New Orleans Homicide (9781301864157)

NEW ORLEANS HOMICIDE – LaStanza Novel #6

Murder is no stranger to New Orleans and the Easter Weekend of 1986 is particularly violent, an elderly man brutally murdered on Good Friday evening, a young woman shot to death on Saturday evening, a middle-aged woman bludgeoned to death on Easter morning.

Homicide detectives, responding to the scenes, are again faced with sudden violence. Det. LaStanza, handling the first murder, feels a connection with the victim, a ninety-one year old Italian-American named Venetta. When asked by the victim’s family what are the chances he’ll catch the killers, he tells them one-hundred percent. “I always get them. Always.”

These murders are deliberate acts of violence. LaStanza and his partners begin a meticulous, relentless pursuit of the killers and will use whatever deliberate acts necessary to bring justice to the victims and their families.

Born in New Orleans, O’Neil De Noux is a prolific American writer of novels and short stories. Although much of De Noux’s fiction falls under the mystery genre (character-drive crime fiction primarily), he has published stories in many disciplines including mainstream fiction, children and young-adult fiction, science-fiction, suspense, fantasy, horror, western, literary, religious, romance, humor and erotica.

In 2007, The Private Eye Writers of America awarded its prestigious SHAMUS AWARD for BEST SHORT STORY to “The Heart Has Reasons” by O'Neil De Noux. The SHAMUS is given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. De Noux is also the 2009 DERRINGER AWARD winner for BEST NOVELETTE for “Too Wise.” The Derringer Awards are given annually to recognize excellence in the short mystery fiction form.

In 2010, De Noux made a move to eBooks and print-on-demand books, teaming with other artists in the art co-op Big Kiss Productions and published SLICK TIME, a sexy caper novel, followed by collections NEW ORLEANS MYSTERIES, NEW ORLEANS NOCTURNAL, NEW ORLEANS CONFIDENTIAL, NEW ORLEANS PRIME EVIL and BACKWASH OF THE MILKY WAY.

In June 2012, De Noux’s novel JOHN RAVEN BEAU was named 2011 POLICE BOOK OF THE YEAR by Police-Writers.com, a group that boasts of 1153 state and local law enforcement officials from 485 state and local law enforcement agencies who have written 2504 police books. A hyper-realistic crime story, JOHN RAVEN BEAU provides an intimate look into the beleaguered NOPD Homicide Division, a story that begins in the French Quarter and ends in a swamp, all within the city limits of America’s eternal city, a city that cannot be destroyed – New Orleans.

Earlier in 2012, after six months of intensive research and eighteen months of non-stop writing, O’Neil De Noux published BATTLE KISS, a 320,000 word epic of love and war set against the panorama of the Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815. So timely is the book, released as the bicentennial of the War of 1812 arrives, Mr. De Noux received an Artist Services Career Advancement Award from the Louisiana Division of the Arts for his work on BATTLE KISS. Also in 2012, Mr. De Noux’s first private eye was published. ENAMORED a novel of obsession and murder, is set in 1950 New Orleans. Another crime novel, BOURBON STREET, set in 1947, was released in 2012, along with the young-adult superhero novel MISTIK.

In 2012, O’Neil De Noux was elected Vice-President of the Private Eye Writers of America.

In January 2013, the long-awaited return of NOPD Homicide Detective Dino LaStanza came with the publication of De Noux’s crime fiction tour-de-force NEW ORLEANS HOMICIDE, along with the re-issue of all the previous LaStanza novels as trade paperbacks and eBooks. Two more LaStanza novels are forthcoming.