Muscle for the Wing

This action-packed thriller is underscored by Woodrell's ( Woe to Live On ) ability to evoke the tawdry bayou town of St. Bruno and its citizenry: a hodgepodge of misfits and small-time criminals. The Wing, a nationwide gang of ex-convicts and inmates led on the outside by Emil Jadick, will stop at nothing to gain control of the area's action, though it has been dominated for years by boss Auguste Beaurain. After Jadick and his bizarre henchmen invade a poker game and kill one of the players, Mayor Gene Crawford recruits cop Rene Shade, who first appeared in Under the Bright Lights , and his old friend Shuggie Zeck to find the Wing and dole out justice to the upstarts. An interesting relationship among the men culminates in a surprising conclusion. Woodrell's dialogue is humorous and convincing, and his deftly drawn characters are anything but ordinary. A top-notch tale that deserves attention. (October)