exaggerations. Of the later, one might conclude he is lying, but much of what he says corroborates my own research and he is very self-deprecating. As a memoir, this one is certainly no less believable than the schlock powerful people churn out to defend their reputations, whether that be Heinz Guderian or Bill Clinton. Since the New Orleans mafia is little understood, this is among the few primary sources we have.

Oddly, for a book about sex, drugs, and the mafia, there is a moral of sorts here. We are all doing time, and it is up to us whether it is easy time or hard time. I will take that to heart and recommend this book to anyone interested in New Orleans in the 1950s and 1960s.

[Alex Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frenchy’s life story is like reading a Scorsese film. Hell, if Scorsese is on the hunt for something to adapt after Killers of the Flower Moon, it should be this book. Yes, it’s definitely self-aggrandizing, and I’d bet that not quite everything in these pages is all the way 100% true, but in this case I’m glad the truth didn’t get in the way of a good story. The story that unfolds from rural Louisiana to heart of the French Quarter is both engrossing and hilarious, with a dash of intrigue and a pinch of strong emotion (especially towards the end, goddamn). If you like New Orleans, or gangster movies, or even if you’re just looking for a book you can laugh at every so often, give this one a try.

[Julia DeSimone · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frenchy Brouillette’s memoirs are a heaping helping of Cajun-style underworld history. Penned with coauthor Matthew Randazzo V, Mr. New Orleans is a personal guided tour through the Big Easy, with special attention paid to all that is sleazy and tawdry.

The book should not be mistaken for a volume of academic history. Though considerable research apparently was done on the New Orleans underworld, tales are presented with the goal of titillation rather than education. No discernible effort was made to find the verifiable details within the legends or to challenge the accuracy of sources.

The authors’ stated intention was to “preserve the spirit and history of the near-extinct New Orleans outlaw and the shadowy black market society he inhabited,” and that has been accomplished.

In a stream of obscenity-laced recollections, Brouillette describes his long career as a muscle-building, motorcycle-riding agent of “fun.” Whether a customer’s idea of “fun” was liquor, drugs, woman, gambling or whatever, Frenchy, who benefited from a family connection to an important Louisiana politician, was able and willing to provide.

Brouillette claims to have associated with local Mafia boss Carlos Marcello and considers him a personal hero. He speaks of the notorious crime boss with frequency and familiarity and provides details of Marcello’s relationship to his apparent crime boss predecessor Sylvestro “Silver Dollar Sam” Carollo.

Frenchy also spends a fair amount of time on the underworld connections to the Kennedy Assassinations. He links assassin Lee Harvey Oswald with the Marcello clan and moves on to blacken the reputation of crusading prosecutor Jim Garrison (not among Frenchy’s favorite people). He charges that Garrison was far from the determined anti-mob public servant portrayed in the movie JFK and was actually corrupt, lazy, paid-pal of the local New Orleans underworld.

It will be difficult for many — perhaps impossible for some — to accept that a muscle-bound Crescent City pimp had access to the better known names in New Orleans government and entertainment and served as a confidant of a powerful mob boss. That’s all really beside the point. Mr. New Orleans seeks to preserve an experience. Somehow gross exaggerations — even occasional fibs — seem to fit well within that experience.

[David L Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sounds like a lot of BS and bragging to me. Would be interesting to fact-check some of the content of this NOVEL. A lot of self serving information and fake build-up.

[Jerilee Wei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Frenchy Brouillette's Mr. New Orleans as a Cajun/Creole historian, I felt the familiar sense of a story I already knew, whispered in the humid air of every corner bar and sun-baked front porch. There was no shocking revelation here, just the satisfying confirmation that a city’s foundation is built on far more than its tourist-friendly facade.

Brouillette's life isn't a history book. It's the plumbing and wiring of the grand old New Orleans house often hidden in the very ones that were of speakeasy legends . We, the people who are descendants of this city, know that the vibrant, pastel-colored shotgun houses on the surface are charming. However, we also know the real character—the stories, the secrets, the grit—are in the cracked mortar and the shadows behind the cypress shutters.

Just as the city has traded in its smoky, backroom deals for bustling street festivals and craft cocktails, it has merely dressed up the same soulful, unruly spirit. You can clean up the front porches all you want, but the stories of the original occupants still echo through the barge board floorboards. Still not washed away by hurricanes or floods, but frail and at risk of being erased from history forever if we aren't careful.

[J.C. Stearns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild ride from start to finish! I read this as research for an upcoming writing project, and I was not disappointed. I learned a great deal about the structure of the organized crime scene, as well as some lovely details on the seedy side of New Orleans life, especially in the late 50s and early 60s.

Of particular interest is the details about the Kennedy assassination. I'm normally very critical of conspiracy theories, but the thoughtful and informative theory that Frenchy laid out is frightening in its reasonability.

