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Tubby Dubonnet #4
Shelter from the Storm
Big-time criminal Willie LaRue flies into New Orleans for a Mardi Gras heist at the First Alluvial Bank, setting off a murderous crime spree that threatens the famous bonhomie of lawyer Tubby Dubonnet's beloved city
219 pages, Paperback
First published December 29, 1997
755 people are currently reading
1633 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 144 reviews
May 5, 2015
This book had a good pace and was a nice light read until I hit offensive language. While this language may not offend others, I'm writing the review. It was the same point where the plot seemed to falter, trip and fall apart. The characters never really developed but I was too busy being amused by the story to notice.
March 2, 2025
SHELTER FROM THE STORM is #4 in the Tubby Dubonnet series and TubbyPalooza. New Orleans, LA, like Houston, TX, is a levee-enclosed city just at or below sea level. Build your earthen levees up to 8 or 10 feet high along the river and the gulf, wait for the marsh and swamps to dry out, and build your city. Viola! But cities perched on the sea below sea level lead a precarious existence and shudder at the very thought of extended rain... I loved this quote from The Chicago Tribune... it says it all! “By showing the damage that several days of hard rain could cause to the city’s fragile ecosystem, Dunbar makes the reader really care about its fate. He does the same for Tubby, a lazy, corner-cutting, slightly shabby, occasionally reckless but totally decent man.”
The bad guys in Shelter are especially bad, the good ones we already know and sometimes love, and the storm over the lovely city of New Orleans, The Big Easy, is something else. You gotta love this one, folks.
REVIEWED on February 25, 2025, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub. Not available at B&N, or Kobo.
The bad guys in Shelter are especially bad, the good ones we already know and sometimes love, and the storm over the lovely city of New Orleans, The Big Easy, is something else. You gotta love this one, folks.
REVIEWED on February 25, 2025, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, and BookBub. Not available at B&N, or Kobo.
October 19, 2018
Bravo! A good fast read! now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
August 31, 2015
Enjoyable and entertaining book. I liked this one better than The other 2 I have read in the series.
February 5, 2018
Shelter From the Storm - a review by Rosemary Kenny
Tubby Dubonnet's a rather hapless lawyer, who only wants to enjoy Mardi Gras in his native New Orleans. Three things get in the way of this... firstly the weather disrupts many of the planned events in the French Quarter with widespread flooding, then he gets involved in a violent bank raid, as the villains make their desperate attempt to escape and finally his rich client is murdered before he can save her...how much bad luck can an honest, well-meaning lawyer attract?
As events unfold, who else will fall prey to the bank raiders?
What is the real item the robbers' evil mastermind sought from the raid? Who stood to lose most if it was lost?
Who is Marguerite? What happens between her and Tubby?
I gave this book a well-deserved 5-star rating as it held my attention well throughout, was full of action, a little romance, wild weather & even wilder women and a thrilling heist with an exciting though unexpected ending with an interesting twist in its tail!
Tubby Dubonnet's a rather hapless lawyer, who only wants to enjoy Mardi Gras in his native New Orleans. Three things get in the way of this... firstly the weather disrupts many of the planned events in the French Quarter with widespread flooding, then he gets involved in a violent bank raid, as the villains make their desperate attempt to escape and finally his rich client is murdered before he can save her...how much bad luck can an honest, well-meaning lawyer attract?
As events unfold, who else will fall prey to the bank raiders?
What is the real item the robbers' evil mastermind sought from the raid? Who stood to lose most if it was lost?
Who is Marguerite? What happens between her and Tubby?
I gave this book a well-deserved 5-star rating as it held my attention well throughout, was full of action, a little romance, wild weather & even wilder women and a thrilling heist with an exciting though unexpected ending with an interesting twist in its tail!
February 5, 2017
Another Winner From Dunbar
Another great entry in the Tubby Dubbonet series.
Full of NOLA charm, tasty food and the added setting of
Marie Gras. An interesting theft that ends up sucking Counselor Dubbonet into the action.
Another great entry in the Tubby Dubbonet series.
Full of NOLA charm, tasty food and the added setting of
Marie Gras. An interesting theft that ends up sucking Counselor Dubbonet into the action.
