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
pamelajobrownlee's review against another edition
2.0
Yeah, not my cup of tea. The writing is lurid, the descriptions so dense and peppered with (to me) undecipherable slang that I missed several key elements of the storyline. I am not a Louisiana native, but I lived in New Iberia for several years, and still live in the state. I’ve never heard most of the slang he uses. Of course, I didn’t hang around with the criminal element. ;-)
Funny thing is, I’ve read other books by James Lee Burke, and enjoyed them. Maybe this was an early one?
Funny thing is, I’ve read other books by James Lee Burke, and enjoyed them. Maybe this was an early one?
cjeanne99's review against another edition
2.0
I found this book disjointed and hard to follow - probably doesn't help that I took a two week break in the middle of reading. The storylines never seemed to fully flush out for me. I'm left with a lot of questions and loose ends.
Aaron Crown shot the wrong man - the governor elect is a junkie - New Orleans organized crime has a link to the governor elect's wife. Why did Mookie Zerrang need to be brought in? Who wanted to stop the documentary from being made? Why kill someone to stop it? If Mookie Zerrang was so powerful - how did Aaron Crown take him down? Why did Mookie stop going after Dave after he tortured Batist? And then there's the whole Clay Mason piece and the carnival worker that tries to kill Dave but then has a deathbed confession and change of heart.
Aaron Crown shot the wrong man - the governor elect is a junkie - New Orleans organized crime has a link to the governor elect's wife. Why did Mookie Zerrang need to be brought in? Who wanted to stop the documentary from being made? Why kill someone to stop it? If Mookie Zerrang was so powerful - how did Aaron Crown take him down? Why did Mookie stop going after Dave after he tortured Batist? And then there's the whole Clay Mason piece and the carnival worker that tries to kill Dave but then has a deathbed confession and change of heart.
carlyque's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of atmosphere but a bit too little action and a bit too much of a rigid dude whose cock seems to lead the show and keep us from seeing his dear "Boostie" or his child. Nah.