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Tubby Dubonnet #10
Flag Boy
Never have Tony Dunbar's diabolically complex plotting, on-the-nose characters, and hawk-like ability to seize upon and capture everything New Orleans been on better display than in his jaw-dropping new thriller. FLAG BOY, the tenth entry in his popular Tubby Dubonnet series, is Dunbar's most wickedly clever mystery since his Edgar-nominated CROOKED MAN, as dark and stormy a tale as ever slithered its noirish way out of New Orleans.
The set-up alone's enough to make you believe in the butterfly effect. Two acrobats burglarize a house; a sultan moves into a French Quarter mansion; a Mardi Gras Indian, in the wrong place at the wrong time, is wrongfully arrested; and our hero, lawyer and sometime-detective Tubby Dubonnet, comes upon a double murder while paying a social call in the wilds of Mississippi. Thus is the stage set. You know instantly-- because this is a Tubby Dubonnet mystery-- that these disparate events are intricately intertwined.
Next, as Elmore Leonard famously never said, all hell breaks loose-- and with more than a touch of Leonard's own brand of wry and knowing humor. You can barely turn the page before a bloody massacre leaves the sultan's entire family dead; the Indian-- now Tubby's client-- gets fingered for this one, too; one of the acrobatic burglars hooks up with Tubby's best friend; and some way, somehow, Dunbar weaves each of these wildly divergent strands-- and a few others-- into the kind of old-fashioned puzzle mystery they just don't write anymore. It's as if James M. Cain married Agatha Christie.
Nobody but Cain could pack a plot the size of all Louisiana into a space the size of a French Quarter balcony, and nobody but Christie could pull off the kind of riddle wrapped inside a mystery inside an enigma she pioneered. Dunbar does both-- and all in one slim, thrill-packed book. Although perhaps at this point his long-time fans are thinking Wait! How does he work the food in? There's always food! Well, that's there, too.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2017
341 people are currently reading
233 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 38 reviews
November 30, 2020
3.5 stars
In this 10th book in the Tubby Dubonnet series, Tubby sets off to find the people behind the murder of his ex-girlfriend Faye Sylvester and her current boyfriend Jack Stolli as well solve the mystery behind the murder of a sultan and his whole family in the French Quarter. The MO of the murders are similar and Tubby’s clients happen to be likely suspects.
The sultan was put up in a mansion owned by Tubby’s client E.J. Chaisson. The man, Ednan Amineh, who is accused of these crimes also happens to be Tubby’s client. The ending plays out like a murder mystery. Overall an enjoyable read.
In this 10th book in the Tubby Dubonnet series, Tubby sets off to find the people behind the murder of his ex-girlfriend Faye Sylvester and her current boyfriend Jack Stolli as well solve the mystery behind the murder of a sultan and his whole family in the French Quarter. The MO of the murders are similar and Tubby’s clients happen to be likely suspects.
The sultan was put up in a mansion owned by Tubby’s client E.J. Chaisson. The man, Ednan Amineh, who is accused of these crimes also happens to be Tubby’s client. The ending plays out like a murder mystery. Overall an enjoyable read.
March 3, 2020
I skipped from book 2 all the way to 10 because this one came up on my random reading challenge. This books a fair bit shorter that the first two I read. I think it skips around more quickly with a little less explanation. There's still quite a bit of humorous things to give you a little giggle.
November 21, 2017
The latest installment in the Tubby Dubonnet series, Flag Boy picks up with characters from the last story. I love Tubby, but unless you just read the last book, you might need to pick it up and sort of get a refresher course. The stories are always interesting and give you the feel of New Orleans. Although I enjoyed this story, I may have to sit back down with this series again sometime. I just felt like it was a little disjointed and was trying to tie up some loose threads left from previous stories, although Tubby's personal life seems to be settling down. His secretary, a part of most of the stories, is invisible in this particular story. I enjoyed the book, just not quite as much as some of the previous stories.
