The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do

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The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do (Rene Shade #1-3 omnibus)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 544 ratings · 109 reviews

A hard-hitting, critically acclaimed trilogy of crime novels from an author about whom New York magazine has written, "What people say about Cormac McCarthy ... goes double for [Woodrell]. Possibly more."

In the parish of St. Bruno, sex is easy, corruption festers, and double-dealing is a way of life. Rene Shade is an uncompromising detective swimming in a sea of filth.

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Paperback, 496 pages

Published April 28th 2011 by Mulholland Books (first published April 7th 2011)

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May 25, 2011 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

**Under the Bright Lights**

Here is how Daniel Woodrell distinguishes his crime fiction from the multitude:

"The pecking order of the homegrown juice merchants and trigger jerkers, green-felt Caesars, and snow-shoveling cowboys was likened to a vivid Chicago of the memory. And in this urban simile, if Auguste Beaurain, a force so devious, potent, and dangerous that he'd never even been hooked for a parking ticket, was a scaled-down Capone, and Steve Roque an irritating Spike O'Donnell, then surely

...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Pati rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: gave-up-on

Better than Cormac McCarthy, for sure, but not that great. I don't know in which Louisiana town Woodrell did his research, but none of them I know has black, white, and Cajun neighborhoods. Not many houses have basements, either. The plot reminds me of Donna Tartt (very suspenseful). But the details get in the way.

I couldn't take it anymore. Read the first story, but couldn't stomach the next two. Ugh.

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Nov 27, 2011 Michele Weiner rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Michele by: President Obama

I have read many gritty books in my time, and I can enjoy a hard-boiled tale of the less fortunate classes. Tana French's Faithful Place about a working class neighborhood in Dublin had a wonderful sense of place and a well-constructed plot. The Fighter also provided a window into a specific place and time, and a group of characters who came alive, who were fascinating and complete, and sympathetic on some level. Bayou Trilogy portrays the same kind of working class neighborhood that people don'...more I have read many gritty books in my time, and I can enjoy a hard-boiled tale of the less fortunate classes. Tana French's Faithful Place about a working class neighborhood in Dublin had a wonderful sense of place and a well-constructed plot. The Fighter also provided a window into a specific place and time, and a group of characters who came alive, who were fascinating and complete, and sympathetic on some level. Bayou Trilogy portrays the same kind of working class neighborhood that people don't easily leave and where most are involved in semi-legal activities, or have friends or relatives who are. But there was no character to admire, as in The Fighter, or plot to keep you going, as in Faithful Place.

The folks of the Bayou Trilogy reside in a fictional river town which might be on the Mississippi, but might not. There is a bayou nearby in which scary night-time chases can take place, and there are neighborhoods which keep the various classes separated. The affluent have the high ground, the black persons live in Pan Fry, and the white trash, who all have French surnames, live in the wet, undesirable land down by the dirty river in a neighborhood called Frogtown. The denizens of every part of town are despicable in their own ways. Even the hero, a police detective, is unattractive. He has the requisite relatives, the expected character flaws, and a partner who is fat and funny in an ugly way, and there is a girlfriend who is good-looking enough and semi-tough. But it feels very much like a formula and there is no significant attempt at character development. The plot of the one story I finished was muddled and pointless in my opinion. I didn't get why it was written and I found it impossible to become involved with either the good guys or the bad guys. When the second in the trilogy involved a similar type of violent sociopath, gratuitous violence, drug abuse and binge drinking, I decided I had better things to do. I was persuaded to try Bayou Trilogy when I found it was on President Obama's list of summer reading. I bet he didn't like it either.(less)

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Jun 12, 2011 Hood rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bound: Down on the Bayou

SunPost Weekly May 19, 2011 | John Hood
http://bit.ly/iorBrr

Daniel Woodrell Writes the Lives Behind its Crimes

As the Atchafalaya River Basin begins to flood one can’t help thinkin’ that maybe the authorities have read Daniel Woodrell and come away believin’ the folks who live in that swampy stretch of nowhere don’t deserve saving as much as everybody else. That’s a mean thing to consider, of course, let alone to say right out loud for everyone to hear. But had you just wa...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Ronald Roseborough rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, murder, mystery, mystery-adventure-thriller

