Jack Caffery
crime thriller
Series · mystery
Talba Wallis
The Talba Wallis series by Julie Smith has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Louisiana Hotshot (2001).
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2001
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: Louisiana Hotshot (2001) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Louisiana Hotshot
Louisiana Hotshot is the novel that opens Talba Wallis, Julie Smith's series, first published in 2001. It's the natural place to begin, in a series that runs to 4 books in this catalogue and continues here with Louisiana Bigshot.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Louisiana Hotshot - Book 2:
Louisiana Bigshot
Louisiana Bigshot is the 2nd book in Talba Wallis by Julie Smith, published in 2002 at 320 pages. In the reading order it follows Louisiana Hotshot and precedes Louisiana Lament.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Louisiana Bigshot - Book 3:
Louisiana Lament
Louisiana Lament is the 3rd book in Talba Wallis by Julie Smith, published in 2004 at 301 pages. It follows Louisiana Bigshot and precedes P.I. on a Hot Tin Roof in this catalogue's reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Louisiana Lament - Book 4:
P.I. on a Hot Tin Roof
P.I. on a Hot Tin Roof is the 4th book in Talba Wallis by Julie Smith, published in 2005. It follows Louisiana Lament in this catalogue's reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of P.I. on a Hot Tin Roof
About the Talba Wallis series
Talba Wallis is a New Orleans poet -- performing under the name Baroness de Pontalba -- who becomes a licensed private investigator working for the Eddie Valentino agency across four novels by Julie Smith, spun off from Talba's supporting-character debut in the Skip Langdon novel 82 Desire (1998). Louisiana Hotshot (2001) opens the series proper with Talba newly hired at Eddie's agency and immediately dropped into a case blending her old life in poetry and activism with new investigative work; Louisiana Bigshot (2002) and Louisiana Lament (2004) keep her working New Orleans cases that draw on the city's Black community, arts scene and class divides in ways Smith's Skip Langdon books -- narrated from a white, old-money perspective -- don't reach. Smith, a former newspaper reporter, gives Talba the same journalist's eye for institutional and neighborhood detail that defines the Skip Langdon series, but filtered through a distinctly different character and social vantage point. The series closed with P.I. on a Hot Tin Roof (2005), its fourth and final entry, after which Smith returned her attention to Skip Langdon and other projects rather than continuing Talba's own series further.
Frequently asked questions
How many Talba Wallis books are there?
Four: Louisiana Hotshot (2001), Louisiana Bigshot (2002), Louisiana Lament (2004) and P.I. on a Hot Tin Roof (2005).
Who is Talba Wallis?
A New Orleans poet turned private investigator, first introduced as a supporting character in Julie Smith's Skip Langdon novel 82 Desire (1998) before headlining her own four-book series.
Do I need to read Skip Langdon before Talba Wallis?
No -- though Talba first appears in the Skip Langdon novel 82 Desire, her own series stands on its own.
What order should I read the Talba Wallis books in?
Publication order, starting with Louisiana Hotshot.
Is the Talba Wallis series finished?
Yes -- it ran four books between 2001 and 2005 and Smith has not continued it since.
If you like the Talba Wallis series
Reading order last verified .