Bourbon Street

by Leonce Gaiter

In 1958, gambler Deke Watley decides to leave the comfort and golden dust of Texas for the toxic chiaroscuro of Mardi Gras New he smells the chance of a lifetime. It gets even better when this opportunity to win big collides with Hannah, a woman from his past—a woman he wronged—a wrong he’s regretted ever since. Playing him in more ways than one is Alex Moreau, the half-black son of a notorious white racketeer. It’s Alex’s game, and he weaves the worst of his troubled past to create an orgy of vengeance, only to find that the other players have scores to settle, too. Amid the noise and the frenzy of the drunken crowds, streamers flying like electric currents, bejeweled costumes glittering, Deke stumbles through this foreign, lurid town, seeking a return to the innocence he turned his back on long ago. However, time is running out and old debts must be paid before Deke—or any other hustler—leaves Bourbon Street alive. This debut novel from Leonce Gaiter combines Walter Mosley’s dark brushstrokes of postwar America with the best of the grifters and petty hustlers that populate Chester Himes, bringing a fresh voice to the African-American crime novel.

270 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2004

About the author

Raised in New Orleans, Washington D.C., Germany, Missouri, Maryland and elsewhere, Leonce Gaiter is the quintessential army brat. He began writing in grade school and continued the habit through his graduation from Harvard. He moved to Los Angeles to work in the creative and business ends of the film and music industries. His nonfiction writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times, LA Weekly, NY Newsday, The Washington Post, Salon, and in national syndication. His latest novel, "In The Company of Educated Men", is published by Astor + Blue Editions. His thriller,"Bourbon Street" was published by Carroll & Graf in 2005. His historical novel, “I Dreamt I Was in Heaven - The Rampage of the Rufus Buck Gang” is from Legba Books, September 2011. He currently lives in Northern California.

Reviews

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1958 during Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street opens with Deke Watley, a nomadic gambler who has accepted an invitation to a high stakes Poker tournament sponsored by one of New Orleans's notorious residents, a blinded, aging gangster, August Moreau. Carnival is in full swing - filling the streets with a myriad of bejeweled masked strangers. However, when Deke meets his fellow opponents, he realizes they are as equally eccentric. Alex is August's angry, mulatto son from an island prostitute rumored to have dabbled in voodoo; Honey is the retired madam of one of the city's largest and most lucrative whorehouses; milquetoast Pritchett is August's lawyer and the keeper of secrets of all the dirty deeds; Pritchett's wife is a jealous whore-turned-housewife who has not changed her ways and finds pleasure in the backseats of cars along dark streets; and Hannah, a blonde bombshell, is August's young mistress and Deke's former love from a distant past.

Although fairly short in length (169 pages), the suspense builds from the opening pages and accelerates as the plot thickens to involve all the above mentioned players (and others unnamed but equally enigmatic) to weave a tale of revenge, double-crossing, murder, and an unexpected finale (at least it was a surprise to me). The characters are wonderfully broken and tormented - each nursing their wounds as best they can. Gaiter's writing is strong as reflected in the vivid images he describes - I saw the atmospheric haze, I felt the heat, I heard the music, I inhaled the cigarette smoke, and I visualized the sweat dripping from the characters. He added more realism by carefully interlacing the complexities of race relations and social inequalities of the day amid the decadent backdrop of the Big Easy. I enjoyed the story and highly recommend it to those who might enjoy reading about this era and the suspense/crime genre.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

It just wasn't for me. I am not sure I understand the whole point of the novel, don't really get the characters either. Just not my cup of tea.

[Liam · Rating 2 out of 5]

120 page drudge to a solid third act

[Akita Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like flowery writing styles then Gaiter is your guy. I usually don't find writers with such flowetry to their style; one that much mimics my own. Throughout this entire book I felt as if I were entangled in the very pages; as if I were a character amongst the characters. an invisible witness. Written with such elegance and poise, I enjoyed Bourbon Street much more than I initially thought I would. Suddenly stricken with sickness, this book brought me a welcomed escape from my bedridden status. The blood, the gore, the betrayal, the sex...Bourbon Street has it all! Do yourself a favor and give this title a read. You won't regret it!

[Tamie Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four out of five stars - wish it were longer.

It's hard for me to pass up a book about or set in New Orleans. I hardly even care whether it could be considered a literary triumph or a magnificent work of prose, or whatever. I am - sadly - not a New Orleanian, but like a good many people, feel that I should be. I enjoyed this because of the glimpses of the inner crazy that most of us possess. With three rare, uninterrupted hours of quiet time, I started and finished this book and hated that the story wasn't longer. Loved the characters and am amazed at their depth? development? in such a short period of time.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent noir fiction set in New Orleans.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, but not great. Too must needless violence.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good interesting mystery.....kept moving and held my interest.

[Nadine Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Interesting story. Would read more from this author. Liked the characters but felt need to know more about them.
On loan via LINKs (san diego lib) via Mtn View Lib.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one was similar to others that I have read...kinda wordy in places hard to stay interested in it