November 15, 2015
I just finished this one. I am enjoying the books about Tubby Dubonnet. His New Orleans is an interesting place to visit. This one is about a series of crimes occurring during a very wet Mardi Gras. The ending is one that should have a "To be continued" message. It looks like the next book in the series does pick up where this one left off. Looks like I will be reading some more of Mr. Dunbar's books.
December 27, 2015
Another good book from Mr. Dunbar that takes place in New Orleans during a massive flood at Mardi Gras time. Dunlap's style reminds me of Elmore Leonard's, with lots of interesting characters whose lives intersect in this story. And the stage is set for the next novel in this series.
July 7, 2019
I am new to Tony Dunbar and Tubby Dubonnet, but I find I can not get enough of this series. I love Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Rex Stout and I feel a little bit of each of them in Dunbar's books.
What appeals to me most is the strength of the city of New Orleans as a character. It dominates the stories with its colorful characters, seamy side, succulent food scene and omnipresent music. This particular novel took place during Mardi Gras, adding an additional element of local flavor.
It also took place during an horrific flood, endangering lives and complicating the crime. We are experiencing earthquakes in California where I live, and as I read this book I mentally catalogued our impending danger with that in the novel. It certainly made the disaster seem vivid, and real.
Dunbar is building a wonderful cast of recurring characters as the series progresses and Tubby Dubonnet becomes more complex and more engaging with each book. I am hooked.
What appeals to me most is the strength of the city of New Orleans as a character. It dominates the stories with its colorful characters, seamy side, succulent food scene and omnipresent music. This particular novel took place during Mardi Gras, adding an additional element of local flavor.
It also took place during an horrific flood, endangering lives and complicating the crime. We are experiencing earthquakes in California where I live, and as I read this book I mentally catalogued our impending danger with that in the novel. It certainly made the disaster seem vivid, and real.
Dunbar is building a wonderful cast of recurring characters as the series progresses and Tubby Dubonnet becomes more complex and more engaging with each book. I am hooked.
August 6, 2021
Book#4 of a box-set.
Once again, the author has a talent that uses characters form previous books in the series, introduces new characters well, and then entwines them all into one story. Once again, he is chasing a baddie, but this time it is during a rainstorm that has put almost all of New Orleans knee-deep in water.
Personally, I thought there was too much of the story involving the chase, and not enough time spent in the options available for other people caught in the flood. As a result, the wry humour that has been in previous books is missing, and this is what has made this series a good read so far. (I was also a bit peeved that Tubby - or any other family member for that matter - didn't return to thank the coloured family in the low-side of town, who rescued and gave food & shelter for one of his daughters during the crisis.
Still a recommended read, as part of the series, but I hope the 'old' Tubby returns a s I begin Book#5
Once again, the author has a talent that uses characters form previous books in the series, introduces new characters well, and then entwines them all into one story. Once again, he is chasing a baddie, but this time it is during a rainstorm that has put almost all of New Orleans knee-deep in water.
Personally, I thought there was too much of the story involving the chase, and not enough time spent in the options available for other people caught in the flood. As a result, the wry humour that has been in previous books is missing, and this is what has made this series a good read so far. (I was also a bit peeved that Tubby - or any other family member for that matter - didn't return to thank the coloured family in the low-side of town, who rescued and gave food & shelter for one of his daughters during the crisis.
Still a recommended read, as part of the series, but I hope the 'old' Tubby returns a s I begin Book#5
February 14, 2024
Today being Mardi Gras, it seemed a good idea to finish reading this entertaining romp. Similar to a James Lee Burke novel, though shorter than most of his, the action takes place almost entirely in the French Quarter of New Orleans at Mardi Gras time, and though this novel was written pre-Katrina, the description of the inundation referenced in the title (thank you, Bob Dylan, and the author gets another Dylan reference to the album that includes the eponymous song later in the book) is eerily similar to descriptions given in non-fiction post-Katrina books like Zeitoun and Nine Lives. Evil is afoot in the person of the killer LaRue and Tubby is on the case, albeit quite by accident. Mayhem, murder, and close calls ensue, and a sequel is foreshadowed, but there are plenty of good vibrations too in this story that should please lovers of the Big Easy.
December 6, 2016
I would not call this "hard boiled"
The writing. Is smooth and clear, the characters deep and vivid, and the body count reminiscent of the TV Series Justified.
