Tubby meets Mrs. Lostus in his office to gather information about her plight. The storm, already begun, suddenly increases in intensity and power is lost in the building. Tubby and Mrs. Lostus walk down countless flights of stairs only to discover the streets have become rivers, and it will be impossible for Tubby to get his car out of the parking garage. They decide to try and make it to higher ground on foot. Upon leaving the building, they see a boat with several men in it. They try to beg a ride in the boat, but one of the men has a gun and shoots Mrs. Lostus. Almost as a matter of honor, Tubby pledges to track down his client's killer.

In the first few chapters, the author describes the actions of several different groups of people in New Orleans at the beginning of the storm. A trio has just robbed a bank when the storm hits, so they commandeer a boat to replace their get away car. Tubby's daughter is stranded at a friend's party and is trying to get home. A stock broker and a banker are on vacation and in town for Mardi Gras, as is a single woman from Chicago. Inevitably, the paths of all these people cross. Since the reader already knows the identity of the men in the boat, there really is no mystery.

The book, according to Publishers Weekly, is "the best book in the series." I am extremely glad I read the best one because the worst must be truly awful. The story is disjointed. It jumps from the activities of one group of characters to another. Of course, one realizes that probably all these people will meet at some point, but the transitions are very poor. When eventually the characters do come together, it seems too coincidental .

I think the ineptitude of the bank robbers is intended to be humorous. Authors such as Donald Westlake and Lawrence Block have used this theme quite successfully. These characters are pathetic rather than amusing. Westlake's and Block's criminals have some endearing qualities in them, Dunbar's are merely bad guys who aren't very successful at what they do.

The storm is purported to be a major character in this book. It does, of course, provide the reason for the murder, and, though too coincidentally for my taste, the reason for several confrontations. Having lived through several minor floods and the subsequent havoc that is created, I found it hard to believe that the aftermath of this storm, a much bigger display of Mother Nature's wrath, can be dealt with so easily. I would have expected it would take much longer to restore power and clean up debris after the water receded. I guess I should ask assistance from these folks next time disaster hits my area.

The major confrontation in this book involves Tubby's showdown with the bank robbers who murdered his client. He see these fellows for just a few moments in the midst of a torrential rain storm. Yet after the storm he not only just happens to cross their path, but recognizes them as the men in the boat who shot his client. His eyesight must be something to behold.

The biggest problem with Shelter From the Storm is that it really has no plot – no cohesive story. The robbers are having difficulties getting away from the bank, so they steal a boat. A lady gets in their way so they shoot her. The hero gets involved because the victim was his client. Nothing is really resolved in the end. All in all, I could have better spent my time doing something other than reading this book. I read the entire book hoping the story would get much better at the end. It didn't.

--Andy Plonka