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kolyejar's review against another edition
4.0
James Lee Burke is always wonderful! This story rambles a bit, but not always in bad ways.
nonna7's review
5.0
"Hello darkness, my old friend" should be Dave Robicheaux's theme song. But Jolie Blon would probably be a better fit. The book opens with Dave struggling to stay sober after the loss of his wife, Molly, who was t-boned by a driver who might have been impaired.
When he goes off the wagon and blacks out, the driver, Daltez, is found brutally murdered. Dave can't be sure he didn't commit the murder in a rage. A police officer who Dave is convinced is dirty is in charge of the investigation.
As he works to clear his name he comes in contact with a succession of characters and people who range from the ridiculous to the sublime to the most incredibly evil people you will ever meet.
The book is less about the murders, though, than it is about this country. One of the characters in the novel is a populist with echoes of Huey Long and Donald Trump.
The inside cover says it better than I could: "What emerges is not only a propulsive and thrilling noel 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 it's predilection for violence and revenge."
I couldn't summarize it better if I tried. His next novel is coming out. It will be interesting to see if one of the characters, Smiley, makes a return run.
When he goes off the wagon and blacks out, the driver, Daltez, is found brutally murdered. Dave can't be sure he didn't commit the murder in a rage. A police officer who Dave is convinced is dirty is in charge of the investigation.
As he works to clear his name he comes in contact with a succession of characters and people who range from the ridiculous to the sublime to the most incredibly evil people you will ever meet.
The book is less about the murders, though, than it is about this country. One of the characters in the novel is a populist with echoes of Huey Long and Donald Trump.
The inside cover says it better than I could: "What emerges is not only a propulsive and thrilling noel 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 it's predilection for violence and revenge."
I couldn't summarize it better if I tried. His next novel is coming out. It will be interesting to see if one of the characters, Smiley, makes a return run.
kellilee's review against another edition
4.0
I read the first 5 Dave Robicheaux books and then took a break. These books are probably not meant to be read one after another or maybe that was just my experience. But time has passed and picking up book 21 in the series was like spending time with an old friend. We pretty much picked up right where we left off. A few things have happened in Robicheaux's personal life that caught me off guard but many of the players were familiar: Clete Purcel, Alafair, Tripod. I only spent 4 years in the mystical state of Louisiana as a student at LSU, but it holds a big fat place in my heart and James Lee Burke makes Louisiana a character in every one of his books - swamps and alligators and shrimp étouffée and Cajun accents. Divine.
eleellis's review against another edition
5.0
I have to admit - when it comes to James Lee Burke, I am biased. He is one of my favorite authors and his new novel Robicheaux was not a disappointment.
HIs writing is so visually descriptive and as colorful as a painter's palette When reading Robicheaux, you can hear the dead leaves blowing in the wind and across the ground, smell the particulates carried by rain and taste the salt blown into the air.
Burke's characters are three dimensional and complex and often times, Burke purposely leaves the full meaning of their spoken words somewhat ambiguous, forcing the reader to develop his or her own interpretation of their full meaning.
Characters from all walks of life - the mob, religion, politics, the sewer and upper society - are thrown in, often with murky motives and often not what they seem or purport to be.
How to describe the plot? In one way, it's difficult and that is part of the appeal of Robicheaux. The story starts when a dying mobster asks Dave Robicheaux to return a family heirloom, Confederate sword to a man of status in hopes of entering into a film-making venture with the man.
From here, an odd assortment of characters start to emerge and then people start dying. The villains in this novel include corrupt law enforcement officers, people of means and a deadly, enigmatic hitman named "Smiley."
As the story unfolds, the many plot lines start to merge leading the reader to a satisfying ending.
Burke brings along Robicheaux's daughter Alafair, close friend Cletus Purcel and Sheriff Helen Soileau for the ride. When needed, he also provides nuggets of backstory from previous novels so that the reader can easily remember past events.
Burke's writing is also sprinkled woven in historical facts and mysteries of the Southern past that adds additional layers to the complexity of the Robicheaux character's life. As in past novels, Robicheaux is in a constant battle with his violent ways and horrifically, destructive alcoholism.
HIs writing is so visually descriptive and as colorful as a painter's palette When reading Robicheaux, you can hear the dead leaves blowing in the wind and across the ground, smell the particulates carried by rain and taste the salt blown into the air.
Burke's characters are three dimensional and complex and often times, Burke purposely leaves the full meaning of their spoken words somewhat ambiguous, forcing the reader to develop his or her own interpretation of their full meaning.
Characters from all walks of life - the mob, religion, politics, the sewer and upper society - are thrown in, often with murky motives and often not what they seem or purport to be.
How to describe the plot? In one way, it's difficult and that is part of the appeal of Robicheaux. The story starts when a dying mobster asks Dave Robicheaux to return a family heirloom, Confederate sword to a man of status in hopes of entering into a film-making venture with the man.
From here, an odd assortment of characters start to emerge and then people start dying. The villains in this novel include corrupt law enforcement officers, people of means and a deadly, enigmatic hitman named "Smiley."
As the story unfolds, the many plot lines start to merge leading the reader to a satisfying ending.
Burke brings along Robicheaux's daughter Alafair, close friend Cletus Purcel and Sheriff Helen Soileau for the ride. When needed, he also provides nuggets of backstory from previous novels so that the reader can easily remember past events.
Burke's writing is also sprinkled woven in historical facts and mysteries of the Southern past that adds additional layers to the complexity of the Robicheaux character's life. As in past novels, Robicheaux is in a constant battle with his violent ways and horrifically, destructive alcoholism.
cusackfan98's review against another edition
4.0
I always drop everything I'm reading to pick up the latest James Lee Burke. The writing is compelling, moving you quickly to the end. Burke's description of the people and physical surroundings of New Orleans is so vivid and idyllic (his small town of New Iberia); makes me want to visit again. But he also doesn't shy away from exposing the seedier side of "The Big Sleazy" as he likes to call it: Post Katrina, mobs/gangsters, poor tenements. I always listen to the audio version so I can here the french words/accents and Will Patton has been narrating these for a number of years. Robicheaux is a troubled man: memories of Viet Nam, working the program in AA, losing his wife, visions of "the boys in Butternut" (Civil War soldiers) marching through the bayou, aging and facing his own mortality. I would give this a 5 but I felt the ending wrapped up to quickly and fell apart. I wanted to hear more about Homer, Emmeline, Smiley, and Alifair's movie project. Otherwise, a very satisfying read.
kiwi_fruit's review against another edition
3.0
My second book by Burke and my first book in this popular series. As for [b:House of the Rising Sun|25205414|House of the Rising Sun (Hackberry Holland, #4)|James Lee Burke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433449565s/25205414.jpg|43082570] that I read prior, I liked the writing style that evokes a strong sense of place but I was confused by the slow-to-develop complex story and the many characters (probably because is seldom a good idea to start in the middle of the series). This book gave me a taste of Dave Robicheaux and I liked the character enough that I might go back at the beginning of the series or maybe leave it at that, because, even if the language was poetic, I found it a bit pretentious.
smartipants8's review
4.0
Interesting to watch James Lee Burke's take on a populist white supremacist rising through the political ranks.
brenda2's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it!!!! His writing is so beautiful. The descriptions of New Orleans and the surrounding areas are so on point.