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Tubby Dubonnet #9
Fat Man Blues
Along with a deeper descent into New Orleans’ menacing underworld, this NINTH installment in Tony Dunbar’s humorous, hard-boiled Tubby Dubonnet mystery series brings new restaurants to try, a new assortment of colorful characters, beguiling courtroom scenes, and – yes! steamy shower sex.
Ex-con Angelo Spooner is trying to start a legit business, but he just can’t catch a break. Just as his healing Holy Water, “Angelo’s Elixir” is about to go upscale, the sticky strands of the Big Sleazy’s tangled web of crime and corruption reach out to ensnare him. What’s a law-abiding parolee to do? He can’t get caught with a gun, but maybe that axe in his shed could help him extricate himself. But when low-level creep Frenchy Dufour’s henchman turns up nearly beheaded, Angelo’s fate rests in the capable hands of laid-back lawyer Tubby Dubonnet.
Tubby’s been trying hard to lay low, too. As those closest to him are targeted by frightening attacks, he suspects his dealings with the clandestine society of Cuban exiles who’ve plagued him lately are far from over. Tubby would love to have nothing further to do with “that crazy band of geriatric lunatics”. But the old Cuban revolutionaries have taught their sons well. Now their grandchildren, heirs to a substantial cache of weapons and money, burn with a dangerous zeal to prove themselves.
Meanwhile … a man’s got to eat! The epicurean counselor does his best thinking when he’s well-fed. Our good luck! –as we vicariously sample our way across New Orleans’ culinary panorama on the hunt for an axe murderer. But sleuth does not live by bread alone—even in a Tony Dunbar legal thriller. Ignoring his own advice to his client to “keep your head on your shoulders”, Tubby’s lost his to the lovely Peggy O’Flarity. It’s about time Tubby had some steamy sex – and maybe a little happiness? But fortune teller Sister Soulace has her doubts.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2016
488 people are currently reading
521 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
February 17, 2019
Not crazy about the book.
I found the book hard to follow. It was like a lot of little plots, which were not fully developed, tied together in a big confusing knot. And I hated the ending. I have no idea the purpose of the story. I feel lost.
I found the book hard to follow. It was like a lot of little plots, which were not fully developed, tied together in a big confusing knot. And I hated the ending. I have no idea the purpose of the story. I feel lost.
March 27, 2021
This is the fifth Tubby Dubonnet book I've read. I can't figure out how Tubby's law practice makes any money since he always seems to be involved in solving criminal cases that often don't involve a solvent client. In the space of two weeks, there are two axe murders and a garrotting in Tubby's sphere, plus someone nearly kills his girlfriend trying to run her off the road and his secretary is slapped around. As if that wasn't enough, there is a target on Tubby's forehead. Yet, the crooks are bumbling, the characters amusing, and the ending happy, so very entertaining overall.
March 3, 2025
Fat Man Blues #9 published August 11, 2016, is part of the Tubby Dubonnet series, also published in TubbyPalooza, books 1-6 & 8-10. Tubby shares with us his journey across current great places to eat when dining out in the Big Easy. Mostly new eateries to me as my NO times were in the 1970s, but now subtitled on my Big Easy return bucket list. He has continuing recurring problems with the Cuban Exiles of the 1970s from Night Watchman, we have more of his new gal Peggy, and spend lots of time with Cherrylynn and Flowers - altogether a great addition to the Dubonnet trip.
Reviewed on March 3, 2025, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub. Not available at Kobo or B&N.
Reviewed on March 3, 2025, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub. Not available at Kobo or B&N.
August 24, 2016
Tubby is a great character and I've read all nine of the Tubby Dubonnet novels. The ending of this ninth one shocked me.
April 15, 2017
Well, now I'm caught up with Toby's story, and I have to admit I've been entertained. This has been a consistently enjoyable series and I look forward to more.
November 13, 2020
A lady was robbed near the Church of St. Howard by two inmates who just got out of jail. They made away with her iPhone and her wallet. But one of the robbers met his untimely death when one of the church bells 🔔 lost hold and fell right on top of him. Soon after the robber’s family file a lawsuit against the diocese.
