This is the first time I’m reading anything by Tony Dunbar and it won’t be the last. Although this is the sixth book in the Tubby Dubonnet series, I am already loving Tubby. So, let’s meet him. Tubby is a lawyer who has given up booze, looking for his pay day from prior clients, and is now embroiled in a doozy of a case while on the brink of a potential love interest.
The doozy of a case involves Judge Al Hughes who calls Tubby because he is caught in a bind with District Attorney Marcus Dementhe who confronts him with dates, times, and places of having sex with a young lady (Sultana Patel). Judge Hughes is worried about his wife finding out as well as appearing before a special grand jury the DA is convening to nail corrupt judges. However, if the judge cooperated in getting dirt on his colleagues, the DA might work out a deal with him.
When Tubby connects with Sultana to find out what she told the DA, he learns that she was paid to come on to the judge at a party. Her story is pretty similar to that of another young lady who is seen on a video (in Tubby’s possession from a prior case) talking about a man placing personal ads in newspapers looking for young women to act as escorts. Tubby with the help of his private investigator friend, Sanre Fueres (Flowers) tracks down the man (Max Finn) behind the personal ads. But before they could talk to him, he was found dead at his home. Yet, another complication because Finn’s wife, Norella used to be the girlfriend of one of Tubby’s friends - Jason Boaz, the inventor.
Overall, this was a quick, fun, humorous, and puzzled-filled read. There were a lot of characters but what drew me in was their colorful names (Raisin Partlow, Candy Canary, Sapphire Serena, Lucky LaFrene, etc.), their quirkiness, and how they fit perfectly in the storyline which readers need to follow carefully. The dialogue and descriptions were spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed going a ride with Tubby as he meandered the streets of New Orleans (sights, sounds, smells) in search of finding the truth about Max Finn as well as his zest for justice for his clients. I won’t give anything away, but I had hoped that a certain someone (the DA) would have gotten his comeuppance. Anyway, as Tubby said, “At some level the guilty will pay” and I believe him. Two thumbs up!
Rating: 4 stars
Some of my favorite lines:
“Can I
come over to see you right now? I’m feeling a lot of pressure here.”
It must be
going around, Tubby thought, and gave her the address. He told Cherrylynn to be
on the lookout and asked very politely if she would mind staying in the room
while he interviewed the woman.
“As of
today, you’re a paralegal,” he told her. “Anything you hear is privileged.”
“Does that
involve a raise?” she asked woodenly.
“Does it feel like Christmas?” She didn’t smile, but he thought she might be brightening up a bit.
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