In this installment of the Dave Robicheaux series, James Lee Burke again paints a rich tapastry of the failings and triumphs of the human spirit set against the backdrop of southern Louisiana. As is true in his other novels, Burke uses his standard plot woven around career criminals, the disenfranchised,and the poor with a violent psychopath or two thrown in for good measure, to explore the complexity of human relationships and how and why past experiences can motivate us, even subconsicously, to behave in certain ways. All of Burke's characters are fully formed, three dimensional people that I felt like I knew by the end of the book. There wasn't a card board cutout among them. No body is ever really quite as good, or bad, as they initially seem( well, except for Jimmie Lee Boggs). I have read his books out of chronological order, and I do think there has been some drop off in recent years. Maybe this is due to building too many stories around the same basic plot of gangsters, low lifes, and crazed hitmen, or maybe now that Dave is married to Bootsie and has been in the same job for several novels, there hasn't been any room for any major new plot twists. Hopefully, Burke can explore Robicheaux's relationship with his daughter Alafair more as she becomes a young adult.

James Lee Burke didn't write "A Morning for Flamingos" in black and white ­ everything is in shades of gray. Yet what emerges is a richly textured mystery filled with a cast of characters as colorful as their Bayou surroundings.
It starts when Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux rejoins the New Iberia police department to pay off a few thousand dollars of debt and is nearly killed when a routine convict transport goes bad. And it ends with him in a $500,000 drug deal facing off against the same escaped murderer who nearly kills him at the beginning.
In between, Robicheaux fades to the background, becoming the eyes for the reader to see and evaluate everyone he encounters. There's his ex cop partner who now runs a bar, his old high school sweetheart who married into the mob and then couldn't break free, the top mob boss in New Orleans with a tender spot for his handicapped son, an illiterate "Negro" convicted of a crime he didn't commit but didn't stop and a bayou juju who has everyone scared of her.
Yet unlike many mysteries where characters like these would be eccentrics to provide comic relief, this one brings them to life. They're real people with real-life struggles, fears and hopes.
Burke accomplishes this feat with his masterful use of dialogue, proving once again that few, if any, mystery authors can convey personality, region and nuances better than he can.
As a result, the reader will struggle with Robicheaux to decide what's moral, what's legal and what's just the right thing to do. Because this is not about rules and regulations ­ it's about people. And that's what makes this so good -- and Burke so special.

This is, without a doubt, one of the better of the Dave Robicheaux novels. As always, James Lee Burke writes with a lyrical grace that should awe the average reader. And this early novel was written before he started plagiarizing himself wholesale, stealing plots, characters and even entire paragraphs in order to flesh out his balletic swamp-songs.

A black mark on this otherwise fine novel is the odd decision to have Dave go undercover in the home of Mobster Tony Cardo, a razor-edged freak of a man living on the outlines of his own criminal organization. Personally, if I were a crook, I'd never accept an ex-cop into my home, but maybe that's just me - the fact is that tony does and that's how this rollicking book gets going.

It's not important that there's any more plot than that - in a Burkle novel, the setting is the most important element. As always, Burke paints pictures and only incidentally places characters and action within them, with the exception of Dave Robicheaux himself. I have always admired Dave - he is morally ambiguous and righteously angry, which causes him to behave in ways that are almost as freakish as Tony Cardo's ways. An example is dave's heroism at the climax of this novel - it's both awe-inspiring and breathtaking, but it's probably not what I wold have done in the same situation.

Burke is an amazing writer and a good story-teller. He's not a bad painter, either.

Webmaster & I always eagerly grab Author Burke's latest off the library shelf & hurry home to return to Dave Robichaux's world of swamps & sunsets, boogie players & lowlifes, an ordinary man with an extraordinary sense of honor & compassion with a recovering wife he adores, a teenage daughter on the verge of rebellion & a home & fishing business his father built with his bare hands.

