Outside Child

By Alice Wilson-Fried

Book Overview

Pre-Katrina New Orleans: Ladonis Washington finds success within her grasp after the grisly death of her business mentor. But will she risk her brother's life in her search for the truth?In OUTSIDE... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977208125
• ISBN13: 9780977208128
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: KOMENAR Publishing
• Length: 305 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

New Orleans Style Murder is Tension Filled Thriller

Outside Child, by Alice Wilson-Fried is a marvelous masterpiece of murder and mayhem on the Mississippi. Ladonis Washington wants nothing more than to make it to the top of her career. She will do just about anything to get there. She is tough, hardworking and dedicated. She works for the Floating Palace Steamboat Company in public relations. One day her friend and mentor Tim is reported missing, presumed dead. She is put in charge of keeping a lid on publicity. Her assignment quickly places her in the midst of the mysterious investigation into his death. When his body is found it is determined he was murdered. Ladonis spends her time searching for answers to Tim's death, although through it all has an epiphany of her own that impacts her own outlook on life. This is a debut novel by a storyteller with a natural gift for capturing the southern dialect and conversational speech from both ends of New Orleans' society. At times her characters' conversations touch your emotions like a symphony that plays to the depth of your soul. It can be sharp, quick, witty, laughable, attacking and often deadly. The characters are memorable, so much so that it could easily be adapted to a screenplay or live theater. Each character is shaped by their speech and the role they play or the nickname they're called by. How can you forget Laundry Man, Preacher Man, HeartTrouble, L'il Boy, JockStrap and Big Blake? My favorite scene from the book is when Ladonis visits her mother. Her mom is complaining because Ladonis doesn't visit often and says to her, "You don't miss the water till the well is dry." Now who can't relate to this remorse ridden remark? I immediately felt guilty for women all over the world. The words are priceless. Ladonis on the other hand has nicknames for her mother's three personalities and decides that this day she is Martyr Theresa. On other days she may call her Sick Puppy or Pissed Off. This situation is so real, images of a time ticking by come to mind. Ladonis is too young to get that yet. It's a mother daughter thing. You love your mom, yet she drives you crazy. This conversation touches my heart and I felt the writer is very honest in her portrayal of their relationship. She makes you think about how precious the time you spend with your mom is and she captures the moment here beautifully. Wilson-Fried, who grew up in the Magnolia Housing Projects, tackles the racism and social aspects of New Orleans. She shows how the marginal members of society, blacks, women and gays are still the city's outside children. To break into the New Orleans' white male dominated business and political arena there are challenges and tough choices needed to succeed with the endurance of a marathon runner. This is a theme that does not overpower the story but is the story. The mystery is a bonus, a wonderful who-done-it. Anxiety ridden moments of anticipation will make you read on. You will hang on a limb at the end of each chapter. Don't miss reading this pr

Old New Orleans--A New Look

Alice Wilson-Fried's mystery novel, "Outside Child," introduces readers unfamiliar with pre-Katrina New Orleans to a society where people can either transcend the social law of gravity in order to rise or must struggle against the social law of gravity in order not to fall. Through the eyes of Ladonis Washington, readers see what Ladonis sees and rejoice or cringe with her as she makes her way through the menace and puzzle of the corporate jungle. This mystery reveals the dilemma of a young woman who, on her way up, tries hard not to lose her way. Her self-imposed demand to solve a status-changing murder tests her resolve, her convictions, and the values she holds dear. And throughout the novel, steadfast, moves the leitmotif of the great river and the paddleboats that ply the waters of the Great Mississippi.

Outside Child A real story of New Orleans

OUTSIDE CHILD is a remarkable book in that while ostensibly a "mystery story",it really is a novel about New Orleans and the folk who have lived and worked there. It is an encomium of how class,gender,race and kin, combine to provide an understanding of the glory,pride and family values of those who created New Orleans,while having to surmount the history of the repression of both class and white supremacy. The people in the book are ttreated with an understanding and respect that is reminiscent of John Oliver Killens' "YOUNGBLOOD". I can think of no higher praise.

Great Mystery

Outside Child is a wonderful mystery set in pre-Katrina New Orleans, by first-time novelist Alice Wilson-Fried. The characters, setting, and story are interesting and completely believable. The author has a strong voice and knows her subject well. In New Orleans, the term "outside child" describes one born to a married man and unmarried woman, disowned by the father. It metaphorically extends to any outsider. The title refers literally to a particular character's role in the plot, while also describing all of the characters at once, perhaps the author herself, and even (as we know following Katrina) the city of New Orleans and its inhabitants. The characters (with nicknames like Redboy, Honey Man, L'il Wolf, and HeartTrouble) are interesting and realistic. The brief words of advice from Grandma Lucille which pepper the story with juicy, down-home, and dead-on wisdom make the reader wish for a Grandma Lucille of one's own. The main character and her role in unraveling the mystery are realistic and believable, unlike many other current female (and male) mystery protagonists. Her brother, HeartTrouble, is a brilliant depiction of the conflict inherent in making one's way in a non-accepting world. The author knows her subject, the Louisiana riverboats, New Orleans politics, and the city's business world, well. This reviewer most appreciated the frequent and completely natural references to the remnants of history, from jazz to slavery, that dot the New Orleans and riverboat landscape. The author's style is easy, crisp, and flowing. The denouement and solution to the mystery might have been a bit tighter, but this reviewer finds that limitation in virtually every mystery around, so this first-time mystery novelist can hardly be faulted for a general feature of the genre. The only other limitation is that I enjoyed the color and setting so much that I wished for more--more smells, more music, more everything. The upcoming sequel, with the same core characters, is reported to be about Katrina, which the author's family suffered and survived. This reader awaits that sequel eagerly.