Meanwhile, Janie Caragliano, owner of the Monkey Business Bar and sometimes Tubby’s client has asked Tubby to represent a Carrie Mae Sunshine, a mom of three —and a distant relative of Janie’s—who was arrested for offering oral sex to an undercover cop.
Watching his inmate die in the freak accident immediately transforms “Fat Man” Spooner’s life. He changes his name to Angelo and then gets a job working for a psychic named Sister Soulace. He is given the task of delivering products (candles, oils, Holy Water, etc) she sells to her bedridden customers’ homes. The holy water is known for its healing properties. On his way back from fetching the holy water from its source Angelo suddenly realizes that his boss’s holy water business might be a hoax.
Then a thought crosses his mind; he could start producing holy water drawing water from a well on the land he inherited from his parents.
An old friend of Tubby, E.J. Chaisson, also a lawyer calls Tubby up, and suggest they meet for lunch to discuss his plans to invest in a business. He plans to produce artisan premium water from an ancient well in New Orleans dug by hand. According to E.J. Chaisson, he’s invested in a man—who happens to be Angelo—and has started producing his holy water brand, Angelo’s Elixir,’ which he has been distributing to stores in the neighborhood.
E.J. Chaisson would like Tubby to talk to Angelo Spooner about protecting his copyrights, and so on. But Angelo never contacts Tubby.
Then Angelo starts getting heat from a man named Frenchy Dufour who’s been threatening to buy Angelo’s business out. When Angelo refuses, Dufour starts sabotaging Angelo’s business which is when Angelo decides to hire Tubby.
But before Tubby and his new client meet in person, Angelo suddenly becomes a person of interest in the deaths of two men and is now on the run.
I enjoyed this book and the mouthwatering food descriptions. Would recommend.
Meanwhile, Janie Caragliano, owner of the Monkey Business Bar and sometimes Tubby’s client has asked Tubby to represent a Carrie Mae Sunshine, a mom of three —and a distant relative of Janie’s—who was arrested for offering oral sex to an undercover cop.
Watching his inmate die in the freak accident immediately transforms “Fat Man” Spooner’s life. He changes his name to Angelo and then gets a job working for a psychic named Sister Soulace. He is given the task of delivering products (candles, oils, Holy Water, etc) she sells to her bedridden customers’ homes. The holy water is known for its healing properties. On his way back from fetching the holy water from its source Angelo suddenly realizes that his boss’s holy water business might be a hoax.
Then a thought crosses his mind; he could start producing holy water drawing water from a well on the land he inherited from his parents.
An old friend of Tubby, E.J. Chaisson, also a lawyer calls Tubby up, and suggest they meet for lunch to discuss his plans to invest in a business. He plans to produce artisan premium water from an ancient well in New Orleans dug by hand. According to E.J. Chaisson, he’s invested in a man—who happens to be Angelo—and has started producing his holy water brand, Angelo’s Elixir,’ which he has been distributing to stores in the neighborhood.
E.J. Chaisson would like Tubby to talk to Angelo Spooner about protecting his copyrights, and so on. But Angelo never contacts Tubby.
Then Angelo starts getting heat from a man named Frenchy Dufour who’s been threatening to buy Angelo’s business out. When Angelo refuses, Dufour starts sabotaging Angelo’s business which is when Angelo decides to hire Tubby.
But before Tubby and his new client meet in person, Angelo suddenly becomes a person of interest in the deaths of two men and is now on the run.
I enjoyed this book and the mouthwatering food descriptions. Would recommend.
June 29, 2017
I really like the Tubby Dubonnet series a lot (also they are generally a deal on Amazon). A New Orleans lawyer, Tubby has interesting friends and family, and the plots are usually twisty enough to keep me guessing, while still making sense. What I also find interesting is that the author does not feel the need to wrap up every loose thread at the end of the story. Usually, this would drive me up a wall, but for some reason, I don't mind at all. The loose threads may (or may not) turn up in future books, but each book is able to stand on its own. I've been reading these out of order, and it haven't had any problems following the characters and plots.
November 19, 2021
First met Tubby in Crooked Man, #1. Jumped from there to Fat Man Blues #9. In many ways I like this Tubby better. Doesn't get shoved around. Characters are still skimpy, kind of like Steinbeck characters drawn as stick figures. Plot strains my suspension of disbelief, but it's fun reading. Consensual sex is great when it adds to the story, or develops a deeper level of character. The single scene in this tale does not. I imagine a conversation where an agent or publisher insists on a sex scene. Didn't work. Left hanging from the literary cliff at the end. That is a good thing. Makes me want to read #10.
