Chasing the Devils Tail
A Mystery of Storyville, New Orleans

Chasing the Devil's Tail is an historical mystery set in the Storyville era of New Orleans, when prostitution was legal in a specific section of the city and seedy stuff was happening in it. The story revolves around Valentin St. Cyr, a creole detective who can pass as white, thus giving him access......more

Starting out in near jazz notes, it’s New Orleans in the late 1800’s to earliest 1900’s. A section called Storyville, where mansions and shacks house the “sporting girls” that cater to all walks of life, given the right house. The sweltered living exudes with each word as we walk the streets with Cr......more

This is not my favorite but I do enjoy Fulmer's St. Cyr Mysteries and Chasing the Devil's Tail is the initial introduction to the characters Valentin, Justine, Tom Anderson, Bean Soup, King Boland, Freddie Kepperd, and various sporting girls and madams of the famed Storyville... some real, some tota......more

Despite the huge amount of research done to carefully enmesh so much time specific historical detail of not only real people and events but also place into the story, I found the mystery and, more so the detective, to be lacking skill. The basis of the mystery is not unfamiliar, someone is killing p......more

Solid mystery combined with excellent history (Storyville, 1907). Seamlessly integrates real (Tom Anderson, Buddy Bolden, E J Bellocq, Jellyroll Morton, Lulu White, "Countess" Willie V. Piazza - and possibly a young Louis Armstrong) and fictional characters. The author does not pull any punches when......more