Dave Robicheaux is a Vietnam Veteran & a New Iberia Parish police detective who has only recently dragged himself out of the bottle. When he gets a call to check out an isolated house he finds his long time friend Clete Purcel throwing lowlifes off the roof into an ancient oak tree. While Dave attempts to sort out the fracas, Zipper Clum, a well-known pimp, squints at him & utters a horrifying statement that sends Dave into a swamp of pain & into the past of New Orleans law enforcement, a hive of corruption no one wants to disturb.

A James Lee Burke book is always a maze of stories where past & present melt into each other & where the Louisiana land is as much a player in the story as are the people. The bayous come alive with colors, sounds, scents & seasons.

Fascinating reading - as are all Burke's books.

Well, what a ride! PURPLE CANE ROAD is probably James Lee Burke's best Dave Robicheaux novel yet. That statement comes without qualification because I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series.

All the characters you have come to look forward to reading about are back again. There's Dave, Clete Purcell, Bootsie, Helen Soileau, Alafair and Batist. Even Tripod, Alafair's three legged pet racoon is still in the cast.

What Burke does exceptionally well with this novel is introduce more interesting characters to the mix. The story also deals with obsession(s) as Dave tries to clear a woman on Death Row while finding out who killed his mother more than 30 years before.

The violence that punctuates all of the novels in this series is also present here as well. Most noticeably, Clete Purcell, Dave's loyal former partner and always best-friend, seems to find more than his fair share of it. His excessive drinking and intemperate remarks and lifestyle continue in PURPLE CANE ROAD and it is during the moments when we read of these events that JLB interjects much of his pathos and humor. Clete is an extremely violent man, but it is also good to know that he is primarily on the side of right. God help the people of Louisiana if he were ever to cross over to the criminal side of the spectrum.

Dave Robicheaux is obssessed by the need to find out who killed his mother Mae in 1967. Readers of this series will remember that Dave's mother abandoned him for a bouree dealer when she left while Dave was still a small boy. As a grown man and a police officer, Dave struggles to do right by her memory by re-opening the unsolved 30 year old case. Along the way, he runs into the string of sociopaths that Burke is so fond of populating this series with.

All is not right in New Iberia Parish or in New Orleans, either. Cops and politicians are dirty and corrupt and James Lee Burke fully fleshes out the parasites who feed off power, money and the misfortune of others. This is a well-crafted and believeable novel, right through to the very end. When Burke leads the reader to the end of his story, there is a certain type of closure that Dave and the reader both receive. When the reader stops to consider the final outcome of the plot line, he/she will also realize that there is a certain balance to the scales of justice after all.

This was a fast read and the story gripped me right from the beginning. Unlike some of Burke's other books in this series, which start out slowly and speed up, this one asks the reader to climb aboard while the train is traveling down the track at 100 mph. When I finish these books, I wonder when Burke will bring us his next installment. This one left me thirsty for more on the detective and his cohorts in New Iberia, LA.

After reading PURPLE CANE ROAD, you'll never have to ask why James Lee Burke is one of only two authors to win the EDGAR AWARD twice. This man is a master of his craft and this book just proves it.

Paul Connors

James Lee Burke takes his readers to the swampy, backwoods of Louisiana in his latest Dave Robicheaux mystery, Purple Cane Road. Detective Dave Robicheaux never knew what became of his mother, Mae Guillory, after she left him behind as a boy. Last he knew, she was living with a slick, smooth-talking wheeler and dealer named Mack. But now, thirty years later, Robicheaux is stunned to hear that his mother may actually have been a prostitute who was brutally murdered by local law enforcement officials. Determined to uncover the truth about his mother's murder and track down her killers who may still be alive and on the job, Robicheaux takes on his most dangerous, and precarious case yet. To add to the complexity of the story, Robicheaux is also simultaneously investigating the murder of an executioner who was slain by a young woman named Lettie Labiche. Ms. Labiche herself is on death row awaiting lethal injection, but Robicheaux knows for a fact that the man that she killed molested her as a child. Somehow Robicheaux must come up with some concrete evidence proving this, thus saving the life of Lettie Labiche. All in all, the past, present, and future come colliding together to explode into an electrifying drama.

James Lee Burke has a knack for capturing the rawness and gritty attitude of the "good ole' boy" network of the Deep South. What makes this story so engrossing is the realism of its theme. Who knows what goes on behind the closed doors of legal authorities? In Purple Cane Road, the men and women of uniform will use any means necessary to cover each others backs. They will lie, cheat, maim, and even slaughter if they see it justified. If you are looking for a dark crime novel with psychological suspense that has you sitting on edge, then Purple Cane Road may be the book you've been waiting to curl up with.

I have read nearly every thing that James Lee Burke has written. I like and admire his use of descriptive words. This book, however, was not nearly as good as his Dave Robicheaux books. His discriptions were just as poetic, his intensity just as good, but I guess I just didn't like the story as much and couldn't relate to the characters as well as with his other books. But it was an interesting read and if you are a Burke fan, I would recommend this one.

This book reminds us of what in music is called a "tone poem". The melodies and harmonies swirl in an entertaining, sometimes captivating, pattern; but when it's all over, it doesn't amount to much that's memorable. We wanted to read this novel to possibly cure ourselves of our disappointment with one of Burke's Dave Robicheaux mysteries. Our findings of that one ("Cadillac Jukebox") was that his imagery surely is vivid, but his skills in developing the plot and populating it with just the right number of support characters were lacking. That tends to kill a mystery, which after all must have a story with a somewhat logical structure.

In "Boogie", we do feel the drama category works better for Burke. The mind pictures he draws, especially of the Montana landscape where leading man Iry heads after getting a parole transfer out of his native Louisiana, continue to exhibit's Burke's mastery of descriptive prose. Alas, the plot is still not as strong as we might like, although the sheer drama of his story doesn't require the pace and form of a mystery. We found it difficult to empathize with the beer-swilling, guilt-laden brawlers generally depicted herein. But get by the alcohol content, and there is on display a fair degree of understanding the human condition. Interesting that this book was both nominated for a Pulitzer after publication, but (according to Burke's own web site) was rejected first by over 100 publishers!

After we read the Robicheaux book, we opined: Burke is probably better at drama, and he is. We think he might excel at poetry -- wonder if he's ever tried his hand at that? As with the musical counterpart, we probably wouldn't remember his "melody and harmony" per se, but would settle for the slide show he can create with words to go with our coffee and red wine.

This is a wonderful book-perhaps the best I've read in a number of years. It is powerful and tragic, yet humorous at times. Iry is likeable, in spite of his history and the fact that he has made a cuckold out of Buddy. Buddy is bent on self-destruction, and Iry is concerned with self-preservation. The conflict between Beth and Mr. Riordan is never clear to me, but that is the only weakness I found in the book. This book is haunting and exhausting. The ending is somwhat hopeful, in spite of past tragedies. I strongly recommend this book.

This is my seventh Robicheaux book and I think it may b thebest one yet. Dave is his usual, hard as nails, self. Sometimes I would like to slap his buddy Clete myself. He stays in trouble of his own making. Yes, I think I would have pulled the trigger on Will Buchalter. The things he does to Dave and his family will make you want to do the same. Burke is great with his use of the language and description of the country. He makes you feel like you are there. Lots of good characters in this one. Good mystery and lots of action. Can Robicheaux save Clete, what does the German sub have that several people want? A good read.

When I heard Will Patton's first sentence of my first Dave Robicheaux novel I really did feel that I was transported to New Orleans and southern La. Those wonderful full, round vowels, clipped d's and t's at the end of words, and the melodious, artistic descriptions paint a picture I can't get enough of. Now I'm waiting to get my hands on the next James Lee Burke masterpiece - especially with Patton reading. Don't worry about which of Burke's novels you're grabbing because eventually you'll read them all, one after another like not being able to stop eating pralines or fresh oysters!

