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Robicheaux: A Novel
Robicheaux: A Novel
Robicheaux: A Novel
Audiobook13 hours

Robicheaux: A Novel

Written by James Lee Burke

Narrated by Will Patton

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

James Lee Burke’s most beloved character, Dave Robicheaux, returns in this New York Times bestselling mystery set in the towns and backwoods of Louisiana: an “enthralling yet grim novel that…will captivate, start to finish” (Publishers Weekly).

Dave Robicheaux is a haunted man. From the acts he committed in Vietnam, to his battles with alcoholism, to the sudden loss of his beloved wife, Molly, his thoughts drift from one irreconcilable memory to the next. Images of ghosts pepper his reality. Robicheaux’s only beacon remains serving as a detective in New Iberia, Louisiana.

It’s in that capacity that Robicheaux crosses paths with powerful mob boss, Tony Nemo. Tony has a Civil War sword he’d like to give to Levon Broussard, a popular local author whose books have been adapted into major Hollywood films. Then there’s Jimmy Nightengale, the young poster boy of New Orleans wealth and glamour. Jimmy’s fond of Levon’s work, and even fonder of his beautiful, enigmatic wife, Rowena. Tony thinks Jimmy can be a US Senator someday, and has the resources and clout to make it happen. There’s something off about the relationship among these three men, and after a vicious assault, it’s up to Robicheaux to uncover the truth “in the barn-burner of a climax” (Booklist, starred review).

Complicating matters is the sudden death of the New Iberian local responsible for Molly’s death; namely that Robicheaux’s colleague thinks Robicheaux had something to do with it. As Robicheaux works to clear his name and make sense of the murder, a harrowing study of America emerges: this nation’s abiding conflict between a sense of past grandeur and a legacy of shame, its easy seduction by demagogues and wealth, and its predilection for violence and revenge. “It has been almost five years since James Lee Burke’s last Dave Robicheaux novel, and it was absolutely worth the wait” (Associated Press).
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 2, 2018
ISBN9781508244325
Author

James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author, two-time winner of the Edgar Award, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction. He has authored forty novels and two short story collections. He lives in Missoula, Montana.