October 4, 2022
Good stories about a lawyer who is actually a likeable and fairly decent person.
I will only comment on book 6 as it’s a long time since I read book 5 and I think I wrote a separate review then.
Book 6. Tubby gets involved defending a judge who the new District Attorney is accusing of impropriety.
The DA wants the judge to dish the dirt on his fellow judges in order to be treated leniently.
That strand of the story in the book is interwoven with other stories covering various shady and or unfortunate folk and how Tubby deals with it all.
Read the book to find out.
I will only comment on book 6 as it’s a long time since I read book 5 and I think I wrote a separate review then.
Book 6. Tubby gets involved defending a judge who the new District Attorney is accusing of impropriety.
The DA wants the judge to dish the dirt on his fellow judges in order to be treated leniently.
That strand of the story in the book is interwoven with other stories covering various shady and or unfortunate folk and how Tubby deals with it all.
Read the book to find out.
October 31, 2016
Tony Dunbar has a winner again!
Once again, Tony Dunbar has brought us a rollicking a good tale of Tubby Dubonnet and his merry band of eclectic friends!
If you use just a little imagination, you can "see" all the action. You won't find any haunted houses or vampires, but you see real people, in real situations that happens in "real" life.
Seriously, if you want a good read be sure to get "Fat Man Blues". I can't wait for the next installment!!
Once again, Tony Dunbar has brought us a rollicking a good tale of Tubby Dubonnet and his merry band of eclectic friends!
If you use just a little imagination, you can "see" all the action. You won't find any haunted houses or vampires, but you see real people, in real situations that happens in "real" life.
Seriously, if you want a good read be sure to get "Fat Man Blues". I can't wait for the next installment!!
August 13, 2021
Book #9 of a box-set.
Tubby once again has the Cubans after him. He's without has PI buddy and needs to handle things himself - along with a couple of old characters and some new ones, even though he doesn't realise some are helping, nor do they.
The author does have a really good way of introducing new characters into his stories, and then entwining them into the individual storyline.
Recommended. On to Book #10
Tubby once again has the Cubans after him. He's without has PI buddy and needs to handle things himself - along with a couple of old characters and some new ones, even though he doesn't realise some are helping, nor do they.
The author does have a really good way of introducing new characters into his stories, and then entwining them into the individual storyline.
Recommended. On to Book #10
October 22, 2018
Fat Man Blues was an AWESOME READ!!
Fat Man Blues is the 9th book in the Tubby Dubonnet series! Tubby is neck deep trying to get through this one, filled with old and new murders. Can Tubby figure who is behind this whole deal? Guess you'll have to read this book to find out...lol!
Lots of New Orleans sights and it's odd ball people included in each book!!
Fat Man Blues is the 9th book in the Tubby Dubonnet series! Tubby is neck deep trying to get through this one, filled with old and new murders. Can Tubby figure who is behind this whole deal? Guess you'll have to read this book to find out...lol!
Lots of New Orleans sights and it's odd ball people included in each book!!
March 14, 2019
Found on FreeBooksy, I really wanted to love it but the end befuddled me. As well as its not a good idea to begin on book # 9, from a series.... it didnt really feel stand alone.. Which is not the author's fault. I'll need to go back to the beginning, which is on my TBR list. So many books, so little time.
September 2, 2022
Fun and quirky. The beginning had such a weird coincidence in it that I nearly gave up on this one, but the rest was written reasonably and with a good sense of story and humor. Not deep, but worth the read, and with a very surprise ending not completely in keeping with the persona of Tubby we think we know.
January 24, 2023
I’m always good for a visit with Tubby
Mr. Dunbar does an excellent job telling his tales of Tubby Dubonnet. I feel like I know him and his close friends and colleagues. The plot always twists and turns and you’re guaranteed to come away hungry when nothing but some spicy Cajun will do. I enjoy every book I read!
Mr. Dunbar does an excellent job telling his tales of Tubby Dubonnet. I feel like I know him and his close friends and colleagues. The plot always twists and turns and you’re guaranteed to come away hungry when nothing but some spicy Cajun will do. I enjoy every book I read!