Three crime novels are collected in this book chronicling the gritty life of Detective Rene Shade. His portion of hell on earth is the Parish of St. Bruno, Louisiana. A place where the wildlife on the streets is ever bit as dangerous as that in the bayou. Shade is part French and part Irish with the temperament of a Louisiana gator. He got his education on the streets and in the ring. The fact that he turned out working for the law instead of against it is still a subject of talk in many corners...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Cateline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well written, The Bayou Trilogy will haunt you with it's lushness, it's depravity and it's total handle on realism. Noir in a sense, but more. The three stories Under the Bright Lights, Muscle For the Wing and The Ones You Do reverberate with the atmosphere of the Louisiana Bayou. They follow the Shade family, first focusing on two of the three sons Rene Shade and his brother Tip, the former a police detective, the latter the owner, continue(er) of paternal family tradition, a barkeep/pool hall...more

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May 31, 2011 RandomAnthony rated it 3 of 5 stars

Daniel Woodrell, in my imagination, stares at his keyboard before choosing words, like he's afraid if he uses too many he'll mess up. That literary fastidiousness pays off, with interest, in the three crime novels that comprise The Bayou Trilogy.

The novels included here, republished in one volume most likely to cash in on the post-Winter's Bone publicity, revolve around the fictional neighborhood of Frogtown, a far-south run-down criminal playground with its own noir-ish rules and legends. The...more

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May 02, 2012 Matthew Peck rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't often read 'crime novels' - not out of disdain, but because of personal taste. I've read and been engrossed by a few Denis Lehane books, but I probably wouldn't have opened them at all if they weren't set in Boston, with landmarks I know so well. I decided to try Daniel Woodrell after watching the film of 'Winter's Bone' and reading some not-so-faint critical praise. And now this fanboy wants to read everything he's published.
UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS (1982) - Woodrell's body of work is s...more I don't often read 'crime novels' - not out of disdain, but because of personal taste. I've read and been engrossed by a few Denis Lehane books, but I probably wouldn't have opened them at all if they weren't set in Boston, with landmarks I know so well. I decided to try Daniel Woodrell after watching the film of 'Winter's Bone' and reading some not-so-faint critical praise. And now this fanboy wants to read everything he's published.
UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS (1982) - Woodrell's body of work is set mostly within the Ozarks (his home), but his first novel and its 2 follow-ups are set in the fictional Louisiana town of St. Bruno, which is more akin to True Blood's Bontemps than New Orleans (I imagine). It's a sultry riverside burg teeming with gambling, alcoholism, and the general seediness that spawns noir stories. The marvelously-named protagonist is Detective Rene Shade, a local boy from the French neighborhood (Frogtown) who yearns to transcend the corruption in his department. These elements are familiar, of course, but Woodrell's prose is like a nimble electric piano solo and the sense of place is so vivid you can smell it. The character names and physical descriptions are the most memorable I've read outside of Annie Proulx "[he] had the complete barnyard of personal characteristics: ox-sized, goose-necked, cow-eyed, a hog gut, probably mule-headed, and clearly goaty of appetite." This story details the events stemming from the murder of an African-American councilman and ends with a mythic showdown in a dark swamp.
MUSCLE FOR THE WING (1988) - The sequel is quick and vicious, telling the story of a prison gang's run of poker-game robberies in the region, some of said poker games involving the movers and shakers of St. Bruno. Woodrell's words continue to compel, even though this installment gets a bit TOO bleak and depraved at times.
THE ONES YOU DO (1992) - The conclusion to the trilogy is the best, a near-masterpiece centering on the sudden return of Rene Shade's long-absent father John X.- a former poolroom hustler and ladies man - along with a 10-year-old daughter. This is less of a crime potboiler and more of a serio-comic rural drama with some surprising and grotesque elements (again, like acknowledged Woodrell fan Annie Proulx). The characters are lively and unforgettable, and the set pieces grand. One chapter involving a psychopath, a couple from Iowa, and a day out together in Natchez, Mississippi could stand on its own as a great short story.

I never though I'd complete a gritty crime trilogy and immediately miss the characters and their lives. How about a cable TV series? (The Shades?)(less)

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Sep 24, 2011 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've been wanting to read the guy who wrote Winter's Bone for a couple of months, so when I saw that Obama picked this up for his summer reading I thought, well, if I read 1776 from Bachman's must-read then...

Tough to review. Do I write about the trilogy as a whole or each book?