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Reviews for Robicheaux

Rating: 4.383333457142857 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

210 ratings26 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book. I enjoyed every moment of my drive to work.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think James Lee Burke may be my favorite crime fiction novelist because the plots are complex, engrossing and not clichéd, the characters are believable and interesting and the dialogue and use of language are brilliant. This book had all of the above. I particularly liked that the book did not have a tidy conclusion. It is not necessary to have read any of the author's other books in order to enjoy this one. Dave Robicheaux is a sheriff's detective in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. After a night spent in an alcohol-induced blackout, Dave finds himself implicated in the death of the man who caused the death of Dave's wife 2 years ago in a car crash. However, there is a lot more going on than this crime. There's a senate candidate with a shady past and his cousin/sister/possible lover, a mobster who wants to get into the movie business, a civil war novel, multiple murders, a child with an abusive father, a rape accusation, dirty cops, an avenging angel/hit man and ghosts. I wasn't crazy about the ghosts, but the author is fond of them and has used them before in his writing. "If there is such a thing as wisdom, and I have serious doubts about its presence in my own life, it lies in the acceptance of the human condition and perhaps the knowledge that those who have passed on are still with us, out there in the mist, showing us the way, sometimes uttering a word of caution from the shadows, sometimes visiting us in our sleep, as bright as a candle burning inside a basement that has no windows." While the author creates rounded characters, woven into the book is a critical view of the citizens of Louisiana in general. "Since Huey Long, demagoguery has been a given; misogamy and racism and homophobia have become religious virtues, and self-congratulatory ignorance has become a source of pride." "Louisiana is not a state; it's an outdoor mental asylum in which millions of people stay bombed most of their lives. That's not an exaggeration. Cirrhosis is a family heirloom." "Whenever I hear people talk about white superiority, I have to pause and think back on some of the white people I've known. It's a depressing moment." I received a free copy of the e-book from the publisher, however I alternated between reading it and listening to the audiobook. The narration by Will Patton was excellent as always.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An unusual and for me a new language of storytelling which I found quite good. The actual plot is purely of a coincidental nature and the characters have a very stereotypical deep story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There are very few mystery/crime writers I enjoy reading as much as I do James Lee Burke. I never tire of his beautiful prose, his ability to take the reader into the story, his exceptional detail to each character, and his ability to make this reader lose herself within the story in such a fabulous manner.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I gave up reading James Lee Burke years ago because of the unrelenting depression of his works. I had forgotten how beautiful his writing is. In this installment, Dave find himself squaring off with a hitman who is truly a memorable character.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Definitely a good listen, I could listen to Will Patton’s voice all day, wait, I just did
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Excellent as always.
    JLB has a tendency of being a bit wordy, but I enjoy his introspection, his philosophy, and most of all, his personification of evil—because, indeed, evil is real, tangible. It’s good to be reminded of that.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    James Lee Burke is a master of crime fiction. Dave and Clete, the 2 main characters are flawed, intense and womderfully human. It is sometimes difficult to tell who is the most vile villain in his books. Serial killings and the search for justice take Dave and Clete into the heart of New Orleans. The book did not have a tidy conclusion and the twisted threads of the story made it impossible to predict the outcome. Love that Burke can write about wonderful heartbreaking characters and some complex but loathsome characters with such skill.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Between his recurrent nightmares about Vietnam, his battle with alcoholism, and the sudden loss of his beloved wife, Molly, his thoughts drift from one irreconcilable memory to the next. Images of ghosts at Spanish Lake live on the edge of his vision.During a murder investigation, Dave Robicheaux discovers he may have committed the homicide he’s investigating, one which involved the death of the man who took the life of Dave’s beloved wife. As he works to clear his name and make sense of the murder, Robicheaux encounters a cast of characters and a resurgence of dark social forces that threaten to destroy all of those whom he loves. What emerges is not only a propulsive and thrilling novel, but a harrowing study of America: this nation’s abiding conflict between a sense of past grandeur and a legacy of shame, its easy seduction by demagogues and wealth, and its predilection for violence and revenge. James Lee Burke has returned with one of America’s favorite characters, in his most searing, most prescient novel to date.