Cadillac Jukebox (2006)

By James Lee Burke
Detective Dave Robicheaux is probably a cliché amongst crime heroes now – an alcholic (recovered, in this book), Vietnam vet, some anger management issues, a murdered wife, relationship troubles with his current wife, a big chip on his shoulder about the haves and have-nots…in a word, Robicheaux has Demons. But James Lee Burke does it all so well! Robicheaux should be treated as the archetypal troubled cop, with all others relegated to mere pale imitations. (That means you, McCallum).

Burke’s books are all set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, and his descriptive powers are way beyond that of most crime writers. In fact, they make me want to go to Louisiana, despite it clearly being a hotbed for pimps, extortionists, murderers and alligators. Burke’s writing is beautiful – I wonder what he’ll write next, post Hurricane Katrina, with his beloved landscapes and cityscapes destroyed?

Anyway, the plot. A guy who was convicted of killing a black activist many years ago insists on his innocence, and for various reasons Robicheaux decides to investigate, which leads to all sorts of problems with some really very nasty people – see above, not including the alligators. Hmm, that doesn’t really tell you a lot, does it? Never mind, I think maybe it’s worth reading James Lee Burke for other reasons.

A minor quibble - maybe it was just the flawless Cajun slang that admittedly I was having some trouble following, but characters kept saying things like “Hey, you’re a bright guy, I know you connect on this” and I’m, like, “No! Spell it out for me!” but Robicheaux seems to be awfully good at putting two and two together, if you know what I mean...

Rating: 7.5 out of 10