The first, Under the Bright Lights, I thought was an addictive, plot-driven crime thriller. I really enjoyed it, but it is definitely not very developed, has rather simple characters that you don't even really find anyt...more I've been wanting to read the guy who wrote Winter's Bone for a couple of months, so when I saw that Obama picked this up for his summer reading I thought, well, if I read 1776 from Bachman's must-read then...

Tough to review. Do I write about the trilogy as a whole or each book?

The first, Under the Bright Lights, I thought was an addictive, plot-driven crime thriller. I really enjoyed it, but it is definitely not very developed, has rather simple characters that you don't even really find anything out about, and gives the impression of conspiracy without really developing the layers of conspiracy. Some might say it's a study of one of "America's dumbest criminals." The cover has a blurb that states, "What people say about Cormac McCarthy goes double for Daniel Woodrell." Well, not really. I can see an element of McCarthy in this, perhaps from his earlier, understated material, focusing on dumb criminals like in Child of God, but I felt like that was more universal than this, more symbolic and representative of human nature. Still, it's a nice, fast read, and it's certainly better than any James Patterson or Brad Thor shlockbuster out there... I'd give it 3/5.

With the second, I could pretty much ditto everything from the first, but there's a bit more characterization (even if some of it is brief, glossed over, and a little hokey). There's a lot more sex, the criminals are a little less dumb, and the conspiracy deepens from the first. I think I liked it better but would still call it a 3/5.

Well, I asked for more characterization, and with the third we have heaps of it. However, Woodrell seems to have left all plot in the first two. There is no mention of the conspiracy from the first two, Shade is hardly even a character, there is barely any fast-paced criminal action or detective-chasing... it's a story of Shade's father returning home. And that's about it. The father reminds me of a Richard Russo character, the dad from Nobody's Fool or The Risk Pool. His life catches up with him, his mistakes come back and he sees them in a new light, but it's just hard to care about him as he's not injected into the story until the third book -- we care about the other characters and want more of them. 2/5. (less)

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Jul 03, 2012 Matthew rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book as a trilogy far exceeded the books inside the binding.

The Rene Shade story was great during the first two chapters prior to The Ones You Do chapter. The third series of the book stole my attention for two weeks. Entirely too long for the story itself to hold my interest. It came down to the fact that the first two stories, regardless of their shortcomings, were intimately readable. The third book in the story was a fabrication of what Woodrell thought made the first two books good.

We a...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Barry Graham rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remember reading an interview with Daniel Woodrell in Your Flesh magazine in the mid-1990s. In it, Woodrell said he had no desire for mainstream acceptance, contrasting himself with those writers who are outsiders only because they haven't been allowed in. Comparing mainstream popularity to a tent, he said he was one of those who belonged outside the tent.

More recently, he has said that he realized that in choosing to write the books he does, he was effectively taking a vow of poverty. Althoug...more I remember reading an interview with Daniel Woodrell in Your Flesh magazine in the mid-1990s. In it, Woodrell said he had no desire for mainstream acceptance, contrasting himself with those writers who are outsiders only because they haven't been allowed in. Comparing mainstream popularity to a tent, he said he was one of those who belonged outside the tent.

More recently, he has said that he realized that in choosing to write the books he does, he was effectively taking a vow of poverty. Although he has received laudatory reviews - five of his novels have been New York Times Notable Books of the year - his gothic/noir tales of modern rural peasants have been little-read, and have been mostly out of print.

With the success of the film Winter's Bone, based on his novel of the same title, he is finally getting some attention, and his books are being reissued.

The Bayou Trilogy brings together three of his earliest novels, showing that he has been a master right from the start. James Ellroy has called him a Bayou version of Elmore Leonard. He is and he isn't. His meandering, digressive style is the opposite of the terse, elegant, bullet-train style of Leonard, but he is the rare equal of Leonard when it comes to dialogue, and nonjudgmental character depiction. No matter how admirable or deplorable a person's behavior, the narrative brings us inside their head and heart.

These three short novels - Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing and The Ones You Do - vary in quality. The first two are very good, and the third is great, at least as great as the best of Flannery O'Connor or John Steinbeck.

The protagonist is a thuggish, self-absorbed, non-too-bright ex-boxer turned cop named Rene Shade, who tries to keep from getting killed while navigating his relationships with the smart and lovely bartender he dates, his bickering brothers - one a tough, good-natured bar-owner, the other a lawyer with political ambitions - his snake-hunting mother, and his pool-shark father who abandoned the family long ago. Add to that the arrival of his 10-year-old half-sister, a hit man, a troop of out-of-town grifters and the local corrupt police department he works for, and it's easy to understand why Shade has a bad attitude.

