Tubby Dubonnet Books in Order

The Tubby Dubonnet series follows a New Orleans lawyer who keeps finding reasons to do detective work, even when he would rather be fishing, eating well, having a drink, or avoiding the office. Tubby is a divorced father of three, a former athlete, and a man with a gift for attracting clients whose problems are never as simple as they first appear.

New Orleans is not just scenery here. The city's restaurants, bars, parades, battered institutions, music, weather, and neighborhood politics shape every case. Tubby knows the city well enough to see its charm, but he also knows how much corruption and desperation can sit behind the charm. That mix gives the books their easygoing but wary tone.

Tubby would prefer a quiet life. It rarely works out that way.

The series begins with Crooked Man, when a nightclub manager leaves Tubby holding a gym bag tied to a drug bust and a large amount of money. From there, the cases widen. City of Beads connects a friend's death, environmental concerns, gambling interests, and suspicious business deals. In Trick Question, Tubby defends a medical-lab janitor accused of murder while trying to understand a case that looks far too convenient.

Legal trouble is always part of the engine. Tubby is a lawyer first, so courtroom pressure, clients in trouble, judges, police, and ethical compromises matter as much as clues. But he is also willing to ask questions outside the usual channels. His allies include friends, investigators, regulars, and relatives who may be helpful one moment and a fresh source of chaos the next.

The books balance hard-boiled crime with humor. A violent threat can arrive alongside a strange client, a complicated family call, or a serious discussion of where to find the best meal. Tubby is not a conventional hero, and he does not always make the neatest choices. Still, his stubborn concern for people who have been pushed aside gives the series its center.

Later installments deepen the stakes. Shelter from the Storm traps criminals and civilians in a flooded New Orleans during Mardi Gras. The Crime Czar and Lucky Man turn toward political manipulation and the people who profit from it. Tubby Meets Katrina is darker, placing Tubby in the chaos after Hurricane Katrina while an escaped killer threatens his family. The later books, including Night Watchman, Fat Man Blues, and Flag Boy, keep digging into old crimes, local power, and the city's long memory.

Readers should start with Crooked Man. It introduces Tubby at his funniest and most vulnerable, and it establishes the food, danger, loose ends, and civic mess that make this series feel at home in New Orleans.