November 16, 2016
Wonderfully humorous...
I love all the stories about Tubby Dubonnet. This one was especially funny. I enjoyed it too much....couldn't put down my kindle. I laughed out loud. I am referring to my sisters to read. I know they will love it as much as I did. Keep writing Tony.
I love all the stories about Tubby Dubonnet. This one was especially funny. I enjoyed it too much....couldn't put down my kindle. I laughed out loud. I am referring to my sisters to read. I know they will love it as much as I did. Keep writing Tony.
December 20, 2016
This one was the first Tony Dunbar book I've read. The story wasn't horrible, but wasn't great, either. Kind of midland. But not turning away from reading another one of his books I've got on my kindle. I'll see how that one goes.
January 5, 2017
Quick ending
The pace of the book was well done. These are always a fun read. I do recommend this book. Although, I felt like the author as on a deadline, given that the book ended abruptly.
The pace of the book was well done. These are always a fun read. I do recommend this book. Although, I felt like the author as on a deadline, given that the book ended abruptly.
March 10, 2019
There were too many characters and subplots to make this an enjoyable read. Violence is the answer to every problem and the end of the book made me cringe. I think Mr. Dunbar has run out of juice and the time has come for Tubby to retire.
April 30, 2019
Another good read
The many characters that make up the make up New Orleans help make the book real. Tony has done it again, keeping the the flavor of the big easy. With it's many foods and neighborhoods. Looking for the next installment.
The many characters that make up the make up New Orleans help make the book real. Tony has done it again, keeping the the flavor of the big easy. With it's many foods and neighborhoods. Looking for the next installment.
November 17, 2021
A different kind of mystery
The author gives a vivid picture of all of his characters, both the good and the guilty. I was especially impressed by the main character's menu selections. I need to visit New Orleans.
The author gives a vivid picture of all of his characters, both the good and the guilty. I was especially impressed by the main character's menu selections. I need to visit New Orleans.
October 31, 2023
oof! that Tubby….
A reformed fellow gets accused of some axe killings, the nuevo Cubans are running amok, and the viejo Cubaños are plotting and planning, while some embezzling and a cache of firearms rattle around on the periphery of Tubby’s world.
A reformed fellow gets accused of some axe killings, the nuevo Cubans are running amok, and the viejo Cubaños are plotting and planning, while some embezzling and a cache of firearms rattle around on the periphery of Tubby’s world.
September 9, 2017
Tubby settles the score
This is a typical Tunbby Dubonnet novel. It is fast reading and continues the saga of Tubby Dubonnet. This was book ten, I hope there is a book eleven.
This is a typical Tunbby Dubonnet novel. It is fast reading and continues the saga of Tubby Dubonnet. This was book ten, I hope there is a book eleven.
June 7, 2017
Well written mystery
The author has written a very suspenseful story of the effects of greed and lawlessness have on the community. A very interesting and different ending.
The author has written a very suspenseful story of the effects of greed and lawlessness have on the community. A very interesting and different ending.
June 20, 2017
Waste of time
I've read other Tony Dunbar books and enjoyed them but this one was not up to par. The story line dragged and I totally didn't get the ending.
I've read other Tony Dunbar books and enjoyed them but this one was not up to par. The story line dragged and I totally didn't get the ending.
July 21, 2017
As always, which is nice, his work speaks for itself. Get the feel and taste of the big NO. But still visit the historic town.
Great characters, plot line. Enjoyable read.
Great characters, plot line. Enjoyable read.
July 25, 2017
Good read!!
July 25, 2017
Didn't care for it
I did not care a whit for this book. Too many sleazy characters and not much of a plot. Not for me.
I did not care a whit for this book. Too many sleazy characters and not much of a plot. Not for me.
September 23, 2017
Excellent!
Once again Tubby and his buddies help clean upon the garbage in New Orleans. A good reads, very entertaining... Thoroughly enjoyable
Once again Tubby and his buddies help clean upon the garbage in New Orleans. A good reads, very entertaining... Thoroughly enjoyable
December 6, 2017
Ok story for Tubby. I love the descriptions of food but then the setting is New Orleans. Book starts where #8 ended - stands alone but the actions of the prior book set up a response in this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews