Big Easy: A Wyatt Thomas New Orleans paranormal mystery (French Quarter Mystery Book 1)

This is the first time I'm leaving a review and was asked questions beforehand. I answered those questions compared to other novels I've read, so if anyone doesn't agree, this is why.Now on to the review!I purchased this novel after I saw a couple of tweets about it on Twitter. Being my family is from Louisiana, and some from New Orleans, I jumped on it like a beignet laid hot and sweet on a plate! I knew this was risky, as I didn't know the author and I had trouble liking some indie books I've purchased. Turns out this is a book to keep in my Kindle library to enjoy again at another time.There are good characters in this book. Wyatt and Mama Mulatte (sp?) are two of them, but there's more. From someone who's spent time in the French Quarters of New Orleans, I feel that the author was spot on with his description, the novel's ambience and some of the vernacular cracked me up with laughter, making me feel like I was home!A murder has taken place and two detectives are searching for the killer. It leads them to Wyatt and into the realm of Voodoo (lightly), and anyone from home know that Voodoo is just as synonymous to New Orleans as jazz, Bourbon Street and a good bowl of gumbo. I loved the subplot! I'm not giving away any spoilers, but I think many of the readers would enjoy it, too. Things get a little hot and steamy and the plot does thicken. Will the detectives survive this case? Has Wyatt and Mama Mulatte gotten in too deep? You won't hear the answers from me. You have to read it to find out.As always here's what I liked most about this book. The plot! This isn't one of those stories where you knew what's coming before you get close enough. The suspense and tension causes you to turn the page. We're talking straight out survival mode and a few of the characters are conjuring spells to ensure they stay alive. But people are still dying and two detectives must realize that sometimes you have to pay attention to things even if you don't want to believe in the supernatural. Especially when you're surrounded by one or more people who may want to do you harm. Do you trust your gut or do you listen to the voodoo mambo and what she has to say?The pace of this novel was great. I read it in two sittings and hated when the story ended. The good thing is this author has more books to follow up behind this one. Yay! No waiting, except for the time it takes to download to my Kindle.Awesome job, Mr. Wilder, because this was indeed a story worth telling and reading.

Review of the Big Easy by Eric WilderNew Orleans, there is not another place like it in America, it has oft been said. This author truly paints with broad wanton strokes the beauty and the madness of the swampy humid grit and intoxicating aura of the French Quarter. In 1992, this reader spent five alluring days in the truly haunted upscale Monteleone hotel while touring the old city. I remember arrival, leaving the taxi in front of the hotel into a crime scene. Me and my female companion were overwhelmed by the spirit of the oppressive atmosphere both carnival and raw. Eric Wilder is a talented writer that constantly reminds us of these odd moments, the ever unusual nature of this area filled with spirits, history, danger and what I believe to be the finest cuisine in the nation. Anyone who is spiritually prescient or an empath has to prepare themselves for their first time visit! The story in the Big Easy is quick reading, written with such clarity that one could eat a Po Boy and jazz drum while reading and not lose their place. The dialogue is really crackling, interesting and revealing. The plot though overly reminiscent of prior works of other authors of crime, has riveting characters that evoke the true sense of emotional abandon and searing sexuality that intoxicates many a visitor and resident of the Quarter. Spot on! Downside, is that the author gives away too much early on in the murder mystery making the end very predictable. There is an annoying subplot with local restaurateurs that detracts from the end. That aside I enjoyed the color in the book and was able to recall this remarkable place that haunts my memory once more. Profound research must have gone into this work which is impressive for detail. Because the color and knowledge of the Quarter, how can you not like this one?

I don't like to give poor reviews unless the book completely deserved it. This one does not. I did not get far into the story before I just had to put it down. It was the style of the writing (not good or bad, just not what I like to read). I liked the plot concept and may pick it up later to finish it, but I had difficulty liking the main character. The style was so MC-centered, that I had a hard time getting into the MCs self-absorption. But that is just me. Don't look at this review as a recommendation to NOT read this book! It is just that it does not fit my personal preferences.

Eric Wilder has written a number of books all with New Orleans as the host environment. The Big Easy is a murder mystery that steeps the reader in a home cooking of down south creole and voodoo. This fecund mix works most of the time, particularly when Detectives Fat "T"and Tony investigate a series of killings with Voudoun overtones. The mix falters somewhat with PI Wyatt, his ailing cat and his inability toconnect with the voodoo maven or her young partner Celeste. A lot of characters don't add to the broth but the storytelling is still quite good.Wilder has over-complicated what should be a simple story. Set in the steamy Big Easy with an other worldly introduction to Voodoo and a disturbed killer who dresses like a pimp should have been enough to interest any reader. Embellishment begins with this book's title and continues with a cat. Less is sometimes more.