If you liked the movie The Fighter, you'll love this book. If, like mine, the America you live in is so far from the one depicted by the likes of Jonathan Franzen that it might as well be a distant planet, this book will feel like home.
(less)

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Oct 31, 2011 Cat rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read Woodrell's books in the wrong order. Winter's Bone is so luminous and character-driven, that it's hard to switch into the broader, more violent (seriously!), and faster paced world of the popular hard-boiled murder mystery after that. And I'm a fan of hard-boiled crime fiction! Woodrell does a great job setting up the atmosphere of the bayou, and I do really enjoy the way he sets out former boxer and police detective Rene Shade as his investigating figure and sets him in a family where so...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Spiros rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: aficionados of steamy, hard-boiled prose

Shelves: new

The "four star" rating above represents an aggregate, since this trilogy represents three independently constructed novels. UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS and MUSCLE FOR THE WING would have gotten "three star" ratings, THE ONES YOU DO, where Woodrell hits his stride as the author I'm familiar with from such "hillbilly noirs" as Give us a Kiss, Tomato Red, and Winter's Bone, would rate "five stars".
By the end of THE ONES YOU DO, I found myself so engrossed in the Shade Family that I am kind of surprised...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Martin Baltz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I never write reviews, due to a sheer lack of go get 'em, but I love this author. I was driving down the road, listening to NPR, when I heard the "The Bayou Trilogy" was on Obama's summer reading list, so I decided to check it out.

Gut-wrencingly descriptive, is the only way I could describe his style of writing, and his protagonists tend to be heavily flawed, but with just enough underlying moral fiber - just like I like 'em.

"Tomato Red" is my favorite of his novels so far, perhaps because the...more

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Sep 15, 2011 judy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

These are his starter books, no doubt resurrected by the success of Winter's Bone. The man is a phenomenal writer. If you like to immerse yourself in words, phrases and sentences, this is a good place to be. If, like me, you revel in the atmosphere and characters constructed by the author, you'll have a decision to make. This is Bayou country--poor, grimy and working off values that are completely foreign to me. At no point did I find myself somewhere a little less oppressive or listening to peo...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This collection is fantastic. I was blown away. Daniel Woodrell has such a wicked way with language and I found myself re-reading passages out loud just so I could let the words out into the world. His characters are flawed and funny and real; I could not help but root for some of them even as they were heading down a clearly marked path to destruction. In the interest of full disclosure, I bought this book because I had picked it up off a table in Green Apple Books and was reading the back when...more

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May 11, 2011 Catie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, series, mystery-thriller-noir

I haven’t read very much that could be considered “noir” but I really enjoyed these. It was rewarding to read them in sequence, because I grew more and more attached to the characters and setting with each one.

Under the Bright Lights is an introduction to Rene Shade, a lifetime resident of St. Bruno, Louisiana, and a resigned, morally ambiguous detective.

He was not guided by a total love of law, but he was more for it than against it and this, he felt, made him reasonable. And that was the sum...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Shay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ust finished reading the first book in this trilogy, Under the Bright Lights. I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book because when I read mysteries, I usually like cozies. But, Woodrell is a master at creating atmosphere. I've never been to Louisiana, but this novel makes me feel like I have. Which is not easy to do in a short novel of less than 200 words. But, Woodrell has a way with words. "'Are you sick? You looked sick. Don't eat in these cafes around here. I see 'em feedin' cats at...more

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May 30, 2011 wally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: woodrell

I've read Tomato Red, enjoyed that one, so I figure to give this one a shot. So far (7%) so good. Reminds me (this one does) of some of Elmore Leonard's stuff.

these are good stories, three of them, and they concern a fictional area of the mississippi and louisiana that is as real as any other place. like the brothers karamazov, the shade brothers disagree at times, and the old man is nothing to brag about and is the cause of much of their problems or not and how they deal with them, or not and...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Jamie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-dirty-south

This was like one of those cakes that has all the right ingredients, and sounds so delicious, but you overcook it and botch up the measurements and all those ingredients combine into something so unholy and so... not delicious.

