Courtesy of O'Neil De Noux

O’Neil De Noux is not only a university police officer, but also an author. He combined both occupations by writing “The French Detective,” a mystery novel set in the French Quarter during the 20th century.

“The French Detective” is the story of a four-year-old who is kidnapped in the city. During the 1900s, New Orleans was well populated with Sicilian immigrants, most of Irish descent. After hearing of the kidnapping, many Sicilian residents turn to police authorities; a search goes on downtown New Orleans.

Detective Jacques Dugas, the novel’s main character, finds a crowd on the prowl for the child, and soon becomes the head of the quest. While doing so, he must face a variety of characters, including the city’s crime boss and a well-known henchman.

During this time period, New Orleans had become racially divided. After the Jim Crow laws were passed by state legislatures, an African American killed a white policeman. The murder led various riots, killing 28 people. However, African Americans and Caucasians were not the only groups to have racial tension.

“This was not a good time for race relations of any type. The influx of Sicilan and Irish immigrants into the city also led to conflicts. Only 10 years earlier, 11 Italian men had been acquitted of shooting a police chief and were dragged from prison to be hanged. New Orleans had the largest mass lynching in the nation following the shooting,” said De Noux.

De Noux has written 28 other books prior to “The French Detective,” one being “Bourbon Street,” another crime novel set in New Orleans.

His career began after befriending George Alec Effinger, an award winning science fiction writer and John Edward Ames, an accomplished western novelist and mystery writer.

“They both gave me encouragement and advice. George introduced me to the writer who became my mentor, Harlan Ellison. Harlan’s inspiration and guidance helped turn me from a beginner to a dedicated, almost fanatic, writer. The writers I admire most, beyond those guys, are Elmore Leonard and James Sallis,” said De Noux.

Since 2006, he has been an investigator with Southeastern’s police department. Amongst this, he was a sheriff for Jefferson and St. Benard parishes’ offices, private investigator, criminal intelligence analyst and creative writing instructor. 

De Noux has received the Shamus Award in 2007 and was named a Derringer winner in 2009. 

“I write all the time. At home after work, here at Southeastern, weekends and days off. I wrote three novels last year: a police, private eye and a historical novel. I started a new one on Jan. 1 and have written 15 thousand words of an adventure novel,” said De Noux.

De Noux expects his 30th novel to be released in April. It is a police novel featuring a returning character, John Raven Beau from “John Raven Beau.” The previous novel was set in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina had stormed the city.

For more information or to purchase any of De Noux’s novels, search Amazon.com for a full listing of his works.