Wednesday, July 14, 2021

A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL, by James Lee Burke, narrated by Will Patton

    


Mystery/Thriller -- 2 stars

Audiobook Narration - 5 stars

Dave Robicheaux - Book 23

Book: Two crime families are feuding, and Dave Robicheaux is in the middle.  Two young people--one from each family--are at the center of the problem, but Dave's interest in the mother of the young girl at the center of the story and an other worldly figure who seems to be haunting both Dave and his partner only add to the troubles in New Iberia. ----- I have loved these Dave Robicheaux books for years. This is the first one that has disappointed.  These books have always had a dark side, but this one is so dark as to be nearly opaque. Mr. Robicheaux and his partner, Clete Purcel, have pushed the boundaries of legal police work for decades; this time they both boldly step well over the line. All Mr. Burke's trademark beautifully crafted similes are here, and are to be savored, but the introduction of a 600 year old character from mythology weakens the entire narrative.   When a respected crime series veers into the supernatural with no logical explanation--and the detectives take it seriously--the whole story loses its legitimacy.  Mr. Burke almost saves his novel at the end, but I felt he still came up short.

Narration:  Will Patton does his usual brilliant job of bringing Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel to life, but even he couldn't save this go around. 

No comments:

Post a Comment