I don’t know. Despite appearances, this was not on my wavelength at all. Everyone here knew they were in this gritty noir and were so smug about it and nobody acted just plain human without all these affectations (ugh) that got in the way of the story. I wanted to sink St...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Kenneth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, crime-sleuth-mystery

Rene Shade is a detective in the Parish of St. Bruno, Louisiana. However, as a series, this is not really a detective story. In the beginning we focus on a man (Shade) who straddles the fence of legality in a town where he is both a former local celebrity as a boxer and a longtime acquaintance and relation to most of the seedy underside of St. Bruno. Gritty and callous as he is, Shade has a sense of honor unassailable by friendship or blood, and he finds himself the odd man out in most situation...more Rene Shade is a detective in the Parish of St. Bruno, Louisiana. However, as a series, this is not really a detective story. In the beginning we focus on a man (Shade) who straddles the fence of legality in a town where he is both a former local celebrity as a boxer and a longtime acquaintance and relation to most of the seedy underside of St. Bruno. Gritty and callous as he is, Shade has a sense of honor unassailable by friendship or blood, and he finds himself the odd man out in most situations. From the first chapters, Shade grows from a hard-nosed cop running from the ghosts of his childhood, his defunct boxing career, and his dead-beat father, into a man of greater tenderness and understanding. With every new character we are given new insight into Shade's history and persona, and it seems that he benefits from this insight, as well. By the second book, Shade's darker side has reared its head, which coincides with his most direct clash with "the powers-that be", and he has deadly decisions to make. Whose side can you take when the law asks you to ride shotgun (literally) with a mobster looking for retribution? At the same time, Shade has begun a serious relationship with Nicole, and wants little more than to escape with her from the drama of his hometown. As book number three opens, we find ourselves following the heretofore legendary John X. Shade, Rene Shade's absent father, and also the father of his brothers Tip and Francois. John X. brings an awful lot of baggage back to St. Bruno, including his strange daughter, Etta, but this is the first time when we feel the wholeness of the Shade family. The character of Rene takes a bit of a back seat to John X. and Etta, Nicole, his mother Monique and even a man with an ancient grudge against John X., but it is clear that this is because of the fulfillment that Rene is feeling as his family comes together. Never fear though, for nothing is ever truly settled on the bayou of St. Bruno. The series ends, not as we think it will, not as we want it to, but as it should.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First-Reads. Thanks.(less)

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Apr 27, 2011 Shay marked it as to-read

Just finished reading the first book in this trilogy, Under the Bright Lights. I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book because when I read mysteries, I usually like cozies. But, Woodrell is a master at creating atmosphere. I've never been to Louisiana, but this novel makes me feel like I have. Which is not easy to do in a short novel of less than 200 words. But, Woodrell has a way with words. "'Are you sick? You looked sick. Don't eat in these cafes around here. I see 'em feedin' cats at...more

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Sep 12, 2011 S. Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wish I'd discovered Mr. Woodrell's books earlier, as I was very impressed with his writing. This books is a collection of three previously released short stories, which are each around 100-150 pages each. The first two were excellent and I would have given them five stars on their own. The third story was slow and didn't have the feel of the first two. It was more of a three star, so hence the overall four star rating. Mr. Woodrell captures the culture and language of the setting masterfully....more

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Dec 10, 2011 Heidwrite rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some great, entertaining writing by the author of Winter's Bone who is getting the attention he deserves. Though the stories are about crime and a detective, it's much more about a place, a dreamed up city in bayou country that may be closest to Baton Rouge than anything. Though enjoyable, these are not typical detective or crime story. It's more a whack at pulp fiction, some interesting, outrageous characters, family politics on the other side of the tracks and an interesting place not far from...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Since this is a collection of three of his books packaged together, the nerd in me feels it is necessary to rate them separately.

Under the Bright Lights - This took a few chapters for me to get into and get a real grasp on the characters, but once I did it flew by in one sitting. He really understands the people he writes about and their culture, and he is not afraid to write it authentically. 3.5 for me.

Muscle for the Wing - I felt that the second installment of Shade is superior to the first....more

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Jul 16, 2011 Clay Nichols rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read the whole trilogy in one gulp. Woodrell conjures a whole-cloth coon-ass countryside, replete with every shade of lowlife. And every lowlife Shade is a gem. Rene Shade, iffy cop and native son, carries the first two novels, but his dad arrives with young daughter in tow to enliven the third novel. Though the first two books are well constructed and full of dialog that sizzles with local flavor, the third book holds hints of where this Winter's Bone author is headed. The elder Shade rips off...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Larissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, usa, crime-fiction, for-review

Review published on Reviewing the Evidence website in August: http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/r...

