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

I got this as an audiobook to listen to on my walks. I loved the stories, I loved the author's voice and Bronson Pinchot's reading (talk about a whiskey and cigarette voice). Stories of good men with bad proclivities and bad men with sometimes holding back on their worst proclivities, and the women who put up with them. I upped my miles so I could keep listening.

The Bayou Trilogy - comprised of the books Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do - represents some of the earliest efforts by author Daniel Woodrell, who came to my attention after penning the superb Winter's Bone. There's no denying that these are earlier works; they lack some of the polish and flair of Woodrell's later craft, and while they share a lot of traits - both books are Southern noir, and both wear their influences on their sleeve - The Bayou Trilogy lacks the emotional wallop and stark environment of Winter's Bone. But the biggest question is not how The Bayou Trilogy compares to Woodrell's later work; the question really should be, do they work on their own terms? Generally, the answer is yes, although each successive book is an improvement over the one before it. Under the Bright Lights is the simplest tale, orbiting around a local politician who gets murdered and the cover-up that results. It's a solid police tale, but even here, you can tell that Woodrell's passion is in the side trails and the world he's created; here, though, he steadfastly sticks to the plot, and while it's engaging enough, it feels like an assured debut, but not a great one. Muscle for the Wing is a bit looser in its plotting - here, the tale is about a gang of robbers who anger some very powerful men and kill a policeman, and end up bringing down hell as the police align with the town's criminal element to dispense justice. Woodrell gets more leeway in his storytelling here, and his already murky moral lines become fascinatingly gray and flexible and the story spins out of control. Again, the "story" part of the book is probably the least interesting element (though, again, it's perfectly fine and gripping enough); what works best, though, is the character development, the way Woodrell explores the pasts of these men as a way of illuminating their presents. But it's The Ones You Do that finds Woodrell really hitting his stride. The plot here is the simplest yet, involving a long-absent patriarch who's on the run from an angry criminal, but the simple story allows Woodrell to focus on the emotional beats of all of his characters, and to follow them wherever the tale leads them. Sometimes that's into long detours, such as an encounter with a country couple that turns deadly; other times, it's a late-night encounter that ends up telling us far more than we expected about one character's past. But it ends up being the most satisfying of all of the books, and that's largely because Woodrell seems to feel more willing to follow his muse wherever it leads him. It's left me eager to see how Woodrell filled in the years between these books and Winter's Bone - given how The Ones You Do finds him writing, I have a feeling I'll be more than satisfied with whatever I read.

Having started with Winter's Bone and quickly devouring his other novels, I downloaded this one. For sure, a different feel.......kind of the Mickey Spillane gumshoe feel, which is not really my favorite genre, but true to form, you are quickly sucked in and come out the other side having been taken away for a great ride.In this trilogy, I liked the first part least, and though all are related, felt that this one was a bit disjointed from the other two. But parts 2 and 3 are pure gold, and more because of the tawdry aspects and we leave the "city" streets for some back water back drops.I love everything this man has written and hope there is much more to come.

In a town of law and order managed by the sycophants that work for the old moneyed mayor, the exception to the rule is acting human with a dead-on morale compass as guide in the planning and completion of job assignments. The Shade family has much to overcome, especially considering how each came into existence and how they had survived up until that point where they take the stage, either center, or in a supported role in solving the immediate problems; and subsequent additional helpings. Substance versus poor leadership and the hidden agenda of the dumb and evil.

Three books in one, and you wish there were more, the characters become family(strange family but family) and you get involved really fast. You keep hoping that some good will come to them, it does but not they way you expected, and sometimes not at all. Daniel Woodrell needs to write more of these, come on. I need more. The suspense is intense and well thought out, really well written and as I said "more Please"

composed of three novels, the first to warm up and get to know the Shade family.Thereafter it is bliss on earth in terms of conveying the southern swamps and its people and way of life.Good stories, very well fleshed out characters.A great collection for southern U.S. fans.

Fun mysteries all taking place in corrupt southern river town. Kind of about one police detective operating in a corrupt system where there are some things he won't do and some things he will do. Not who-done-its. Interesting characters. Well written. Better than Dave Robiechaux but some similarities with much less pontificating.

Excellent author

A Bayou Phillip Marlowe? Not quite, but enough snappy one-liners to keep the plots (much less complicated than a Marlowe) rolling nicely along.Evocative atmosphere evoked, along with a repertory cast of local characters just this side of caricature. But there's also real insight and a skilful use of language. Situations, people and their motivations sharply observed. Roll on the Netflix adaptation.

I managed to get through the second story, but it was touch and go. The incessant wise cracking of practically every character needed to be toned down a little for my taste. It only served to distance the storyline from any sort of relatable reality; can't anyone just convey something without trying to be cute about it?

The best book I’ve read this year so far, and a great introduction to this author’s work. Gritty, great stories and dialogue which crackles off the page as you read the book.Flawed heroes, outlandish characters, fantastic atmosphere, all you’d expect from Southern Noir. I think it was recommended because I’d read The Devil All the Time, but it also occupies the same territory as James Lee Burke and John Connolly’s Every Dead Thing.

Good condition, good book

Grim and gripping! If you enjoyed 'Winter's Bone', you will find this book unputdownable.