Rating: 
Summary: Perfect moods, imperfect hero...
Review: These are literally books you have to finish and hard to put down. JLB's descriptive powers are awsome. I am trying to catch up on his earlier works now in print. One character trait seems to run through all of them. The main characters are compelled to act in ways that are rarely in their ultimate best interests and often threaten both them and all those around them. Dave Robicheaux's inability to halt himself in the pursuit of "honor" is an interesting take on the alcoholic's egocentrism. I find myself admiring him and, at the same time, hating him for his relentless attmpts to maintain his dignity and right all wrongs, whatever the cost. I am fascinated by JLB's ability to make every scene real in my mind. There aren't many authors who can create atmosphere like Burke.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't be fooled by the tacky cover...
Review: This is the one that got me hooked. I've read them all, but this is still my favorite! Burke's style is literate, wonderfully descriptive and enticing. Detective Robicheaux is far from perfect and he constantly ponders the choices he's made and the results. This is how we all think, and it is nice to see it in a novel of this genre!
Rating:
Summary: From Louisiana All the Way To Montana
Review: This is the third book in the Dave Robicheaux series and, once again, it fairly drips with melancholy as Dave is still gripped with guilt and remorse over the death of his wife. Fortunately, this mood is tempered by his adopted daughter Alafair, who he first took care of in Heaven's Prisoners. She has provided a spark for his affections and has bestowed on him a much needed reason t act more responsibly.Dave is drawn into danger, which in turn endangers Alafair, after a chance meeting with an old college room-mate named Dixie Lee Pugh, who is now a washed up jazz musician. Dixie Lee feels he is in some trouble after overhearing a couple of men discussing a murder and wants Dave to investigate. He only actually becomes involved after failing to control his temper which lands him in trouble with the law. To get himself out of this trouble he moves temporarily to Montana which is the setting for the bulk of the story. He takes Alafair with him rather than leaving her with his relatives, underlining his new found sense of responsibility. James Lee Burke does a wonderful job of capturing the mood of a setting and incorporating it into the story. The Louisiana setting of this and his earlier books proved his affinity with the area with special highlights given to the cuisine. A new facet was uncovered be his wondrous descriptions of the Bitterroot Valley and surrounding locales in Montana. Having now read the first three books in the Dave Robicheaux series I've found that my appetite for more has been whetted. His forthright style and general toughness in the face of adversity makes him a character who is easy to cheer for.
Rating:
Summary: strong on plot, weak on settings
Review: This novel has a stronger plot than other Burke novels. But it is also weaker in its character depictions and settings. His richest novels yet: In The Electric Mist ; Lay Down my Sword ; Sunset Ltd.
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