Although Daniel Woodrell has been earning the respect of critics and cultivating a devoted fan base for quite some time, his self-coined “country noir” novels have garnered renewed attention in the last year, thanks to the astounding success of the movie adaptation of his 2006 novel Winter's Bone. This spring, three of Woodrell’s early novels—starring his shambling Creole detective Rene Shade—ha...more Review published on Reviewing the Evidence website in August: http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/r...

Although Daniel Woodrell has been earning the respect of critics and cultivating a devoted fan base for quite some time, his self-coined “country noir” novels have garnered renewed attention in the last year, thanks to the astounding success of the movie adaptation of his 2006 novel Winter's Bone. This spring, three of Woodrell’s early novels—starring his shambling Creole detective Rene Shade—have been republished as The Bayou Trilogy, and are sure to gain the author even more acclaim for their cinematic, gritty, and occasionally poetic portrayals of the perpetually backsliding town of St. Bruno, Louisiana.

Woodrell fills St. Bruno with a colorful cast of downtrodden men and women for whom double-dealing and neighborhood loyalty are a way of life. Foremost are the Shade family, who play pivotal roles in all three novels in the trilogy. There’s Ma Blanqui, owner of the pool hall where her itinerant husband, John X., had once made a name for himself before he abandoned her and her three boys. The oldest of the brothers, Tip Shade, owns the Catfish Bar, whose clientele make a habit of avoiding the police. The youngest, Francois, is an up-and-coming District Attorney. And right in the middle is Rene, a failed boxer turned cop who treads a fine line between the law-abiding and criminal worlds of his family and hometown.

Under the Bright Lights opens, as do all of the novels in the trilogy, on an over-confident, back country hood who is already in over his head, although he doesn’t know it yet. Woodrell’s first line introduction of this young would-be hit man provides the reader with a succinct initiation into the dark, subtly mocking humor, drawling dialog, and simmering violence that characterize all of the author’s work. “Jewel Cobb,” we’re told, “had long been a legendary killer in his midnight reveries and now he’d come to the big town to prove that his upright version knew the same techniques and was just as cold.”

Muscle for the Wing, the second novel in the trilogy, finds Rene rekindling the soured friendships of his past in order to track down the killer of a local policeman who worked as a guard for underground poker games frequented by some of St. Bruno's most powerful men. The Ones You Do introduces Shade's infamous ne'er-do-well father, John X. Shade, who is on the run with his adolescent daughter (Rene's half sister) after her momma ran off with a local gangster's fortune.

The novels are all very similar—especially in tone and pacing—which can lend to monotony if read in quick succession. Woodrell's plotting is also a bit shaky: in particular, the racially-charged murder and political scandal in Under the Bright Lights quickly becomes muddled and its resolution is a bit over-determined. But plot is really a secondary concern here. Woodrell has a spot-on ear for the patois of his bayou residents and a gift for characterization that extends into the psyches and pasts of both his anti-heroes and their adversaries.

Each of the novels in the trilogy opens at a running start, and Woodrell keeps up the constant, frenetic pace throughout the books. The stories all unfold over the course of a few days, and are staged in a series of iconic locales: the Marais de Croche swamp, underground poker games, a strip club on the edge of town, an elegant and crumbling cathedral. It's no wonder that two of Woodrell's novels have been made into movies (prior to Winter's Bone his book Woe to Live On was adapted by Ang Lee). Reading his novels, one can easily imagine watching them unfold on screen.(less)

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Jun 08, 2011 iubookgirl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

The Bayou Trilogy gathers together Woodrell’s three novels featuring police detective Rene Shade, Under the Bright Lights (1986), Muscle for the Wing (1988), and The Ones You Do (1992). These titles represent three of Woodrell’s first four books and certainly make me willing to read more of his work.

Rene Shade works in the the parish of St. Bruno, a town with clearly defined lines between blacks and whites with internal lines between the law and the criminals that sometimes blur. St. Bruno is th...more The Bayou Trilogy gathers together Woodrell’s three novels featuring police detective Rene Shade, Under the Bright Lights (1986), Muscle for the Wing (1988), and The Ones You Do (1992). These titles represent three of Woodrell’s first four books and certainly make me willing to read more of his work.