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    James Lee Burke is a prolific and very highly regarded American author who specialises in crime fiction of which more than twenty books feature Detective Dave Robicheaux and are set in the criminal and poverty-ridden underbelly of Louisiana.In this book Robicheaux and his best friend, private investigator Clete Purcel, have hit rock bottom and risk being overwhelmed by the dark forces of the New Orleans and Louisiana underworld. Robicheaux is accused of murdering the man who killed his wife in a car accident, but has no recollection of the event. He knows that, drunk, he might well have committed the crime. Meanwhile, Clete Purcel goes completely off the rails and a professional hit man arrives in town killing people that may or may not be close to Robicheaux.In this book, perhaps more than in any other, blurs the lines between good and evenly, right and wrong, legal and criminal. Every character presents the worst part of themselves revealing morally degenerate motives. In the end torture, murder, assassination are all just extreme manifestations of the human condition.Burke writes like a dream. The lower his plots go into darkness the more highly literate is his language. His depth of understanding of character, of place and Southern ambience are a marvel. Burke and Elmore Leonard are the best writers about the gothic darkness of society in the world.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Robicheaux. James Lee Burke. 21018, Dave is suffering deeply. His wife was killed in a freak accident by a freak. He is having a tough time dealing with if along with all his other demons he fights from his abusive childhood, Vietnam, and his life as as cop in New Orleans. He falls off the wagon one night and gets so drunk he has no idea memory of what he has done. When he finally revived he is told that the man who killed his wife in the car accident has been murdered. Dave is a suspect. Dave has no idea if he killed the man or not. Clete is around and fighting his own demons and worrying Dave. Alafair come home and gets involved with several unsavory characters so the entire crew is around. Very typical Robicheaux. Lots of violence and lots of really gross people. Maybe I am a little tired of Robicheaux. I’ll still read him, but…
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The title character works on a murder that involves an aspiring politician, a mob boss, and a host of other interesting characters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    loved it. angry Burke at his best. couldn't be more prescient. he either had tarot cards or wrote it in a month. and it doesn't read like he wrote it in a month. he's been paying attention and had seen this all before.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dave Robicheaux, a detective with the Louisiana police force is struggling to maintain his sobriety, is conflicted about his relationships with various dubious figures in society, and is haunted by the death of his wife from a horrific car accident. When JT Bartez, the other driver involved in the accident, is brutally murdered, Robicheaux becomes the chief suspect. Unable to account for his actions on the evening of the crime, due to a stellar ‘falling off the wagon’ incident, Robicheaux must pull himself together and uncover the facts of the case, in order to clear his name. James Lee Burke offers captivating and often beautiful descriptions of the Louisiana countryside (you can almost feel the humidity in the air), and equally magnificent descriptions of the various characters and personalities in the story. High standard, as always, and a great read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dave Robicheaux, James Lee Burke's master creation, is one of the great detectives in modern crime fiction. I was late to the party, just beginning my journey through the 20+ books in the series about a year ago. Finished the first 4 in order, amazed that this rich character was hiding in plain sight right in front of me for all these years, and decided to skip to the end (or at least the most recent) to see how he has aged. Pretty well, I'd say. 'Robicheaux' is a worthy entry into Burke's series.As usual, there's a lot going on in southern Louisiana. Dave is brought into a case in which he may have an extreme conflict of interest in that he may have done the actual killing. He'd gone on a bender (he's an alcoholic whose disease informs every one of his stories) and had an incident, the details of which he can't recall, with the deceased and there's some forensic evidence tying him to the death. In the meantime, other murders are being committed in the area by a strange assassin, a Huey Long/Trump-type figure is in a dispute with a local rich guy, a movie is being made based on a screenplay written by Robicheaux's adopted daughter, local mafioso are making trouble, the women involved with the rich guy and politician are in the mix.... like I said, there's a lot going on. Almost too much, in fact.As with everything else I've read in the series, the writing in Robicheaux is generally superb. Burke's a master of descriptive language and every time he talks about the Louisiana locales it's like a painting in miniature. The only real complaint I have is with the dialogue in this one, which seems to be frozen in the 70s. What seemed to be a quaint look back into law enforcement interactions in his earlier books seems like it's out of place in 'Robicheaux'. I don't know any cops down there and have only been in Louisiana once so I can't say for sure, but I suspect the manner in which they talk has changed a bit over the years. That's it, otherwise the writing is fantastic. The plot is a bit much, though, with the fundamental problem of whether he did or didn't do it resolved almost through a fluke. There's a lot of violence as usual, with the ending being a bit extreme.'Robicheaux' is a good read and a nice fit with the others in the series. I now have about 15 others I need to get back into.