The setting is New Orleans at Marci Gras with torrential rain creating floods but nobody listens to a radio weather report.
The plot is about a bank robbery complicated by the flooding. The viewpoint skips around among groups of characters who eventually cross paths.
As the 7th in a series this is surprisingly easy to read and to relate to the main character, Tubby, who is a very civilized Lawyer with ethics and apparently not made callous (yet) by his experiences.
So I would say this is suspense, dark and gritty but not quite hard boiled.
The writing. Is smooth and clear, the characters deep and vivid, and the body count reminiscent of the TV Series Justified.
The setting is New Orleans at Marci Gras with torrential rain creating floods but nobody listens to a radio weather report.
The plot is about a bank robbery complicated by the flooding. The viewpoint skips around among groups of characters who eventually cross paths.
As the 7th in a series this is surprisingly easy to read and to relate to the main character, Tubby, who is a very civilized Lawyer with ethics and apparently not made callous (yet) by his experiences.
So I would say this is suspense, dark and gritty but not quite hard boiled.
May 26, 2020
Three men plan a heist from the safety deposit boxes of The First Alluvial Bank while closed for Mardi Gras. During the heist a horrendous rain storm hits and much of New Orleans floods, including the basement of the bank. The trio make their way through the flooded streets and commandeer a canoe and continue on. The story stumbles on with a list of characters who are marooned including Tubby a lawyer and a female client. Their paths cross with the three crooks and they try to join them in the canoe until one of the crooks pulls a gun and shoots the woman. Sadly, there are no redeeming features to this story and the mastermind is successful to closing a huge land deal involving many oil fields because ownership of the land was among the safety deposit box items stolen.
March 28, 2018
A zany, KeyStone Cop ride through the seamy side of New Orleans—filled with crazy, shallow characters who all have one-track minds to enjoy Mardi Gras despite the flooded out city and cancelled festivities. That is, everyone except for the head honcho bank robber who kidnaps, kills and plunders without social conscience or impulse control. His side kicks are busy foot wrestling, so you can see the intelligence level running this plot. Dumb and dumber all around. The ending leaves us hanging, presumably for the next book in the series. VERY light reading. If you love New Orleans, you will love this book. It captures a day in the life of the people who give NOLA its bad name.
January 22, 2018
I enjoyed this book for many reason, the principal one being we yearly vacation in New Orleans so the locations and New Orleans personalities were known and enjoyed. There was a bit more violence than I am comfortable with and some seemed gratuitous. The book is part of a series which I did not know when starting. And the ending left several plot points in the air which suggested the trail might continue in the next. Enjoyable and capable of keeping attention and building suspense. A good read.
September 13, 2020
I'm a fan of the series ... and even so I think this one is a bit of a filler. The characters, the writing and humour are, as always, excellent as Tubby meanders his way through an unexpected storm that floods New Orleans. But the plot is lazy - that said I could read a book solely concerned with Tubby eating his way around the city.
At the end Tubby is convinced that there is an evil mastermind behind crime in his city - actually he could have made the same decision several books back, but didn't.
At the end Tubby is convinced that there is an evil mastermind behind crime in his city - actually he could have made the same decision several books back, but didn't.
May 7, 2017
This book was fast paced and took you from one character to another until they finally all came together for a not quite ending. The reason I rated it so low was the ending wasn't really an ending. You are still left wondering if the bad guy ever gets caught, one of the good guys lives, and does the main character (Tubby) actually get a relationship. The hero does ride off into the sunset on his Harley.
March 6, 2018
A damp squib in a wet New Orleans
I love Tubby Dubonnet; usually. Unfortunately this time out I was left feeling as disappointed as Tubby was wet. The fractured nature of the writing just didn't work for me and the story was just a little too contrived.
Don't let this out you off the series, the rest are superb, easy reading tales of Tubby battling the odds, as a modern day, Don Quixote.
I love Tubby Dubonnet; usually. Unfortunately this time out I was left feeling as disappointed as Tubby was wet. The fractured nature of the writing just didn't work for me and the story was just a little too contrived.
Don't let this out you off the series, the rest are superb, easy reading tales of Tubby battling the odds, as a modern day, Don Quixote.
January 17, 2019
(Received this book for free on Kindle when it went on special.)
