ISBN: 0786889187
List Price: $7.99
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
Reviews:
Summary: Life, Death, and Politics to a Cajun Beat
Glenda, the Good Witch of Northern Oz, said "It's always best to start at the Beginning," but she was talking about the Yellow Brick Road. With James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux mystery and mayhem series, that ain't necessarily so, it's all Good, and the reader may start anywhere within this steamy, murkily atmospheric Southern Louisiana stories arc.
In this affair, Burke illustrates that "Some Saturday afternoon heroes will never go gently into that good night." Patrician Golden Boy and former LSU quarterback, descendent of KKK lynchmongers, Buford LaRose is running for Governor of the Great State of Louisiana. His ultra-libidinous wife, daughter of a gumball vendor to cheerleader, aspires to be First Lady. What have they to do with the 30 year old murder of a Civil Rights leader? and what about the Tim Leary flashback guru guy?
Burke as Robicheaux in the 1st person does his usual deft job of leading us through a mire of local characters, backwoods highways and bayous and, for tunes for the trip, there's that titular Cadillac Jukebox. /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer
Summary: Back where he belongs...
I like James Lee Burke best when he confines his books to local themes, and he does just that in Cadillac Jukebox, the 9th in his Dave Robicheaux mystery series.
Robicheaux is still working for the New Iberia Sheriff's Department. Buford LaRose comes from a prominent New Iberia family and was a former college football hero. This golden boy is now running for governor. Over three decades prior, Aaron Crown (a former Klansman) was accused of murdering a civil rights leader, although it took 28 years to bring him to trial. LaRose wrote a book that helped bring about a conviction. Now, a filmmaker is filming a documentary in New Iberia to prove Crown's innocence. Robicheaux is asked to check out Crown's claims, and Robicheaux begins to think Crown was made a scapegoat. As Robicheaux investigates this case, he gets warned away by a number of strange and unattached individuals. As in most Southern Louisiana schemes, the mob is always close at hand. Also, there is a terribly frigtening hit man, Mookie Zerrang, who tortures just for fun. He's after Robicheaux, although he doesn't know who hired him.
The more Robicheaux digs, the more dead bodies turn up (mostly those involved with proving Crown's innocence). Unfortunately, with people like Buford LaRose, evil deeds are done in their names but they never dirty their own hands. Robicheaux is determined to not only find some dirt under LaRose's fingernails, but also, some skeletons in his closet. The plot is made even more interesting by the fact that LaRose's wife, Karyn, had a romance with Robicheaux back in his drinking days. Robicheaux unceremoniously dumped this homecoming queen and Karyn now has a hidden agenda that includes humiliation and revenge.
Robicheaux's new partner, Helen Hoileau, continues to be a good match, and friend Cletus Purcel is always a scream. A former cop, Purcel tells Robicheaux he is better able to work outside the law to help solve cases. That's definitely an understatement.
I have four more books in this series to read, and I'm going to be sorry to see it come to an end.
Summary: Great atmosphere fails to carry the day...
This is part of a series of books written about an ex-New Orleans cop named Dave Robicheaux nd his trials and tribulations. This book continues some of the same themes that characterize the series as a whole, such as racism, race relations, the difficulties of being a cop while also being father and husband.
I love the setting and the details Burke puts in his books about New Orleans and the whole Bayou scene. He shows us the seemy side of New Orleans (which is not too hard to do - if you've ever been there you know what I mean. Not that every other city is problem-free, its just that New Orleans seemy side is very public - hey, its one of the attractions). Burke has a great ear for accents, and this makes parts of his books fun to read. However, his books can be depressing. No one rides off happily in the sunset..
This particular book concerns a white man jailed in the 1990s for the murder of an NAACP leader in the 1960s. He claims he did not do it, but the man running for governor made his reputation proving he did. Dave R. happens to know both men and gets dragged into the controversy against his better judgement...
Grade: C - great atmosphere, unnecessary plot twists.
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