Rene Shade works in the the parish of St. Bruno, a town with clearly defined lines between blacks and whites with internal lines between the law and the criminals that sometimes blur. St. Bruno is the sort of place where the police know quite well who the criminals are, but each side keeps to itself until someone dies. In Under the Bright Lights, the lines are crossed and the town threatens to boil over after the murder of a black city councilman. Shade has to work quickly to keep the peace.

Muscle for the Wing features a prison gang hitting the biggest crime bosses in town. Shade has to walk a fine line between following orders and following the law. Unfortunately for Shade, he doesn't have the same sense of compromise that the town bosses and even his own brothers have.

The Ones You Do finds Shade on suspension after the events of Muscle for the Wing and unlikely to ever be a police officer again. In the midst of his soul-searching, John X. Shade, the family patriarch, returns to St. Bruno after years of roaming. He’s on the run from another shady character (please excuse the pun) who thinks John X. stole his money. For once, John X. is completely innocent and is just trying to protect the wife who’s just left him and the daughter he’s left to care for. This was my least favorite of the three, but that's mainly due to my desire for happy endings...though happy endings are in the eye of the beholder.

The three novels taken together create an interesting vignette of one man and his town. In fact, it’s hard for me to imagine reading them individually and separated by time. They flow together perfectly to create a single work. I’d especially recommend The Bayou Trilogy to those of you who enjoy the setting of the South, which is exceptionally well done by Mr. Woodrell.

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Apr 26, 2011 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

"This was Frogtown, where the sideburns were longer, the fuses shorter, the skirts higher and expectations lower, and he loved it"

On the steamy and seedy shores of the Louisiana Bayou, Detective Rene Shade walks a fine line between law and loyalty in Saint Bruno where he was born and raised. This trilogy combines three loosely connected stories of crime and justice in the shadows of Frogtown and Pan Fry.
The first story, Under the Bright Lights, has Shade, and his partner How Blanchette, investi...more "This was Frogtown, where the sideburns were longer, the fuses shorter, the skirts higher and expectations lower, and he loved it"

On the steamy and seedy shores of the Louisiana Bayou, Detective Rene Shade walks a fine line between law and loyalty in Saint Bruno where he was born and raised. This trilogy combines three loosely connected stories of crime and justice in the shadows of Frogtown and Pan Fry.
The first story, Under the Bright Lights, has Shade, and his partner How Blanchette, investigating the murder of a city councilman. The Mayor would be happiest if the whole business could be blamed on a trigger happy burglar, but it's not how Shade sees it going. The Councillor's death seems to be linked to a power play in the criminal underbelly that is in danger of triggering a war. Shade chases his suspects right into an armed confrontation in the middle of the Marais du Croche, a swamp beset by lethal cottonmouths and hungry crocodiles.
Muscle of the Wing partners a reluctant Detective Shade with a boyhood friend, Shuggie Zeck, whose business interests are being devalued by a mysterious gang of hold up men. In a town where payback and kickbacks grease the system for politicians and criminals alike, Shade can read between the lines of his Captains orders. This investigation isn't about justice so much as vengeance.
In The Ones You Do (Criminentlies), Detective Shade is brooding over his 90-day suspension when his father, the legendary John X Shade returns to the city with a daughter and annoyed ex associates in tow. This tale features the Shade family, itself a microcosm of the environment they live in. These eccentric characters underscore the themes of loyalty, redemption and belonging that flow through the trilogy.

Daniel Woodrell envelops the reader with his atmospheric depiction of the steaming, soiled bayou and it's unique characters. His style is vividly descriptive, and its a surprising pleasure to immerse yourself in the gritty underbelly of his world. The heat, the sweat, the fear become almost tangible with his eloquent turn of phrase. The language he uses has a cultural lilt, wit and earthiness that defines his characterisation. There is a sense of raw authenticity in Woodrell's examination of the realities of life in Saint Bruno and he captures the indistinct boundaries for those that dwell in the less respectable area's of society masterfully.
Far from being a one dimensional character representing the law, Detective Rene Shade is a skillfully drawn character of principle and personal conflict. Throughout the trilogy, Woodrell reveals the flaws and strengths that define Shade. He is a nuanced character who is engaging and likeable.
Shade is surrounded by family, friends and enemies, the ordinary and the eccentric. Eldest brother Tip, runs a drinking dive named The Catfish while youngest brother, Frankie is a lawyer. Their father, John X Shade is a pool hustling legend who is defined by his absence. Shade has grown up in the town he now polices and his childhood friends are as likely to be his enemies as his informants. Woodrell's characters are all boldly drawn with attention to detail and credibility.
Wonderfully written and an engrossing read, Woodrell has a gift for story and prose. The Bayou Trilogy is an atmospheric, brash and exciting adventure through the nadir of the criminal underbelly in the deep south, and I look forward to reading more by this author. (less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Josh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, noir, read_2012, crime

"...there was Frogtown, the white-trash Paris, where the wide brown flow of rank water scented all the days, and everfy set of toes touched bottom."

