Most books in the 'Dave Robicheaux series' are told from the POV of Detective Robicheaux.
This 24th novel in the series is a slight departure, and Dave's best friend Clete Purcell takes the lead. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.
Both Dave and Clete are Vietnam vets, and both suffer from PTSD because of their terrible experiences in Southeast Asia. Following Vietnam, Dave and Clete were partners in the New Orleans Police Department, where they called themselves the 'Bobbsey Twins from Homicide'.
In New Orleans, Dave and Clete dealt with mobsters, gambling, prostitution, drugs, loan sharks, money laundering, extortion, murder, and the inherent corruption in Louisiana.
Clete's inability to follow rules got him kicked off the New Orleans police force, and he's now a private investigator/bail bondsman in New Orleans and New Iberia. Clete works for gangsters and lowlifes; eats to excess; drinks too much; falls for the wrong women; and uses violence (and worse) against his enemies. Clete loves Dave like a brother, and would give his life for him.
Dave is now a recovering alcoholic who drinks Dr. Pepper and works as a sheriff's investigator for the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office. Dave is a widower with a grown adopted daughter, Alafair, who he rescued from a downed plane when she was five. Dave sometimes has blackouts, during which he does violent things he can't remember. Dave considers Clete his best friend, and rues his pal's self-destructive behavior.
*****
As the story opens in the 1990s, Clete Purcell leaves his vintage, lavender pink Cadillac Eldorado convertible, with a stereo that plays his jazz and R&B and rock and roll tapes, at Eddy's Car Wash.
A couple of days after Clete picks up his car, he wakes up to find three roughnecks ripping his Cadillac apart. One vandal is covered in tattoos and holding a crowbar; one is wearing dirty cargo pants, and one sports a Neo-Nazi T-shirt. Clete, who carries a picture of a Jewish mother and her children going to the gas chamber in a Nazi concentration camp, ESPECIALLY hates Neo-Nazis and racists.
It seems Clete's car got mixed up with another Cadillac at the car wash, and the lowlifes are looking for their 'goods' hidden in the car. A vicious fight ensues, Clete gets knocked out, and the vandals skedaddle.
When Clete recovers, he confronts the owner of the car wash, Eddy Durbin, who's very cagy. When pressed, Eddy admits his shady, brain-damaged brother Andy was involved with whatever was hidden in the Cadillac, but Eddy insists he doesn't know what it is.
Clete calls his friend Dave Robicheaux, who agrees to hang out at Clete's New Orleans house for a few days, in case the creeps come back. Clete and Dave do some nosing around, and learn that the Neo-Nazi who ripped up Clete's car belongs to a racist group called the New Rising.
Afterwards, circumstances lead Clete to harbor three women in his house: a night club dancer called Gracie Lamar, who got into trouble for kicking an aggressive customer in the mouth, and damaging his teeth;
a young Chinese drug addict called Chen, who was rescued from a human trafficker;
and a cleaning lady named Miss Dorothy, who's looking after Chen, and helping her kick the habit.
Meanwhile, all sorts of people seem desperate to find 'the goods' (supposedly) hidden in Clete's Cadillac. Some of them are murdered in horribly gruesome ways, which brings in a New Orleans vice cop and an FBI agent.
As this is happening, Clete meets a pretty filmmaker named Clara Bow, who hires him to investigate her crooked husband.
It's clear Clara has an agenda, and Clete has a habit of falling for pretty young women, but this time Clete is 'rescued' by 15th century Joan of Arc. Joan has begun appearing to Clete when he needs help, or requires a nudge in the right direction, and Clete is convinced she's real.
Clete and Dave eventually learn the 'lost goods' the Neo-Nazis and their cohorts are looking for is a deadly substance called Leprechaun, that could do immeasurable harm. The conspirators don't care, as long as they make money from selling it.
Clete and Dave make it their mission to stop the 'dealers', which leads to hazardous situations, violence, and death. The Bobbsey Twins from Homicide have a hard time dealing with all this horror, and Clete drinks too much, and tries to prevent Dave from blacking out and killing people.
As always in the Dave Robicheaux books, James Lee Burke does a superb job of capturing the ambiance of southern Louisiana. with its mixed population of Acadians, Whites, Blacks, and others; the swamps and bayous; the spicy Cajun food, the jazz music; recreational fishing, etc. The reader almost feels like a visitor.
This is an engaging thriller, and I enjoyed the adventure scenes as well as the delectable scenes where Clete and Dave enjoy great local food, such as: porkchops; biscuits with butter and milk gravy; deep-fried fish and shrimp and oysters; fried chicken and dirty rice; ham and onion sandwiches with tomatoes, mayonnaise, and sauce piquante; beignets and coffee; and more.
Pork Chops
Biscuits with Butter and Milk Gravy
Deep-fried Fish and Shrimp and Oysters
Ham and Onion Sandwich with Tomatoes, Mayonnaise, and Sauce Piquante
Beignets and Coffee
Thanks to Netgalley, James Lee Burke, and Atlantic Monthly Press for a copy of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
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