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm comparing this one to earlier Burkes, which is a high standard. (Devoted fan.) Always happy to revisit Robicheaux and Purcel, but this one went on too long. Lots of repetition, within the novel and with other Robicheaux books. (Where was his editor?) The most interesting part was the portrait of a rising American dictator who stokes the hatred and racism of his base as an avenue to power. While it's a timely narrative, Burke places it within a Louisiana context with great imagination and skill. And this is his most devastating portrayal of alcoholism.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The action takes place in the Louisiana delta region of the United States. Dave Robicheaux is still haunted by the death of his wife Molly in an automobile accident and has always suspected that JT Bartez was to blame. One morning he awakens up in a police station to be told that he is the chief suspect in the murder of Bartez and given that Robicheaus has marks and bruises on his hands can only lead to one conclusion....So as our knowledgeable detective sets out to reclaim his good name a serial killer with the gentle name of Smiley is at work in the delta region killing whose who deserve to have their life terminated. James Lee Burke writes lyrically about a time and place he obviously knows very well. It is not so much the story that attracts me to his writing but his wonderful descriptions full of warmth and humour..."Those truths have less to do with the dead than the awareness that we are no different from them, that they are still with us and we are still with them, and there is no afterlife but only one life"......"I admired him and perhaps sometimes even envied his combination of composure and ardor, as well as his ability to float above the pettiness that characterizes the greater part of our lives"....."With each day that passed, I felt as though the world I had known was being airbrushed out of a painting"....."She was one of those women who seemed to choose solitude and plainness over beauty, and anger over happiness"...."people are what they do, not what they think, not what they say"....."He's one step away from the worm food and knows it"...."Louisiana is not a state; it's an outdoor mental asylum in which millions of people stay bombed most of their lives"...."Solitude and peace with oneself are probably the only preparation one has for death"....."If you have attended the dying, you know what their last moments are like. They anticipate the separation of themselves from the world of the living before you do, and they accept it with dignity and without complaint"...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dave sees to hav but it may be time to put hime to rere frozen in time though his daugher has grown.He seems the same fighting the same issues. Love this character, his sidekick Clete Purcell and the southern Louisiana that JLB paints but its time to wrap it up.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    For an American story setting that immediately and richly evokes a colorful geographic, cultural, moral, and culinary milieu, it’s hard to beat the hot, humid Cajun country of southern Louisiana. James Lee Burke has made Iberia Parish the primary home for his literary works, and it continues to serve him well. This is his twenty-first novel featuring now semi-retired but perpetually on-call sheriff’s detective Dave Robicheaux. If you’re a fan, you will expect Burke’s newest crime fiction to serve up a gumbo thick with oddball characters, history, philosophy, current crises, people trying to do right, and others not caring to. You won’t be disappointed. From political corruption to an unhinged serial killer. This book has it all.At the outset of the story, most of which is told by Dave in first person, he sees the ghosts of Confederate soldiers marching through the swamp. The scene enables a meditation on mortality, a reexamination of grief over his wife Molly’s death in an automobile crash, and a way to get at truths “that have less to do with the dead than the awareness (that life is) a continuum in which all time occurs at once, like a dream inside the mind of God.” Heavy stuff for a man soon to be facing some nightmarish characters more likely spawned by the devil’s imagination. Burke’s Acadiana is a place where you can believe in such things.About the plot, suffice it to say that it is complex, with perhaps four main threads that Dave must tease apart and reweave into a coherent set of motives and opportunities. An unexpected subplot involves Dave’s daughter Alafair (the name of Burke’s real-life daughter), a mystery writer (again, as in real life). Although the narrative follows Dave Robicheaux through the steps of his investigations, to call this a police procedural would shortchange the essence of the book. It more resembles a philosophical probe of the circumstances in which crimes can occur. An example are two of Burke’s quintessential Louisiana characters, sons of old southern families, who are deeply involved in the story’s events: Jimmy Nightingale and Levon Broussard. Dave notes “an existential difference between the two families. For the Nightingales, manners and morality were interchangeable. For Levon Broussard and his ancestors, honor was a religion, . . . the kind of mind-set associated with a Templar Knight or pilots in the Japanese air force.” Such reflections on the psyches of his characters provide the sense that you’re reading about living, breathing individuals, with all their baggage and capacity for the unexpected.As the mayhem of the story winds down, Dave’s best friend gives his assessment of their situation in south Louisiana: “There’re no safe places anymore. Everyone knows that except you.