Flecks of dried blood and dirt stick equal in Woodrell’s look at small town where multiple criminal entities thrive on their unlawful activities. The down trodden and hopeless sense of conformance with poverty is delivered in poetic-like fashion. Equal billing to the just and unjust alike is given throughout the trilogy to paint a picture perfect gli...more "...there was Frogtown, the white-trash Paris, where the wide brown flow of rank water scented all the days, and everfy set of toes touched bottom."

Flecks of dried blood and dirt stick equal in Woodrell’s look at small town where multiple criminal entities thrive on their unlawful activities. The down trodden and hopeless sense of conformance with poverty is delivered in poetic-like fashion. Equal billing to the just and unjust alike is given throughout the trilogy to paint a picture perfect glimpse at ‘criminalities’.

"I've been poor so long it doesn't bother me anymore, and that's as much peace of mind as a Rockerfeller's got."

Woodrell writes in a language so few can emulate. His voice is distinct yet similar enough to evoke a sense of modernised noir. Aside from Megan Abbott, I can’t think of another author who comes close. His works within country noir are better delivered yet the tone and prose of ‘The Bayou Trilogy’ remain true, to a certain extent, of the formula.

Opening with a police procedural in ‘Under The Bright Lights’ Woodrell introduces Shade – a cop (and former boxer), a DA, and a criminally affiliated barman – brothers who provide an interesting mix which could’ve been exploited further over the course of the proceeding books. Called in to investigate the shooting of a black politician made out to be a case of robbery gone badly, Shade soon learns of cover-ups and hidden agendas. Given the opportunity to tote the company line or play it honest, Shade is forced to make a decision damning him either way. ‘Under The Bright Lights’ was a decent enough read which hinted at the hallmarks of a Woodrell noir yet focusing on the more procedural aspects of the story.

‘Muscle for the Wing’ offers up more of the same in a sense that the story is part police procedural and part criminal POV. The second of the Shade books did little to highlight the unique family ties of the three professionally distinct brothers and could be read well as a stand alone. This both pleased and annoyed me. I think I would’ve liked to have read this aside from the trilogy – as I read it in this collection I was hoping for more continuity than what Woodrell presented.

'The Ones You Do' encapsulated that heavy character driven story Woodrell is most known for in 'Tomato Red' and 'Winter's Bone' where the emphasis isn't on a crime itself, rather the repercussions and the victim/instigator's reaction directly following. John X. father to the Shade brothers is a girfter always on the look out for a quick score. In returning to Frogtown, he’s not only brought with him his young daughter but that of raging madman hell bent on revenge. What follows is an interesting family dynamic as John X gets reacquainted with his sons while keeping his more nefarious activities completely aside. ‘The Ones You Do’ was the best in the trilogy – definite re-read appeal.

Overall, I was a little disappointed with ‘The Bayou Trilogy’. I was hoping for more country noir than police procedural (re: the first two books) and while ‘The Ones You Do’ redeemed the collection I was left wanting more. The Shade brothers were well written and had the capacity to form a unique story in their own right, I only wish Woodrell had put his talents towards those three accompanied by a plot which infused their respective professions and pitted them against one another. That said, I still enjoyed ‘The Bayou Trilogy’ but I’d be recommending new readers towards Woodrell’s other books prior to picking this one up. 3 stars.

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About Daniel Woodrell

Growing up in Missouri, seventy miles downriver from Hannibal, Mark Twain was handed to me early on, first or second grade, and captivated me for years, and forever, I reckon. Robert Louis Stevenson had his seasons with me just before my teens and I love him yet. There are too many others to mention, I suppose, but feel compelled to bring up Hemingway, James Agee, Flannery O'Connor, John McGahern,...more

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“The old man had been tanned by the light of too many beer signs, and it just goes to show that you can’t live on three packs of Chesterfields and a fifth of bourbon a day without starting to drift far too fuckin’ wide in the turns.” — 1 person liked it

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The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do (Rene Shade #1-3 omnibus)

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