March 3, 2025
Flag Boy #10 Tubby Dubonnet series is a continuation of the mess involving the Cuban expats and their children and grandchildren in their battles against socialism both in the US and especially in the Big Easy. This is told very well, has wide-ranging repercussions, and we find out who some of the movers and shakers are in that organization. If you haven't read the series, this novel would stand alone, but as usual in a series, the tale is richer and fuller when read as a group. We will also spend time with our regulars and find some closure in this one. You don't want to miss it, folks. And as usual, we will eat our way across the Crescent City and Southern Louisiana...
REVIEWED on March 3, 2025 at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub. Not available at B&N or Kobo.
REVIEWED on March 3, 2025 at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub. Not available at B&N or Kobo.
November 1, 2017
It was nice being reacquainted with Tubby Dubonnet since I've read all of the books in the series. FLAG BOY did contain interesting descriptions of some new characters and involved several others from the previous novels, but overall the plot was rather disjointed. The concept of a meeting of all the suspects near the end of the novel was a bit of a rip-off of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe detective, but FLAG BOY was wrapped up much too quickly when the various culprits were named with the flimsiest of reasons.
Notwithstanding being a bit disappointed with FLAG BOY, I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I really like Tubby.
Notwithstanding being a bit disappointed with FLAG BOY, I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I really like Tubby.
October 28, 2017
Excellent New Orleans based mysteries
Likable characters and locale make these mysteries quick, enjoyable reads. The author's writing continues to improve with every new installment. We just moved, after 20 years, away from the Mobile/new Orleans area. Dunbar knows his city and describes it vividly. I feel like I am right there in that sweltering, crazed, laid-back small-big city. The opening paragraphs of Chapter 22 say it all and will make a reader homesick.
Love these books. Just anxious for the next one!
Likable characters and locale make these mysteries quick, enjoyable reads. The author's writing continues to improve with every new installment. We just moved, after 20 years, away from the Mobile/new Orleans area. Dunbar knows his city and describes it vividly. I feel like I am right there in that sweltering, crazed, laid-back small-big city. The opening paragraphs of Chapter 22 say it all and will make a reader homesick.
Love these books. Just anxious for the next one!
July 6, 2019
This picks up from the last book and adds some more characters to it. The one of interest to me was an old girlfriend of his, he goes to see, and was surprise she had a new, younger guy. Feeling he didn’t leave her place in the right way, he goes to see her again, and finds then murdered. Then the two acrobats that rob a house. This has many plots, that don’t seem to go together, but true to Tubby he will connect them.
November 12, 2017
When an author has a long running series he needs to walk a fine line between writing about past storylines and not rehashing old books. I have read all the previous entries in the series and yet the book was 80% completed before I had a clue what was transpiring. Even after completing the book I couldn't remember the mystery to which Tubby and Mathewson were alluding. For such a short work Dunbar had too many plot points that were all wrapped up in a tidy package a la Nero Wolfe. It was an unsatisfying book and I don't plan to continue with this series.
October 26, 2023
Is this the end?
Tubby ends up philosophizing with Raisin at the end.
Tubby’s old flame, Faye, meets an ignoble end in the company of her new boyfriend, both dispatched by some grisly knife work.
Raisin dallies with a lithe and athletic contortionist-gymnast wronged, somehow, by a certain plastic surgeon.
A wealthy house full of recent emigres, related to the plastic surgeon, is found slaughtered.
And the question of the Cuban revolutionaries’ offspring and their ghost guns and slush fund remains.
Tubby ends up philosophizing with Raisin at the end.
Tubby’s old flame, Faye, meets an ignoble end in the company of her new boyfriend, both dispatched by some grisly knife work.
Raisin dallies with a lithe and athletic contortionist-gymnast wronged, somehow, by a certain plastic surgeon.
A wealthy house full of recent emigres, related to the plastic surgeon, is found slaughtered.
And the question of the Cuban revolutionaries’ offspring and their ghost guns and slush fund remains.
February 27, 2018
Flag Boy?
I have read EVERY Tubby Dubonnet book as They were written and enjoyed everyone. When I saw this one, I jumped on it. It was definitely Tubby but not. I am afraid I had difficulty getting into and holding on to the premise of this story. Although I followed the story, I lost that Tubby camaraderie, and the story? Don't know what happened and am left lacking something? Why?