I went to a Borders reading with James Lee Burke and his humble, yet confident voice added new dimension to his characters...as if that's possible. Dave Robicheaux and his buddy Clete Purcel just about walk into the room anytime I open the pages of these books. Unfortunately, Burke's antagonists are just as palpable. The evil lurking beneath the surface of certain scenes is dark and frighteningly real. It's hard not to cheer for Robicheaux as he faces his foes and, usually, reacts before he thinks. Burke wraps this gritty realism and dialogue in some of the most beautiful and vivid metaphors around. Some accuse Burke's writing of shallow plotting, and I understand their viewpoint. I choose, though, to wander along with Dave Robicheaux through the heat and sound and smells of his day and see where it may lead us. Somehow this style gives his stories an uncharted realism that I personally appreciate. Like the cajun food Burke writes of, his words are alive with flavor and texture and subtlety beneath a layer of eye-popping spices. And--as his fans well know--your sense of smell will also be invited to the meal. Pull up a chair and savor some good Louisiana cooking.

Plot-wise and writing-wise, this book is as good as Burke's others. But it lacked heart, considering Dave's loss. For a guy who's pretty introspective (about his drinking and the war,etc.), he doesn't seem to give a second thought about Annie after she's killed. He talks a little (very little) about his guilt, but not about how he misses her and loved her. Instead he turns almost immediately to Robin, which just doesn't seem in character. It bothered me and got that fifth star knocked off.

This is the second in the Dave Robicheaux series. I am trying to read them in order. Dave has quit the New Orleans police department and is running a fishing camp. He is married and very happy. Then a plane crash, and one of the bodies disappears. Dave is drawn back into the underworld he knows so well. This time he really pays for his involvement. Won't say how because it would take away from the reading. He goes at it with Bubba Rocque, a man he grew up with and has known for years. Bubba in one of the bad guys now. But, is it Bubba or his wife that is the worse. Burke writes so you can feel like you are there. You can see the people fishing and moving through the darkness. Except for his flashbacks I would give it a 5 rating but I don't care for those. A good book that will hold you attention.

James lee Burke is one of thosed underrated masters of prose,forever delegated to second rung because of his genre. Heavens prisoners, the second in this series,is,in many ways, the best. Dave Robicheux, the alcoholic new Orleans cop,is out fishing when a single engine plane crashes into the lake,and everything changes.Mr. Burke's descriptions of alcoholic despair and rage are perhaps the finest,and least sentimental I have read. The violence is brutal and freakish in its intensity[as violence is],the dialogue is so well written that i feel for these characters,and want to read more. Though much Longer then Neon rain, the first entry,Mr. Burkes seems to hold the intensity through the narrative. From the lousiana locales to histroical comments on Cajuns, from Cletus Purcell{his sort of sidekick]to the suprising[at least for me] ending, Mr. Burke solidifes himself as one superb writer.And, fortunately, the series goes on ...

In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead James Lee Burke Hyperion Publishers Copyright 1993

Of all Burke's novel featuring Dave Robicheaux, this is my favorite - a perfect balance of dialogue, action and luscious description. Written in the first person of the flawed hero, Burke limits the perspective and forces us into a raw intimacy with the main character at times uncomfortable but always compelling. The dialogue is written in dialect when necessary - and Burke gets away with it. He has the gift that reflects the sensuous character of the southern Louisiana setting and never seems trite or overdone-just natural.

I developed a sinere affection for Robicheaux as he fought his own demons and remained true to his values in the face of powerful exterior and interior forces. His voice aches with with the sadness of resignation, yet his melancholic descriptions and thoughts never totally surrender to those demons. Each time I thought I had had just about enough of his wallowing, he picked himself up by his boostraps and smashed his fist into somebody's sleazy jaw- always well deserved.

From the bayou to the city, the complex plot lines weaves a sultry thread throughout the book looping around the many characters of both locales, then pulling the knot ever so slowly.

An intriguing concept that glimmers within the plot are communications with a dead Confederate soldier that blur the line between myth and reality. Questions asked but unanswered. Are they buried memories or messages from beyond the pale?

Burke intertwines so many elements in this novel -a poetic eye, profound insights, raw violence, gripping action and of course, the ability of his 20th century Lancelot to eke out a victory in spite of his human frailities.