That was one HELL of a storm that Tubby survived. As usual, without intending to find his way in to trouble, he nonetheless found his way in to trouble. He also found a lover. And a lot of food. And despite it all, he managed to wrap the trouble up neatly with a little bow.
These stories are interesting and I love the setting. I shall plunder ever onward to book five!
That was one HELL of a storm that Tubby survived. As usual, without intending to find his way in to trouble, he nonetheless found his way in to trouble. He also found a lover. And a lot of food. And despite it all, he managed to wrap the trouble up neatly with a little bow.
These stories are interesting and I love the setting. I shall plunder ever onward to book five!
March 15, 2024
A little more fun in this one, as New Orleans gets battered yet again by another hurricane. Having closely watched the effects of Katrina, it was interesting to see something similar recounted while mystery solving Dubonnet plows through the flooded city in search of some particularly unsavvy characters. This volume introduces some new characters with quite a bit of potential while Dubonnet grapples with
October 4, 2021
Exciting read
This is the first Dubonnet story I've read. And I can tell you that I will definitely be reading the rest of them now. Tubby has the most eventful Mardi Gras of his life. Besides an incoming hurricane, he gets involved in more than one murder, kidnapping, even armed robbery!
This is the first Dubonnet story I've read. And I can tell you that I will definitely be reading the rest of them now. Tubby has the most eventful Mardi Gras of his life. Besides an incoming hurricane, he gets involved in more than one murder, kidnapping, even armed robbery!
September 9, 2017
I have lots of fun reading about Tubby Dubonnet. I don't care if it's not realistic. There is enough realism in the life I live. I think I have the next book on my Kindle as I bought most of them after reading the first one.
January 31, 2018
Good book
This is a great book, many surprises that keep you interested and involved. However, the end is abrupt and very unsatisfying. It is obvious that it was a cliffhanger so the author could make more books to continue the story. Very disappointing.
This is a great book, many surprises that keep you interested and involved. However, the end is abrupt and very unsatisfying. It is obvious that it was a cliffhanger so the author could make more books to continue the story. Very disappointing.
February 7, 2018
Another Tubby Dubonnet book set in New Orleans - always good plots and quick reads. Shelter from the Storm catches Tubby during an epic flood on Mardi Gras and lands him in the middle of a bank robbery and a number of deaths. Just read the book and enjoy.
June 30, 2018
Lagniappe, lots of gifts as a bonus in this story, like beautiful trinkets and baubles thrown in a Mardi Gras parade. A great character in Tubby and a great storyteller in Tony Dunbar. Deserving of a far greater readership.
February 19, 2019
Couldn't put it down
Seemed scattered at the beginning, but when all the pieces came together it was a great adventure set excitingly in flooded New Orleans Marci Gras. The story isn't over yet, though and I look forward to the next adventure.
Seemed scattered at the beginning, but when all the pieces came together it was a great adventure set excitingly in flooded New Orleans Marci Gras. The story isn't over yet, though and I look forward to the next adventure.
February 9, 2020
A great novel
Based on New Orleans during g Mardi Gras a story emerges. There are several first time visitors that intense t throughout the story. A bank heist sets the fast paced thriller which includes a powerful storm. It's hard to put down and keeps you on your toes.
Based on New Orleans during g Mardi Gras a story emerges. There are several first time visitors that intense t throughout the story. A bank heist sets the fast paced thriller which includes a powerful storm. It's hard to put down and keeps you on your toes.
August 30, 2020
Almost... Not Quite
This was an action packed storyline. Lots of characters, lots of interaction and lots of questions. Although the immediate questions are resolved, the big question is not. That did not please me.
This was an action packed storyline. Lots of characters, lots of interaction and lots of questions. Although the immediate questions are resolved, the big question is not. That did not please me.
December 19, 2023
Excellent
I love this story. All of the books in this series are so good. Tubby Dubonnet is a very interesting character who gets involved in some strange and often dangerous situations. I really like him.
I love this story. All of the books in this series are so good. Tubby Dubonnet is a very interesting character who gets involved in some strange and often dangerous situations. I really like him.
January 3, 2024
Before hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Tony Dunbar wrote this story about a terrible flood hitting the city. Add to the panic of severe bad weather a bank robbery, murder, kid napping, property damage, ruined vehicles, power outages and more for a thrilling adventure. Will Tubby save the day?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews