Synopsis
In the latest installment in his famous Detective Dave Robicheaux series, New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke brings Dave’s partner and friend Clete Purcel to the forefront for the first time as Clete and Dave attempt to stop ruthless smugglers of a dangerous new drug.
Clete Purcel—private investigator, ex-member of the New Orleans Police Department, and war veteran with a hard shell and just a few soft spots—is Dave Robicheaux’s longtime friend and partner in detective work. But he has a troubled past. When Clete leaves his car at the local car wash, only to return to find it ransacked by a group of thugs tied to the drug trade from Mexican cartels to Louisiana, it feels personal—his grandniece died of a fentanyl overdose, and his fists curl when he thinks of the dealers who sold it.
Just as Clete starts to trail the culprits, Clara Bow, a woman with a dark past hires Clete as a detective to investigate her scheming, slippery ex-husband, and a string of brutal deaths all link back to a heavily tattooed man who seems to lurk around every corner. Clete is experiencing shockingly lifelike hallucinations and questioning Clara’s ulterior motives when he and Dave start to hear rumors of a dangerous substance with potentially catastrophic effects. The thugs who destroyed his car might have been pawns in a scheme far darker than they could’ve imagined.
Gripping, violent, yet interlaced with Clete’s humor and consistent drive to protect those he loves, Clete brings a fresh perspective to a truly iconic series. James Lee Burke proves yet again that he is the “heavyweight champ” and “great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly).
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Reader says this book is...: action-packed (1) dark (1) emotionally riveting (1) realistic characters (1) suspenseful (1) unexpected twists (1) unputdownable (1)
* BingeBooks earns revenue from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate as well as from other retail partners.
This was my first foray into James Lee Burke’s world and it will not be my last by any means. He takes us back to the nineties in southern Louisiana and Mississippi where Clete takes centerstage as he tries to make sense of a host of random events that start with his car being stripped to visits from the legendary Joan of Arc. Dark and gritty, disturbing at times, this novel stays with you well after you shut the cover. Absolutely five stars!
Please log in to write a comment.
(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy)
Please log in to write a comment.