marysues's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
chopeclark's review
4.0
I love a good mystery, but I love great prose even better. James Lee Burke takes both and puts them in a setting where you feel it all. This one had some colorful antagonists, that's for sure. They are downright sleazy, with a major ick factor, yet somewhere in the telling, Burke makes you see a tiny bit of humanity in them. Not much, but enough. And the protagonist has enough flaws to show he can be his own worst enemy. That's the type of story I like. But the setting.....I really want to go to Montana now. Burke has all the aspects of a good mystery that makes me want to keep reading into the night. . . yet stay in this world he created a long, long time.
umdaba's review against another edition
4.0
He's my favorite author. Read a Burke book and your in a dark theater by yourself surrounded and engulfed by his images. I've read them all but can only do so once every 3-4 months because in the end they are their message about the human condition is not hopeful.
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