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Page Modified: February 13, 2008

 

 

The White League by Thomas Zigal

· Description:

Blackmail, a secret organization hiding within the elite society of New Orleans, a white supremacist running for governor of Louisiana; these are the key ingredients in this fine Southern crawfish boil of a novel about guilt, privilege and racism in one of America's most exotic cities.

Coffee magnate Paul Blanchard's comfortable world is turned upside down when his old fraternity brother, Mark Morvant, threatens to expose the secret that Paul has been harboring for twenty years unless he bankrolls Morvant's bid for governor. More importantly, Morvant also demands that Paul secure the financial and political backing of a clandestine organization called The White League, a group that he maintains is the real power in New Orleans, and has been for more than a century. Despite Paul's avowed belief that the group no longer exists, he is given just three weeks to bring the League on board the campaign, or Morvant will destroy him.

Blanchard’s desperate pursuit of the truth uncovers family secrets, historical intrigue, and the underworld machinations of a dangerous group that has no qualms about resorting to murder to maintain its power. As his well-ordered world begins to collapse around him, Paul struggles with the moral consequences of his own past. Now it is up to him to placate Morvant, outsmart The White League, and save his family, his reputation, and ultimately, his life.

· Review Quotes/Appeal Factors:

"Thomas Zigal's new novel, The White League, is a remarkable achievement, a compelling narrative that weaves a number of stories into a rich, complex tapestry that reveals the dark, fuming underbelly of New Orleans -- from rich people to poor folks, from black to white, and the corrupt politicians surfing on the anger and despair. All of the characters are crisply drawn, all the stories resolved by the terrific ending. This is a marvelous read."

-- James Crumley, author of The Wrong Case


· What is it about this book that would appeal to a reader?

Readers will like the secret organization uncovered, the historical accuracy of Reconstruction-era New Orleans and contemporary New Orleans, the page turning suspense, the discussion of racism at the end of the 20th century.

· What other books are like it?

I'ts like All the King's Men meets The Pelican Brief.

· What does this work have in common with other works in the same genre?

It's an entertaining page-turner.

· How is this work different from other works in the same genre?

The writing, sentence for sentence, is richer and more elegant.

· What would you like readers to know about you/your work?

I spent four years researching and writing The White League.

· What’s next, what can readers look forward to in the future?

Another well-researched page-turner in which I investigate a serious subject and give it life through fiction.

· Suggested reading (viewing, listening) - what have you liked, disliked recently?

I loved Last Mountain Dancer by Chuck Kinder, Never the Same Again by Jesse Sublett, and Chronicles by Bob Dylan.

·Links: www.thomaszigal.com http://www.tobypress.com/books/whiteleague.htm

 

·Overbooked Suggested Reading: New Orleans Stars

 

Bibliographic Citation

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