More broadly, if you're looking for a humanization of some of the biggest names in the New Orleans criminal scene in the 60s, this book has a great deal of information to provide that sort of context.

[Bernard A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for anyone interested in the American Mafia and anyone interested in New Orleans history. Or really just anyone who likes a good story. Frenchy Brouillette was a story teller for sure, but I don't believe a lier as many reviewers have suggested. At the end the author thanks people such as Sam and Vic Carillon as well as other in named underworld figures. People who could confirm a great deal of it. I had the privilege of meeting Frenchy in the 90s. To me he was one of the old French quarter characters of which I planned to be one day. I had the privilege of sharing a bottle in Jackson Square and listening to some of these same stories for which I'm grateful. Frenchy was murdered in 2015 marking the end of an error in The Big Easy. I'm grateful these stories were put to paper while he was still with us.

[CJ Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very entertaining and a fascinating insider account of the rise and fall of New Orleans., but I suspect it contains a healthy amount of BS. I don't think someone who admits to being drunk or stoned most of the latter half of his life can have such an eidetic memory. I googled Frenchy after finishing the book and read that he was stabbed to death the year following its release. He certainly died with his boots on.

[James Boucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

What a book! I read this non stop until I was finished and enjoyed every page. It flowed through time really well and the stories were captivating. I like how he told the golden era stories from his youth but then didn’t hesitate to save some space at the end for the more tragic later years. The book contains stories that include the who’s who of the time of American gangsters and movie stars. Very glad I chose to read this book.

[Dinah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish it, which is very unusual for me. I can count in one hand the books I haven’t finished, and that’s many. I was so excited to get this book, it was so disappointing. Maybe, I should have continued to the end, perhaps, I would have loved it. It just didn’t hold my interest.every time I thought about picking it up, I just couldn’t do it. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll dr use to give it another try. Some of the reviews have encouraged me to go back and finish it.

[Sirin Nabokov · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of the glamorous sleaze of a New Orleans in the perpetual decline of it's own illusory and intoxicating allure.

I think that says it all other than the allegory resides in the life story of pimp Frenchy Brouillette who alternates between self-aggrandizement and self-pity, just like the city he loves.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first the book promises to be part tall tale & part history & part homage to the Golden Age of New Orleans. The narrative voice is spectacular, the hilarious colloquialisms are worth reading on their own, but the stuff about the Kennedy Assassination is MIND BOGGLING & then the fantastic story about a famous 80's pop song is icing. Highly recommend!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful and funny biography is great right through the fascinating JFK assassination material, but definitely sags in the repetitive last third, much like Frenchy’s life itself.
Frenchy was stabbed to death in his home a few years after publication, but apparently no link to the book’s mobbed-up contents.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this biography of Frenchy Brouillette! The book did a great job of capturing the essence of days gone by in New Orleans, and it also had me smiling and laughing outloud at different points as Frenchy told his story. What a character! I recognized so many of the places he mentioned! Next time I go home to New Orleans, I will definitely see those places in a different light!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like sitting next to a guy at a bar who just drinks hard liquor for hours and he tells you a bunch of stories and you think they might be true but they might not be and later some other old timers are like "yeah he's full of shit but everything he told you was true" so make of that what you will.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book

Great book with great stories from mid 20th century New Orleans. Anyone from Louisiana should find some connection on this book and understand a little better about the long time crookedness of the state in general

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible writing. Gets boring after you keep reading the same trash over and over I just couldn't read any more. I read half the book, thought I would never finish. I decided to go to the ending of the book and read that chapter, and just more of the same. I done.

[Joseph P. Salvador · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read

Anybody who is familiar with New Orleans should like this book as long as they like sort of true crime stories. It is hard to believe some of the claims in this book but the author says up front that these claims might not be true which makes it all okay.

[Elizabeth Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth it for the Kennedy-assassination stuff alone. That's what I say.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you aren't from NO or Marksville, you probably would think just so so

[Beth]

Don’t bother.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Orleans Guidebook

I love New Orleans because everything you see, hear, or experience is a half a lie, but it’s so convincing that you realize that the truth is really the whole lie.

[Sheri Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I know who killed the Kennedy's

Second time I've read this masterpiece... Love the old time stories... I might read it a third time in a couple of years

[Collette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book if you know New Orleans. The characters are great and real. Loved it.

[Tim Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful storytelling, a but repetitive but an entertaining book. Great explanation of the New Orleans organized crime world

[Seamus Roniger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational

I enjoyed the historical facts from the point of view the book offered.
I also liked how they presented the story.

[Connie B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped quickly: not as Interested as I thought I would be.

[marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible memoir of the underworld of New Orleans and the life of Frenchy. Wild and a page turner.

[Scott Pacult · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel back to when New Orleans and the French Quarter were populated with larger than life characters.