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LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS
by James Lee Burke
Orion, October 2003
335 pages
12.99 GBP
ISBN: 0752856529


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Life hasn't been easy for Louisiana Det. Dave Robicheaux. He's buried two wives, both victims of violent death, and when his friend, Father Jimmie Dolan, is savagely beaten, Robicheaux is intent on averting another tragedy in his life. But his mission also seems to be one of revenge and soon branches off into many directions.

Who battered his priest friend to within inches of death? And why? The answer to that question is difficult. Many might have been happy to see the last of the activist priest who willingly fights for members of his flock. He's ruffled a lot of feathers over the years, irritating some rich businessmen who make a good living off the downtroden.

But just as Robicheaux is about to confront a male ex-porn actor who he suspects is involved, he's called to the scene of a car crash in which three teenage girls are killed after visiting a drive-by daiquiri store.

And why is Max Coll, a noted IRA hit man, in town? And what does all this have to do with the mysterious disappearance of Junior Crudup, a talented black musician, from a Louisiana prison nearly 50 years earlier?

Burke weaves all these facets into a tale of troubled human nature, stirring the pot with a grief-stricken father, a wealthy and ruthless businessman, old friend and PI Clete Purcel and old flame Theodosia LaJeune.

But the star of the novel is Robicheaux, a tormented man, who at times seems to be intent on self-destruction while he fights to save a friend and to solve what he becomes convinced is a 50-year-old murder.

This is the 12th Dave Robicheaux mystery. With Robicheaux cast as a man essentially adrift and fighting his own demons, it is perhaps even a bit darker than the normal book in this series. It's a good read which fans of Robicheaux will undoubtedly enjoy.

Reviewed by Gary Svoboda, November 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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