A great read.

I don't know, I sure did like it.

On one hand, I agree with other reviewers that the ghost soldiers might seem a bit much - in hind sight. At the time I was reading the book I loved the extra touch. I would have to say I enjoyed this book most of all the Burke stories I have read so far.

You might try to read them in order, otherwise you learn things that are supposed to surprise you in the earlier books.

James Lee Burke's creation, Dave Robicheaux, is a perfect Everyman. He struggles with demons - his own, and those of others. He is an excellently flawed man, a man of great strengths, towering weaknesses, and deep melancholy: his humanity bleeds from evgery page.

In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead gives us a better, and deeper, insight into Burke's Everyman. The story purports to be a mystery / thriller, and is designated as such by Amazon. It is, of course, much more, and much less, than that. The mystery is satisfying, of course. Mr. Burke doesn't know how to write a bad mystery. But it's a side-bar to what the book really is: a series of character studies. There's Robicheaux, of course. The story is told in the first person, so the reader is swept into his psyche from the first page. There's Bootsie and Alafair, the people closest to Robicheaux - and the people he often feels are the furthest from him. There's Clete Purcell, his psychotic, sweaty, shambling drunken hulk of a partner. There are the figures from his past, who return to haunt him. And there is, of course, the ghost of the Confederate General with whome Robicheaux confers, and exposes not only himself, but the entire landscape of characters.

Speaking of which - the Louisiana landscape is as much a character as any of the others. The dust, the heat, the colours, the odours, the taste of the land play as large a part as any human in the book.

Mr Burke has been writing the best prose in popular American fiction for the past ten years, if not longer. He has always been a superb writer, making every word perform well above its potential. And in this book, In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead, he has written one of his finest works.

Having read James Lee Burke's entire Dave Robicheaux series, I have to say that this novel, which introduced the flawed ex-cop with the mystical bent, is still one of the best. There are several things about this book that hit me as unique and made me want to return every time Burke served up another helping; the first is that Burke's ability with description and locale are unparalled, the second is the depth of character he was able to give Robicheaux by focusing on his personal demons (drink, violence and inner torment from loss and regret), and third is the 'mystical' element that informs each book - sometimes more than others - and allows the plot to be advanced by such devices as messages in dreams and intimations of a 'higher power.' Since Burke himself is a recovering alcoholic he is able to make this side of Dave's life quite real and moving.

This book (which won the Edgar Award in 1990) differs from later ones in the series in that Dave strays far afield from the rural Louisiana coast setting readers normally associate with him. But he is also, in the beginning, a more complex and interesting character. As the series progresses he becomes stiffer and more self righteous. Here he is unsure of himself and trying to come to grips with a life that has him on the ropes.

This is some of Burke's best writing and I would highly recommend it to mystery fans who have never tasted this rich Louisiana stew. It is unique and memorable.

James Lee Burke has written a wonderful novel in this one. The characters are tough and full of vitality. As always his locations are so well portrayed you feel,see, taste and smell the details. Robicheaux, the ex-cop is coping with the murder of his wife, his service in Vietnam, being a recovering alcoholic, he is being blamed for a murder and he fears for the life of his adopted daughter. He is on the run from New Orleans to beautiful Montana. This is a wonderful book that surprises you with Robicheaux's philosophy. "...because I believe that God is not limited by time and space as we are, I believe that perhaps he can influence the past....and I begin to dwell on the unbearable suffering that people probably experienced before their deaths,I ask God to retroactively relieve their pain, to be with them in mind and body, to numb their senses, to cool whatever flame licked at their eyes in their final moments." James Lee Burke can stun you with his craft. This is a must read!

Over and above anything else, the first thing that struck me about James Lee Burke's 'Black Cherry Blues' was the quality of the writing. Burke has an incredibly ability to beautifully describe his settings, making small town Louisiana and rural Montana vividly real to the reader. His descriptions are so good that I would often have to suppress the urge to have a late night snack after having my appetite whet when reading about something so basic as what Dave and his daughter made for dinner. Take away the whole suspense/mystery/thriller aspects of this novel, and it would almost still be worth reading just for Burke's descriptive abilities.