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Of all of James Lee Burke's novels and characters, Dave Robicheaux is my favourite. The latest, (#21), featuring this iconic character is Robicheaux.Burke takes us back to Louisiana. Now semi-retired as a cop with the New Iberia force, Dave is struggling with the loss of his beloved wife, his battle with alcohol and the ghosts of the past. He loses the battle with the bottle one night, blacking out with no memory of anything the next day. A murder took place that night, one that has ties to his life. He couldn't have done it, could he? He's not sure, despite assurances from his daughter Alafair. And Clete - Dave's former partner and life long friend. There's so much more to the plot - drugs, the mob, bent politicians, an assassin, low life thugs and so much more. Burke's plotting is impeccable. Clete too is in trouble, having made some bad financial decisions, and now finds himself indebted to the mob.But the biggest draw for me is Burke's descriptions and characterizations. His prose are beautiful, bringing time and place vividly to life. The good, the bad and the ugly of his beloved Louisiana. The social commentary woven into his stories are thought provoking. Dave's inner dialogue is raw and real. I love the sense of justice, right and wrong, that Dave and Clete share, even though justice sometimes takes a step over the line the wrong way. The friendship between the two is unbreakable. But I worry as the two grow older. Burke has moved his books along in real time.I chose to listen to Robicheaux. The narrator was Will Patton - and he was fantastic. His voice for Dave Robicheaux was perfect - measured, contemplative and easily evoking his thoughts and view of his world. But he also ramps it up into tightly controlled anger and rage. The voice for Clete is wildly different, but absolutely perfect - quick talking, sharp and caustic. I almost thought it was a completely different reader. The most chilling is the assassin. He speaks with a lisp that is truly terrifying. Again, another completely new tone, cadence and voice. All were clear and easy to understand. I appreciated having such distinct voices for each character. James Lee Burke is a consummate storyteller. Five stars for this latest.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the twenty-first book about Detective Dave Robicheaux but about 30 years have elapsed since the first one came out. I can't remember how old Robicheaux was in the first book but my impression was that he was middle-aged. So now he must be edging into senior citizenry but he is still employed as a detective in the New Iberia Sheriff's Department. He hasn't had an easy life. He served in Vietnam, worked as a street cop and then a homicide detective in New Orleans, battled alcholism and lost three wives. His third wife, Molly, was killed in a motor vehicle accident sometime between the last book, Light of the World, and this one. And yet somehow Robicheaux finds a way to carry on.Molly's death was ruled an accident but Robicheaux blames the driver of the other vehicle at least in part. He can't let this go and one night he starts drinking again and has a blackout. The next morning he learns that the man who caused Molly's death was beaten to death. Dave can't remember what happened after he left the bar and he wonders if he killed the man. Another detective in the department, Spade Labiche, is charged with investigating the murder but Robicheaux thinks Labiche is a dirty cop and doesn't trust him. Meanwhile there are a couple of other murders to investigate which were probably committed by a contract killer called Smiley from Miami. Smiley is still hanging around and Dave thinks there is another target. His daughter, Alafair, is back home working on a film script of a book about the Civil War by a local writer, which is going to be produced by a New Orleans mobster. Dave's friend, Clete Purcel, is on hand as well, getting into trouble but also dispensing his own brand of justice. He befriends a young boy, the son of a criminal, who is going back to live with his father who beat him. Clete keeps an eye on the boy and takes him into his own care when the boy runs away from his father. When the father is found gruesomely murdered in his home Clete is a suspect. But Dave finds evidence to point the finger at the local writer and Clete continues to go his merry way. That is the synopsis to about the middle of the book but there are still more deaths and attempted murders to come. I think JLB paints a brutal picture of Louisiana but he also evokes the beauty on almost every page. That's what keeps me reading and maybe that what keeps Dave Robicheaux carrying on.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    James Lee Burke is one of America's greatest living authors and Robicheaux is one of his best. Pure and simply the man is a national treasure. Much like Stephen King, he doesn't get as much recognition for his talents because of the genre he writes in. Burke's book may be classified as crime novels but the manner in which he explores his central themes - race, violence, privilege, legacy - rival anything written by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Wolfe, or Faulkner. It is Faulkner that I would most compare him to.Robicheaux is the latest in his series of books featuring police officer Dave Robicheaux. Dave is a Vietnam vet, former New Orleans detective, and recovering alchoholic that now resides in New Iberia and works for the sheriffs department. This installment opens with him mourning the recent loss of his wife in a drunk driving accident. Mobsters, authors, politicians, and movie moguls all collide to complicate Dave's life. The crime is always secondary and usually serves as vehicle to examine how culture, race, and status collide to shape the person we are. This is one of the stronger entries in the series and should satisfy both long time readers and those new to Burke's writing which is simply gorgeous. His manipulation of language will quickly have you entranced.