A richly textured, deeply atmospheric, and engaging novel set in a small Louisiana town in the 1950s, The Cajuns tells a captivating tale of love, life, death, and intrigue in a wonderfully bizarre yet corrupt culture.

In his remarkably moving novel, Louisiana native Gus Weill presents an affectionate yet unstinting look at Cajun culture in the small town of Richelieu -- a world in which the mix of promiscuity, ribald humor, extreme violence, and devout Catholicism is a way of life.

Bobby Boudreaux is the sheriff of Richelieu, where the only laws people respect are those that dictate how much pepper goes into the stew and, of course, the edicts of the Catholic Church. It was not a job Bobby wanted -- in fact, once out of school, his dream had been to escape into the larger world as fast as he possibly could. But life -- and a strong-willed father -- got in the way.

On most days being parish sheriff is not that demanding. Yes, laws get broken, but no one else seems to mind, so why should he? Thus, when Ti Boy Brouliette, an altar boy and an all-around good kid, dies in a mysterious gun accident, Bobby's only official action is to join the townsfolk who congregate at the home of the family, offering comfort to the grieving parents. What he doesn't realize, though, is that his life -- and that of everyone in Richelieu -- is about to change forever.

Gus Weill is a novelist, playwright, poet and biographer. For twenty-two years he has hosted Louisiana's public broadcasting show ("Louisiana Legends"). He is a graduate of Louisiana State University and served as a Counter Intelligence Agent in Germany. He has taught at LSU and served two terms on the J. Williams Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. He served as Executive Secretary to Governor John J. McKeithen and is the author of You Are My Sunshine, the biography of former LA Governor Jimmie Davis. Weill resides in New York City near his son Gus and his grandson Gus Solomon Weill.

ISBN: 9781416568087

Paperback

304 pages

6 x 9

Simon & Schuster, 2007