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bfpierce's review against another edition
5.0
Each JLB book gets better and better, this one is no exception.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
I like this series on audio because of the language, atmosphere, and characters but find that the plotting can be hit or miss and this book was a bit of a miss. Nevertheless, any time spent with Dave and Clete, especially when Mark Hammer does the narration, is enjoyable.
greenblack's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
dave37's review against another edition
3.0
Storyline veers too much into politics (and south Louisiana politics at that) for my taste. My stomach for murder is a lot stronger than it is for politics. Solid, but not my favorite from this series.
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
3.0
Much better than the precious installment. Glad that it wasn´ t Bootsie or Alafair who were emperiled this time, but I feel bad for Batist. What I would really like is to follow a case with Dave that isn´t tied to mobsters--just to see how he acts when his life isn´t in danger, to see him be as good a detective as everyone seems to think he is. Beginning to wonder if there are any women in Louisiana that aren´t whores--rich or poor, most women can´t seem to not sleep around unless they are a lesbian (Helen) or his long-suffering wife, Bootsie.
sharpness's review against another edition
2.0
Though a good enough read to finish, the characters and story are weak and unmemorable from the beginning. Who was the main character again? And, what made him special? As pathetic as the antagonists are, their ends are still exceptionally unsatisfying.
The style is entertaining, but the language is sometimes very awkward and lost. Before this read I'd never before seen or heard genitalia referred to as "my sex" or "her sex" or "his sex"; if it's that hard to write "penis", "dick", "vagina", or "pussy", perhaps one should resort to the timeless art of innuendo instead. The most endearing quality of this piece was the phonetic presentation of the local accents. Even if they look confusing when written, spoken aloud they provide the atmosphere their typographical form never could. Yes, it's okay to read things aloud to yourself.
I understand that this book is one of a series, and maybe its brethren make up for this volume's shortcomings, but I'll never know. I'd probably only pick one of them up if I was serving time, or trapped in an airport bookstore where all of the children's books are gone.
The style is entertaining, but the language is sometimes very awkward and lost. Before this read I'd never before seen or heard genitalia referred to as "my sex" or "her sex" or "his sex"; if it's that hard to write "penis", "dick", "vagina", or "pussy", perhaps one should resort to the timeless art of innuendo instead. The most endearing quality of this piece was the phonetic presentation of the local accents. Even if they look confusing when written, spoken aloud they provide the atmosphere their typographical form never could. Yes, it's okay to read things aloud to yourself.
I understand that this book is one of a series, and maybe its brethren make up for this volume's shortcomings, but I'll never know. I'd probably only pick one of them up if I was serving time, or trapped in an airport bookstore where all of the children's books are gone.
andrew61's review against another edition
3.0
9th in the series, and the storytelling is as always excellent as Dave is called upon to look at what may be a miscarriage of justice however the perpetrator is an ex clansman who killed a naacp worker.
Add to this a husband and wife combo, the husband standing as governor while the wife , an ex lover of dave, are both incredibly manipulative.
The story quickly becomes the usual paced hunt by dave for the truth. While many of the usual plot props are present the story and excellent writing inevitably draw you in.
Add to this a husband and wife combo, the husband standing as governor while the wife , an ex lover of dave, are both incredibly manipulative.
The story quickly becomes the usual paced hunt by dave for the truth. While many of the usual plot props are present the story and excellent writing inevitably draw you in.
mrbadger63's review against another edition
3.0
These get better and better as you go through the series. This one had the finest array of antagonists out of them all. You can't get a better detective novel than Dave Robicheaux