I have read EVERY Tubby Dubonnet book as They were written and enjoyed everyone. When I saw this one, I jumped on it. It was definitely Tubby but not. I am afraid I had difficulty getting into and holding on to the premise of this story. Although I followed the story, I lost that Tubby camaraderie, and the story? Don't know what happened and am left lacking something? Why?
October 2, 2021
Final and #9 in a boxset. (Still unaware of why book#7 of the series was omitted.)
Maybe I'd sort of got tired of the main character &/or maybe the author had. Regardless, I persisted and read the book. The story was okay, but the ending/solving of the crime was delivered in an unusual way - compared with the other books. It was delivered in the manner you expect from an Agatha Christie book, in particular, Poirot.
Maybe I'd sort of got tired of the main character &/or maybe the author had. Regardless, I persisted and read the book. The story was okay, but the ending/solving of the crime was delivered in an unusual way - compared with the other books. It was delivered in the manner you expect from an Agatha Christie book, in particular, Poirot.
July 19, 2024
A bit disappointing
I usually love Tubby Dubonnets novels, but this one fell flat. Seemed like it was a rush to finish a promised set. Maybe it was because the previous book wasn't included (someone else's rights to
publish). It felt very rushed and confusing and not up to usual standards. Tubby used to be a somewhat moral character, but he seems to be more of a womanizer and a bit whiney now.
I did not enjoy this book as well as the others.
I usually love Tubby Dubonnets novels, but this one fell flat. Seemed like it was a rush to finish a promised set. Maybe it was because the previous book wasn't included (someone else's rights to
publish). It felt very rushed and confusing and not up to usual standards. Tubby used to be a somewhat moral character, but he seems to be more of a womanizer and a bit whiney now.
I did not enjoy this book as well as the others.
October 29, 2017
Tubby In Action
I always enjoy these books. This one was a little more confusing than the others, because I accidentally missed the one before it. His books do tend to relate to previous adventures.
I very much recommend the Tubby Dubonnet books. Probably smart to start itch Crooked Man, the first one.
I always enjoy these books. This one was a little more confusing than the others, because I accidentally missed the one before it. His books do tend to relate to previous adventures.
I very much recommend the Tubby Dubonnet books. Probably smart to start itch Crooked Man, the first one.
November 29, 2017
Thank you, Tony Dunbar, for another rambunctious adventure with Tubby Dubonnet and his weird assortment of friends and enemies. This one is short and sweet...but with a strange twist. In order to solve the mystery, Tubby gathers all of the suspects at the scene of the crime and unmasks the guilty party...exactly the way Agatha Christie ended so many of her stories.
December 6, 2017
Evolving
Tubby and surrounding chats are always evolving making difficult and sometimes choices bordering on the ethical and legAl grey area. Terrific series but this one didn't use the city and ruby's circle as much as I enjoyed i. Other's. If you have I read his Katrina do so. Astoundingly realistic
Tubby and surrounding chats are always evolving making difficult and sometimes choices bordering on the ethical and legAl grey area. Terrific series but this one didn't use the city and ruby's circle as much as I enjoyed i. Other's. If you have I read his Katrina do so. Astoundingly realistic
March 20, 2018
I have read the entire series and hope more will be published. Following the travels of Tubby and the people who make up his life has been a treat. So, so we'll written. It has been a joy to read these books and every time I started a new story I'd stop and read sections just for the writing.
Now, if only I was able to go on a foodies tour with Tubby in 'Nawlans.
Now, if only I was able to go on a foodies tour with Tubby in 'Nawlans.
July 28, 2018
It was, as usual, great, but then I am a "Tubby Dubonnet" fan. I have now read books 1 to 10 and look forward to reading more. I only came across one grammatical error, so that is good considering I run across many in so many of the books I read. But, Mr. Dunbar, one error means it is not perfect and I expect perfection in you as you are an exceptional writer. Keep writing, I'll keep reading.
September 4, 2019
Another great read from Mr. Dunbar about the underbelly of New Orleans that even extends into Mississippi. Murder of a previous lover, a massacre of wealthy visitors, who were the killers, dirty cops, etc.
I always find that Tony Dunbar provides us with stories that have lots of action and twists, hard to put down until finished. Great reading if you enjoy detective/lawyer/criminal books.
I always find that Tony Dunbar provides us with stories that have lots of action and twists, hard to put down until finished. Great reading if you enjoy detective/lawyer/criminal books.
February 6, 2020
I love Tubby
I have enjoyed every Tubby Dubonnet novel I’ve read. He’s such a lovable character. Other Tubby novels have been a little more complicated than this one, so I gave it four stars instead of five. It’s still a really good story, filled with quirky characters. You’ll like it.
I have enjoyed every Tubby Dubonnet novel I’ve read. He’s such a lovable character. Other Tubby novels have been a little more complicated than this one, so I gave it four stars instead of five. It’s still a really good story, filled with quirky characters. You’ll like it.
October 28, 2017
Mystery
Well Tubby Dubonnet did it again! Solved several mysterious murders all together! His deep thoughts & self reflection came through for him once again! Nice to know his love life might work out after all
Well Tubby Dubonnet did it again! Solved several mysterious murders all together! His deep thoughts & self reflection came through for him once again! Nice to know his love life might work out after all
November 20, 2017
Dunbar does it again
Tony Dunbar does it again with a fast paced tale spiced with colorful characters from The Big Easy. Tubby Dubonnet is part philosopher and part Three Card Monty dealer. Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Tony Dunbar does it again with a fast paced tale spiced with colorful characters from The Big Easy. Tubby Dubonnet is part philosopher and part Three Card Monty dealer. Thoroughly enjoyable read.
November 30, 2017
Never Read a Tony Dunbar Book I Didn't Like
Each of his books in the Tubby DuBonnet series brings strange characters, exciting plots, and visions of New Orleans. Always a delightful read.
Each of his books in the Tubby DuBonnet series brings strange characters, exciting plots, and visions of New Orleans. Always a delightful read.
December 8, 2017
Another great read
Tony Dunbar does it again tubby up to his old tricks, when he gets caught up in the murder of a old flame a sultan and his family. Finished all too quickly good read none the less. All done.
Tony Dunbar does it again tubby up to his old tricks, when he gets caught up in the murder of a old flame a sultan and his family. Finished all too quickly good read none the less. All done.
November 27, 2018
I read the book over 5 weeks. A couple pages or chapter a night . Just not as interesting as prior books. I loved the other books in the series! It could be that I just took to long to complete and lost interest.
February 11, 2018
Flag Boy
I love the Tubby Dubonnet series. They keep you reading because the story keeps moving. No dead, draggy spaces in these books, always something happening! I hate the wait for more in this series.
I love the Tubby Dubonnet series. They keep you reading because the story keeps moving. No dead, draggy spaces in these books, always something happening! I hate the wait for more in this series.
March 29, 2018
Good book
Great ending. Definitely didn't disappoint. Love the New Orleans descriptive settings. Hope there is a 11th book out soon. Reminds me of the times I've spent in the city.
Great ending. Definitely didn't disappoint. Love the New Orleans descriptive settings. Hope there is a 11th book out soon. Reminds me of the times I've spent in the city.
January 9, 2020
Great sense of place, and I gain weight every time I read one of these books because Tubby is forever dining on wonderful New Orleans food. But I end up a little unsatisfied because things seem to have rolled to a conclusion too quickly and without as much sleuthing as I hoped for.
November 18, 2017
Fun Read
A very enjoyable read. Tony Dunbar always a good mixture of life and fantasy. I’m looking to his next book.
A very enjoyable read. Tony Dunbar always a good mixture of life and fantasy. I’m looking to his next book.
December 13, 2017
Usually a fan of this series but this was not my favorite. To me the plot was very disjointed and did not flow. I struggled to finish it.
November 27, 2017
Never a disappointment
Tony Dunbar has done it again, always a treat reading about Tubby and his gang of friends. Don't pass this by!!
Tony Dunbar has done it again, always a treat reading about Tubby and his gang of friends. Don't pass this by!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews