I have always said that it is impossible to rank JLB’s books because they are all superb. It is the case, however, that ROBICHEAUX is a classic in the Robicheaux series. Why? Because it hits all of that series’ major themes: the haunting nature of a past that embodies both great evil and great valor; the nature of alcohol addiction and how it feels and how it distorts your life; the experience of Vietnam at the personal, cultural and historic levels; the bond between men and women who work the streets and try to stem the tide of crime, sin and corruption. All of which is to say that, yes, we see a great deal of Clete Purcel here—a combination friend, boon companion, tempter and avenging angel. We also (as we often do in JLB’s work) find ourselves on a movie set, a set that offers a perspective on both past and present and the manner in which both good men/women and bad aspire to shape reality.
The plot is ‘classic’ as well: a wounded detective with a larger-than-life partner encounters a series of individuals (an aspiring politician, a race-baiting manipulator, a prominent writer, a professional criminal, et al.), each one of whom might have been responsible for murder. The twist here: the detective himself may have been responsible for a murder during a blackout. Thus, to solve the crimes is to find both personal and professional redemption. Throw in a professional hitman who carries a great deal of belly fat, has red lips, a fondness for licorice and a personal arsenal and the picture is nearly complete. There is also an odd Burkean touch. Here, Dave Robicheaux, has an orphaned, adopted daughter named Alafair; in real life Jim Burke has a daughter named Alafair. In each case the two women went to Reed College and Stanford for law school. Another variation on that curious theme: the writer in ROBICHEAUX has written a book entitled WHITE DOVES AT MORNING—the name of an actual title by JLB.
All else is as expected: stunning writing with descriptive passages that sparkle on the page without becoming purple; exquisite, appropriate violence when it is deserved; memorable characters; a setting that is so rich and so nicely realized that it hovers over the book as a constant presence and an ending that is both totally appropriate for the story and philosophically haunting.
Just a couple samples of the writing:
“He was handsome in the way that superficial people are, his jaw firm, his teeth capped, his manner easy and detached, as though a greater world awaited his presence” (p. 292).
“If there are angels among us, as St. Paul suggests, I believed Clete was one of them, his wings auraed with smoke, his cloak rolled in blood, his sword broken in battle but unsurrendered and unsheathed, a protector whose genus went back to Thermopylae and Masada” (p. 322).
I would include the concluding lines of the book but I don’t want to spoil their effect on the book as a whole.
Bottom line: another fine book from JLB. Don’t miss it.
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Reviews with images
Raccoons are awesome.
I love JLB's writing. There is always the awesome descriptions of weather and fauna. There is always the villainous presence of alcohol and violence and general mayhem. He writes the best psychopaths ever. But what I love about all of his books is the availability of grace in all of life's mad descent down the toilet. There is hope. There is love. There is God.
Top reviews from other countries
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