The plot itself is the classic 'innocent man falsely accused' story. Dave Robicheaux, who is trying to live a quiet, simple life running a boat dock/bait shop and raising his daughter in New Iberia, LA, begrudgingly helps out an old college friend who is involved with some unscrupulous individuals. This leads to a series of events involving ominous threats towards Dave's daughter, Alafair, and culminates in Robicheaux being accused of a murder he didn't commit. The majority of the book takes place after Robicheaux heads to Montana to attempt to clear his name before his trial begins.

Burke seems to take great care in formulating his plot to make sure all his bases are covered. One small thing he did in this book that I really appreciated was to actually attempt to logically explain some of those bizarre coincidences that happen so often in suspense novels that immediately take me out of the novel because they come off as so unrealistic. There is a scene in 'Black Cherry Blues' that is reminiscent of many thrillers, where a character is a second of two from having a knife stabbed into his chest, but is saved when somebody 'happens' to walk in just at the right time. Many authors just take if for granted the readers will actually buy this, when my usual reaction is 'yeah, right'. Burke, on the other hand, actually takes this thriller cliché and gives a logical, believable explanation as to why this person knew to be where he was at exactly the right moment. This kind of care is taken throughout the book.

If I were to nitpick I would say that I was sometimes confused by Robicheaux's behavior, in that at times he seemed like someone who genuinely wanted to lead a peaceful life, and then would knowingly behave in a way that would get him into trouble with the wrong people. To be fair, if I had read the previous two Dave Robicheaux novels in the series (and after the quality of 'Black Cherry Blues' I fully intend to) perhaps I would have had a better understanding of his character and personality.

To categorize this book as a mystery is like clumping Haagen-Daz in the same category as cheap sherbet. Sorry. Not the same thing. These characters are alive and fresh and memorable. The settings resonate with sights and sounds and smells. The beauty of Louisiana juxtapositioned with the evil of the criminal world is a heady mix. As always, I'm impressed by Burke's ability. I feel like I'm repeating myself: James Lee Burke is a master of imagery, be it violent and dark, or moving and poetic. I can't help myself. To read his work is to fall in love with the language. With this in mind, it's true that I tend to overlook his meandering plots and psychological side-trips. For me, they make his books much more real and down to earth than the general formulaic mysteries.

In this particular story, we see Dave Robicheaux dealing with his inner demons, as always--this time in the form of pills. But it's the same white worm eating at him and driving anger to the surface. As usual, his emotions boil over into his job and cause trouble. The difference this time is that Robicheaux is dealing with other demons than his own. He's dealing with Legion, an old man, hard as nails and full of darkness. The supernatural aspects that come into play, particularly at the conclusion were, for me, very satisfying and remarkably well handled. Other reviewers have derided these elements; I found them to be the original touch this series needed. Others complained of sexual situations that were unnecessary; I was moved to tears by Bootsie's tenderness to her man in need of assurance. Robicheaux, behind his tough exterior, is a man of flesh and blood and emotion. Thankfully, James Lee Burke is too. It's the reason I keep reading his stuff. After "Purple Cane Road," I'd rate this near the top of the series.

Tee Bobby Hulin, a black junkie who never committed a violent crime, is fingered for the murder of Amanda Boudreau. New Iberia, Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux doesn't believe he committed the crime even though the evidence points that way. When a local prostitute Linda Zeroski is also murdered in a violent manner, Tee Bobby, who is out on bail, becomes the number one suspect for that homicide too.

Linda's father is a powerful New Orleans mobster who comes to New Iberia to enact vengeance on his daughter's killer. Dave's investigation leads him to lean on Legion Guidry, a man who is the embodiment of evil. Legion beats up and emasculates Dave who first ends up in the hospital and ultimately off the wagon. Before he can discover who the killer is, he must defeat his own demons before they destroy him.

