Synopses & Reviews
Detective Dave Robicheaux is facing the most painful and dangerous case of his career. A troubled young woman breezes into his hometown of New Iberia, Louisiana. She happens to be the daughter of Robicheaux's onetime best friend a friend he witnessed gunned down in a bank robbery, a tragedy that forever changed Robicheaux's life.
In Pegasus Descending, James Lee Burke again explores psyches as much as evidence, and tries to make sense of human behavior as well as of his characters' crimes. Richly atmospheric, frightening in its sudden violence, and replete with the sort of puzzles only the best crime fiction creates, Burke's latest novel is an unforgettable roller coaster of passion, surprise, and regret.
The twists begin when Trish Klein the only offspring of Robicheaux's Vietnam-era buddy starts passing marked hundred-dollar bills in local casinos. Is she a good kid gone bad? A victim's child seeking revenge? A promiscuous beauty seducing everyone good within her grasp? And how does her behavior relate to the apparent suicide of another "good" girl, an ace student named Yvonne Darbonne, who apparently participated in a college frat orgy before her death?
Can Robicheaux make his peace with the demons that have haunted him since his friend's murder so many years ago? Can he figure out how a local mobster fits into all the schemes and deaths? Can Robicheaux's life be whole again when it has been shattered by so much tragedy?
Once again, Burke proves why he is the virtual poet laureate of southern Louisiana, and why his novels, especially those featuring Dave Robicheaux, stand as brilliant literature and entertainment for our time.
Review
"As usual, fans of this distinguished series will have a lot more sympathy for Dave than he can muster for himself." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Everything that makes this series so compelling the elegiac, seductively lyrical prose; the complex character of Robicheaux; the lovingly evoked bayou setting is here in abundance....[N]o serious reader of hard-boiled fiction should ever miss a moment of Dave Robicheaux in action." Booklist
Review
"With his superbly written prose and intricate plotting, Burke's latest is sure to please his legion of fans. Highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Burke takes the theme of generational guilt to Homeric levels of tragedy, writing with a kind of drunken rapture about those sins that cycle through the regional heritage, poisoning generations yet unborn." Marilyn Stassio, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"No other contemporary detective fiction writer can imbue a novel with as many labyrinthine plot twists and action and still flesh out characters in such vivid and entertaining detail." BookReporter.com
Review
"In this fine installment in a strong series, Burke continues to tackle the complicated race and class issues that dog his poor Southern state." Boston Globe
Review
"There's never a lack of compelling characters in Burke's books....This is the 15th Dave Robicheaux novel, and like the first and all the others in between it's a story that transcends genre." Rocky Mountain News
Review
"[A]rguably the best crime series in America these days." Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram
Synopsis
When a nice young woman named Trish Klein blows into Louisiana passing hundred-dollar bills in local casinos, detective Dave Robicheaux senses a storm bearing down on his new life of contentment....Twenty-five years ago, lost in a drunken haze in Florida, Robicheaux was too far gone to save his friend and fellow 'Nam vet Dallas Klein, murdered in cold blood for gambling debts. Now, the arrival of Dallas's daughter opens a door locked long ago, and extracting her motives points Robicheaux to the suicide of a local "good girl" pulled into a vortex of power, sex, and death. It's Robicheaux's most personally painful case -- a roller coaster of passion, surprise, and regret -- and it may be his deadliest.
Synopsis
When a nice young woman named Trish Klein blows into Louisiana passing hundred-dollar bills in local casinos, detective Dave Robicheaux senses a storm bearing down on his new life of contentment....Twenty-five years ago, lost in a drunken haze in Florida, Robicheaux was too far gone to save his friend and fellow 'Nam vet Dallas Klein, murdered in cold blood for gambling debts. Now, the arrival of Dallas's daughter opens a door locked long ago, and extracting her motives points Robicheaux to the suicide of a local "good girl" pulled into a vortex of power, sex, and death. It's Robicheaux's most personally painful case -- a roller coaster of passion, surprise, and regret -- and it may be his deadliest.
About the Author
James Lee Burke, a rare winner of two Edgar Awards, is the author of twenty-three previous novels, including such New York Times bestsellers as Crusader's Cross, Bitterroot, Purple Cane Road, Cimarron Rose, Jolie Blon's Bounce, and Dixie City Jam. He lives in Missoula, Montana, and New Iberia, Louisiana.