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A review by nonna7
Robicheaux by James Lee Burke
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.