James Lee Burke is one of the better writers of the last decade. His prose is lyrical yet atmospheric, smooth yet dangerous, silk yet graphic. His protagonist is a flawed tortured soul who immediately makes a place for himself in the hearts of the audience. Jolie Blon's Bounce is a fascinating crime thriller with so many vile villainous suspects that readers will find it near impossible to figure out who the killer actually is.

Harriet Klausner

When teenager Amanda Boudreau is murdered in New Iberia, Louisiana, the evidence points to Tee Bobby Hulin, a gifted musician but a crackhead and general ne'er-do-well. Detective Dave Robicheaux is not convinced, though. Then there is another murder, this time of the drug-addicted daughter of a local Mafia figure, and Tee Bobby is again implicated. Robicheaux still doubts the evidence and continues to investigate when he crosses paths with the mysterious and malevolent Legion Guidry, an elderly former plantation overseer. Robicheaux questions his own sanity when his instincts tell him that Legion is pure evil in human form.

Meanwhile, Robicheaux's sidekick, Clete Purcell, is having woman troubles, and competition in the person of cracker ex-con Bible salesman Marvin Oates. Even Robicheaux's own attorney, Perry LaSalle, is behaving strangely in the wake of the two murders. They all have secrets and present different faces to different people, and it's up to Robicheaux to navigate the labyrinthe, pick out the necessary pieces, and put it all together.

And who better than James Lee Burke to throw it all out there, knead it and meld it with his dark and menacing poetry, and then pull it all together with brilliant finesse. This may be Dave Robicheaux's darkest voyage yet but, boy, what a ride. The atmosphere, rife with human suffering and the nature of evil, is very intense and roiling with preternatural undercurrents, with an ending that is both shocking and just.

I've heard such good things about Burke, so I was pretty enthusiastic about reading Cadillac Jukebox. But for all my enthusiasm, this book just didn't do it for me.

Burke's natural writing talent is obvious, and he grabbed my attention right away. The characters are all very human and real, it's a great setting, and things click along at a brisk pace. I found myself zipping my way through this book eagerly awaiting the next surprise.

And then, about halfway through the book I just got lost. A thousand different things had happened to Dave Robicheaux, his cohorts, and his enemies, and though each scene was written well, it just wasn't coming together as a whole. I realized that I either didn't know enough because I hadn't read any of the previous books, or Burke was just all over the place.

Over all a disappointment, but since this is my first Burke book, I plan to give him another chance by reading the first of the Dave Robicheaux series.

Yes, James Lee Burke is a terrific wordsmith who can bring the Cajun backwoods and bayous alive for readers, but this particular work is quite simply, a sprawling, literary hodge-podge. The story is loosely woven to the point of being chaotic--Dave Robicheaux skitters here, there, and everywhere, including TWO almost gratuitous mini-jaunts to Mexico. The characters are "colorful," but in some cases, such as that of Aaron Crown, the eccentricity deteriorates into cartoon-like caricature. There are various smalltime gangsters who are hard to keep straight, there is a politician's wife who turns up periodically to strip off her clothes, taunt Robicheaux sexually, and then disappear in a cloud of vituperative hissing. And there are more than a few digressions and sidebars to the story that don't ever seem quite justified--it's all a bit much, methinks, and overall it makes for a story that never really hangs together adequately.

Still, Burke is a good enough writer that it's a hard book to put down once started. I think he has done better in others of his mysteries, however.

I have read just about everything James Lee Burke has written, but my favorite character by far is Dave Robicheaux. This was actually the first of the Burke books I "read" (this one I actually listened to in audio as it was a gift to me -- and that alone was wonderful as the narrator had a fabulous Louisiana accent that brought the words alive). JLB's style is poetic, and the scenes he sets for you bring you right there to the Bayou with his words. He is a master at setting the scene and making you see the characters and hear their voice. His ability to spin a crime story with twists and turns, while getting you into Dave's head, his history and his love of his family are unsurpassed. Best advice regarding the Dave series: try to read them in the order written -- it helps to get a sense of time in Dave's personal life -- there are changes that occur and I was blind sided by a couple of them because I read out of order.