Shake the Devil Off

A True Story of the Murder That Rocked New Orleans

By: Ethan Brown

Narrated by: James Avery

From the war in Iraq to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this nonfiction account presents a stirring condemnation of America' s failure to adequately address PTSD among its soldiers.

After years of military service—including a harrowing stint in Iraq—Zackery Bowen returned to New Orleans to tend bar and deliver groceries. In the weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit, he met Addie Hall, a pretty and high-spirited bartender. Their improvised, hard-partying during and after the storm represented what so many want to believe is the indomitable spirit of New Orleans. But in October 2006, Bowen leaped from the rooftop bar of a French Quarter hotel. A note in his pocket directed the police to the body of Addie—and to one of the most gruesome crimes in New Orleans' history. How had this popular, handsome father of two done this horrible thing?

In Shake the Devil Off, Ethan Brown presents a haunting depiction of a town still reeling from natural and political disaster. Brown overlays this with the graphic story of what happened to Zackery Bowen, leading to themes that are still getting front-page attention— the brutality of war, and the failure of government to deal with PTSD and suicide among returning veterans.

©2009 Ethan Brown (P)2009 Phoenix Books, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Heartbreaking." (Publishers Weekly)

"Brown creates a riveting portrait of a gruesome crime while detailing the heart of a city in distress. A grim...story delivered with skill and verve." (Kirkus Reviews)

Very Good Book

Great book. Very detailed, and well written. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the full story of Zack Bowen and Addie Hall.

Narrator Did Not Do His Homework

The story is fascinating. The organization is clunky and overridden with character development. The narrator could not have mispronounced more New Orleans street, city, and landmark names if he tried. Not even close! Brah, if you don't know the word do some homework!

Humanity.

Painstakingly well-balanced and expertly chronicled. An illuminating and gripping listen, and one of my personal favorites.

Not really interesting

The whole story is told in the introduction, and the details of the book don't really add much of interest. The reader reads with too much expression, as though he's reading to children, or giving a sermon. At the end are three hours of the story of New Orleans, but I'm not going to listen to all of it. Enough already.

Narration awful at times

The story is good. This is the second book of Brown's I have listened to and am impressed with the amount of research he does. That said, it was painful to listen to Avery BUTCHER the pronunciation of so many of the streets and places in New Orleans. Why did the author not have the opportunity to ask for corrections to be made, or have a New Orleanian narrate? So. Many. Mispronunciations.