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent piece of writing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In Robicheaux, James Lee Burke takes you deep inside a Louisiana filled with murder, corruption and mystery. Dave Robicheaux is a cop in New Iberia, but when the man who killed his wife in a car accident is murdered, Dave isn’t sure if he’s responsible because he had fallen off the wagon and was blackout drunk. Along with his best friend, private investigator Clete Purcell, he tries to find out the truth of what happened. Clete has a gambling problem that threatens to take away his livelihood when New Orleans mobster Fat Tony Nemo buys his debt.Slick politician Jimmy Nightingale seeks Dave’s help for an introduction to oddball novelist Levon Broussard in order to make a film out of his civil war novel. Instead, Jimmy winds up accused of raping Broussard’s wife Rowena and Dave is assigned to investigate. Meanwhile, a chilling killer for hire named “Smiley” shows up and starts taking players off the board. It’s up to Dave and Clete to unravel things and try to find some sort of justice. Figuring out what that justice might be is the hardest part.Burke writes amazing characters. Robicheaux and Purcell have tortured pasts but work hard to maintain their moral compasses. Events have a way of challenging those beliefs when the greater good isn’t always easy to discern. Burke surrounds these two with oddball and eccentric characters that range from inspiring to corrupt and evil. Each one is complicated and multi-faceted. Bodies continue to pile up, but Robicheaux doggedly moves forward, shining the light as brightly on his own possible actions as on those of anyone else. Robicheaux is an excellent novel that holds your attention from start to finish. Burke provides enough background that new readers can feel free to jump in without having read previous books. I have a feeling this book will be on some ‘best of 2018’ lists at the end of the year. Highly recommended!I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When the murderer of his wife is killed, Dave Robicheaux is a possible suspect. Trouble is, he fell off the wagon that night and can’t remember what he did and he can’t be sure he isn’t guilty. But he isn’t the only suspect and he and best friend, Clete, are determined to find the truth regardless of what it means for DaveRobicheaux is author James Lee Burke’s twenty-first novel and, as always, he gives us one hell of a story. Burke is a master of the literary thriller – stories that are as smart as they are, well, thrilling. Perhaps this is because his books are just as character- as plot-driven and the characters are always complex and believable individuals. In this case, there is a huge cast including a mobster who wants to make a movie, an opportunistic politician, producers, unhappy wives, writers including Dave’s (and clearly based on Burke’s own) daughter, Alafair as well as a contract killer who loves children and is more than willing to kill anyone he suspects of abusing them. Despite the large cast, there are no real saints or sinners here – just shades of grey. Burke is also never afraid to deal with both topical and controversial subjects – white supremacy, racism, bigotry, and misogeny, the divide between rich and poor, political manipulation, and child abuse and he always manages to do it with sensitivity and thoughtfulness. And as in most of his novels, Louisiana is both setting and character with its heat, its prejudices, its ties to its past which it cannot or will not wilingly give up, its crimes, passions, and uniqueness.Burke is considered one of, if not the most important living writer in the United States and for good reason. His prose is almost lyrical, his plots and characters are complex and interesting, the pace is neither too fast nor too slow to keep the reader engaged and his stories are intelligent, never condescending, never question the reader’s intelligence or ability to follow where it leads. Another great read from the master. Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Nobody does it better. James Lee Burke is a natural born storyteller. His words seem to flow effortlessly, meaningfully. His characters are original, multifaceted, complex, and at times it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad. The bad, often have some good in them. In this story there is a killer, a cleaner as he is called, hands out ice cream to underprivileged children. Has a great love, and not in the sexual sense, for the young, and despises those who mistreat them. The good, not all good, some bent cops, others who installed their own form of justice.It is so nice to one again return to the lives of Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel. Dave, who recently had a tragedy in his personal life, who is fighting his old demon alcohol. Clete, just breaks my heart, cannot separate himself from the past, thinks he is worthless but will do anything to protect a young boy. Burke even writes his own daughter into the mix, Alafair Burke, a wonderful novelist in her own right, making her Dave's daughter. Many things are at play in this story, all the bad guys are at play, people are being killed but who is at the top, ordering the kills?Louisiana is also a character, the heat, humidity, alligators, varied people, the bayous, and the past, ever present. People firmly rooted in a place, the past, and can't seem to find their place. The bars, the Hangouts and the ever present crime, drugs and alcohol. All this blends together to keep the story moving along and make it impossible to look away.I would seriously read anything this man writes. Utterly fantastic.ARC from Edelweiss.