Critical Mick

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Murder Etouffee
Eric Wilder
Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc, 2006

The Big Gumbo!

Gumbo is the Cajun dish that dominates Eric Wilder's 2006 book Murder Etouffee, steaming bowls being served every few pages and even in the title of one of the collection's tastiest short stories, "The Big Gumbo." Irish readers take note: Gumbo is a Louisiana stew made from shrimp, roux, rice, peppers, sausage, and (in the words of Annette, the little Cajun grandmamma whose highly-recommended greasy spoon can be found on Dauphine, near Canal) "Everything I have in my kitchen." With its mix of commentary, historical vignette, recipe and short fiction, Murder Etouffee is a Creole combination of items usually served separate.

There ought to be more books like this one. Readers without open minds might dismiss Murder Etouffee as an assortment of freelance pieces swept into one POD. Free your minds, people. Remember Schott's Miscellany? Murder Etouffee is a long lost Cajun cousin, different formats of writing united in the goal of delivering a taste of New Orleans culture and cuisine.

With book reviews disguised as sit-coms, true crime, supernatural interview and sci-fi stories of their own, criticalmick.com is genre-jumper friendly.

Murder Etouffee opens with a piece of journalism, "Trip to New Orleans After [2005's hurricane] Katrina." Wilder writes an account of the city's recovery- and stark lack thereof- six months after one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history. The Crescent City is one I know well, living just south of its shadow in the early 90's. I got a shock from the article's descriptions of homes and businesses in their thousands that are left, months later, as nothing but shattered shells.

This introductory article also includes a visit to a little hole-in-the-wall Irish Pub. Any book that offers readers a Guinness as early as page six is OK by me. I was heartened to hear that what might be The Erin Rose-one of my favourite French Quarter haunts- is its same old self.

Twenty-nine varied selections follow. Under the category "Lagniappe" (Louisianan for "something extra") Wilder includes short essays on the city's geologic history, racial background, Mardi Gras traditions, and colourful figures like Voodoo queen Marie Laveau. I had not known the game of craps was introduced to America by a wealthy New Orleans plantation owner, or that "Craps" is short for "Le Crapaud," the French word for frog.

After a few landmarks of New Orleans society have been introduced, Wilder weaves a short fiction around them. Following entries on "Creoles, Cajuns, Africans and Passeblancs," "New Orleans' Most Important Ethnic Group" and a recipe for "Crawfish Etouffee," the first short, "Murder Etouffee," concerns a wealthy potential Mardi Gras king accused of having mixed blood.

Of the book's ten stories, five feature the set of recurring characters appearing in Wilder's unpublished short fiction and his forthcoming novel, Big Easy. The series centers on lemonade-drinking former trial attorney Wyatt Thomas. Working as an unlicensed private eye, "Cowboy" (as he is called) moves among New Orleans' rich and poor, its restaurants and bars, universities and blues clubs. Generally by streetcar. "I like public transportation," he explains. A distinctive character trait. I wish there had been more that was distinctive to Wyatt. The character felt uncomfortable close to Matt Scudder and Dave Robicheaux. His bar-owning sidekick Bertram Picou would easily be mistaken in a line-up for Robichaux's friend. Or that bad rip-off of Robicheaux's friend in Elmore Leonard's forgettable New Orleans knock off.

"The Big Gumbo," Murder Etouffee's thirty-page highlight, takes Wyatt and Bertram on a ride down Route 90 to my old swamping ground, Terrebonne Parrish. Bertram's niece Sandi, now a soap opera star in New York, is returning home to Bayou Noir to wed her JFK Junior-esque fiancé. When her $10,000 designer wedding dress is stolen, it's a good thing that Wyatt is on hand. The characters and events are colourful and the mystery's solution veers "The Big Gumbo" into a Juggin' Joe direction that was honestly unexpected. A good trip down the bayou, though I don't recall any place in swampy Terrebonne where it is possible to drive within sight of the Gulf.

Murder Etouffee contains other errors, typos and inconsistencies. Wyatt's recipe for New Orleans Whiskey Sauce? Sure, the recipes are attributed to characters from the stories, but why would a non-drinker share a recipe for whiskey sauce?

Critical Mick says: Sure, this gumbo should have simmered long enough for one more edit. Eric Wilder still made a trip to stale old Café Du Monde palatable. Murder Etouffee's bold mix of journalism, history, recipe and fiction do just what he set out to do- deliver a hearty taste of New Orleans.

Read Critical Mick's interview with Eric Wilder!

I hope to see more books that follow Eric Wilder's innovative format!

Yo! This review and all content on the DFA Guide site are copyright 2006 Mick Halpin. All links to other sites and documents are copyright to whatever source wrote something cool enough for Mick to give it a referral. Try to claim them as your own work and bad karma will catch up with you, baby. Believe it.

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This Page Was Last Updated On 11 March, 2007.