Wednesday, March 16, 2011

BURNING ANGEL by James Lee Burke

Finished Su 3/13/11

James Lee Burke takes the very popular, and often employed, Police/Crime/Thriller Genre, and infuses this literary style with lyricism worthy of a poet. The vivid descriptions of rural Louisiana, Dave Robicheaux's dark and troubled alcoholic past, and Dave's love and respect for his family and co-workers all contribute to a novel which resonates long after you've finished the final chapter. The central character of BURNING ANGEL is Sonny Boy Marsallus who was once a friend to Robicheaux, and has an almost mythic life. He has ties to the Giancano family, contemporary New Orleans mafia overlords, he is a fixer and money lender, and has a dark and corrupt past which he acquired in the jungles of Central America during the bloody Reagan years. Also, a subplot concerns a wealthy family who seems to be trying to evict black homeowners who have laid claim to the area for generations. This is the kind of novel that you want to take your time reading, and savor each well written page.

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