'Every Cloak Rolled In Blood' is the 4th book in James Lee Burke's 'Holland Family Saga', and is the writer's most autobiographical novel to date. Burke's daughter Pamela died of natural causes in 2020, causing Burke and his wife profound grief and sorrow. The author transfers some of that heartache to the lead character in this book, 85-year-old Aaron Holland Broussard. As the story opens, Broussard has lost his 54-year-old daughter Fannie Mae in very sad circumstances, and would do anything to see her again.
Aaron Holland Broussard lives on a ranch in Missoula, Montana, near the Flathead Reservation.
Broussard has an eclectic background. He grew up in Lousiana and Texas, fought in the Korean War, studied journalism, and eventually became a successful fiction writer. Many of Broussard's books have been adapted into films, and he's now a wealthy man. Being a 'liberal Hollywood bigwig' puts Broussard on the radar of his far-right Montana neighbors, who don't want him in their midst.
As the story opens, a red Ford-150 pulls into Broussard's yard.....
......and a gangly teenage boy jumps out, paints a swastika on Aaron's barn door, pees in Broussard's cattle guard, and hops back in the truck.
As the vehicle - which has an older man in the passenger seat - drives away, the boy shoots Broussard the bird and shouts, "You don't belong here. Go somewhere else."
Broussard calls 911 and State Trooper Ruby Spotted Horse arrives to take a report.
Thirtysomething Ruby - who seems taken with Aaron - says he looks younger than his age and resembles the actor Sam Shephard.
Ruby tells Broussard to stay away from the white supremacists, who mule meth and may have something to do with the many murdered and missing Montana Indian women.
Aaron tracks down the duo that defaced his property, who turn out to be John Fenimore Culpepper - a former imperial wizard in the Alabama Klan, and Culpepper's son Leigh.
Broussard says he won't file charges against the culprits if they repaint his barn door, but daddy Culpepper has an attitude, and Broussard struggles to contain his temper. Aaron suffers from blackouts, during which he becomes belligerent and violent, and he fights to keep a rein on his anger, to avoid killing someone.
Broussard stops by Ruby Spotted Horse's house to tell her about the Culpeppers, and hears loud bangs and thuds coming from a locked basement door.
Ruby tries to blow it off, but finally admits that evil spirits called the 'Old People' are in her cellar, and they mean to harm living people. The worst of the bunch is the ghost of Major Eugene Baker, a commander in the U.S. cavalry who led a massacre of the Blackfeet Indians - including women, children, infants, and the elderly - in 1870. Moreover, for malevolent reasons of his own, Major Baker makes it his business to personally haunt Broussard.
Meanwhile, Broussard's wish to see his daughter Fannie Mae comes to pass, as her wraith comes back to comfort her dad and to advise him about dealing with the malicious ghosts.
Broussard experiences additional 'living people' trouble when he sees two young brothers, Clayton and Jack Wetzel, sneak onto his property with guns and a hammer....probably planning to kill him.
Aaron catches and disarms the boys, then - thinking they had a terrible childhood - gives them a break and lets them go. Aaron even gives Jack a job on the ranch, fixing fences, chopping wood, etc.
Things in the region escalate as several people are brutally murdered, perhaps by humans; perhaps by spectres. In addition, Broussard starts to see visions of the past, like his brutal killing of an enemy soldier during the Korean war - which still haunts him; the Blackfeet Indians futilely trying to escape from Major Baker's murderous troops; and more.
In addition, Aaron broods about the baser instincts of humanity, as demonstrated by the historic treatment of slaves; people's refusal to wear masks during the pandemic; corrupt politicians; white supremacy; and so on.
Over the course of the story, Broussard interacts with many people, including Missoula Sheriff Jeremiah McNally, who blows off Aaron's tale about evil spirits and suggests Aaron is mentally ill;
tribal policeman Ray Bronson - Ruby Spotted Horse's jealous ex-husband, who she describes as a dirty cop and the most selfish person she's ever known;
Sister Ginny Stokes - pastor of a church that caters to drug-selling bikers;
Jimmie Kale - a murderous drug lord who's said to bury people alive; and more.
On the lighter side, Ruby Spotted Horse and Aaron have a romantic attraction, despite the difference in their ages.
The story builds to a compelling climax that wraps things up in a satisfactory fashion.
In addition to being a deft hand at characterization, Burke's talent for depicting landscape and atmosphere is unrivalled. For instance, describing Pablo, Montana, Aaron notes, "The vastness of the country, the enormity of the Mission Mountains, is literally breathtaking. The ranches, particularly the old ones with giant slat barns, seem miniaturized and clinging to the earth."
And talking about an outing with Ruby Spotted Horse, Broussard notes, "We...pop out on a vista that makes you dizzy. Down below is a lake that resembles a blue teardrop among evergreen forests that roll over hills as far as the eye can see."
James Lee Burke says this is the best book he's ever written. I'm not sure about that since I'm a big fan of Burke's Detective Dave Robicheaux series. Nevertheless, this is a good story, well worth reading.
Thanks to Netgalley, James Lee Burke, and Simon and Shuster for a copy of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
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