Dark Bayou: Infamous Louisiana Homicides

by Alan G. Gauthreaux, D.G. Hippensteel

This collection chronicles the most mysterious, bizarre and often overlooked homicides in Louisiana history. Drawing on contemporary records and, where available, the recollections of those who provide a coherent version of the facts, these mesmerizing tales detail some of the more gruesome the rise of the first Mafia godfather in the United States; the murder of two New Orleans police chiefs; the brutal murder of a famous New Orleans madam; the story of a respectable young woman who "accidentally" poisoned her younger sister and is a suspect in other family deaths; the ritual killing of blacks in southwestern Louisiana and eastern Texas; the mysterious death of a young housewife which still generates debate; and the demise of a local celebrity who believed in his own invincibility.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2015

Reviews

[Cynthia]

I read only the stories I was most interested in, so no rating. However, I enjoyed the ones I read.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of my favorite reads, but a well done group of short stories. Some were better than others. The writing style was okay, but sometimes annoying when the authors would repeat themselves over and over.

Most of the stories I knew something about, but there were a couple that I'd not heard of . Overall a good book to read.

[Gail Johnson, Ph.D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good resource to start with when researching crime and locations in Louisiana.

[Lasey Ogden · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book was phenomenal! This one? Not so much! The first how ever many dam stories took me forever to get through due to the over informative storylines. Specially the political stories. The last two stores in the book were great! And a fast interesting read!

[Darcia Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a difficult time getting through this book. Normally, I am intrigued by old crimes, and I'm fascinated by Louisiana's history. But I kept putting this book down and didn't have a lot of desire to pick it back up.

The homicide cases chosen are interesting enough, though some are only "infamous" because the murder was tied to local politics, and many don't differ much from any of the countless 'typical' murders committed in the nation.

My lackluster feeling comes mainly from the writing style. These accounts feel like straightforward news articles, like something you might read in the newspaper. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that style, but I personally find it too drab. I wanted more color and atmosphere, more of an engaging narrative.

One thing I found odd was the treatment of swear words. When the author quoted something from a resource, if there was a swear used in that quote, the author used an underline instead. So it looked like this: "You French ____, I..." This is a true crime book, with details of bloody murders, read by adults. I just felt that if an author is going to quote something in a book of this nature, he (or she) does not need to treat us like children and eliminate "bad words". I've never seen this done, and I thought it was weird.

These tales do offer a snapshot of Louisiana's politics and the workings of the police force there. It's a good read for anyone looking to learn more about the states history and/or the evolution of their police department.

*I received a copy of this book via LibraryThing, in exchange for my honest review.*

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed reading books about real crimes and this book did not disappoint me. The description says mysterious and bizarre and they weren't kidding. If you are looking for a book to just sit and read for pure enjoyment then this is the book for you. I received this from LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an honest review.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting accounts of true crime in Louisiana. Some of the author views put a spin on certain that doesn't quite line of with the facts IMO.