James Lee Burke does another excellent James Lee Bourke book, again.
342697
If you've never read a James Lee Burke book then this isn't a bad place to start, he's in pretty good form for this one.  If like myself you've read nearly all of his work, you'll find a lot of familiar JLB themes; wealthy villains, war veteran protagonists, alcoholic parents, the Holland family tales of the wild west, the Gulf of Mexico, Texas, binding loyalty to friends, environmental concerns, even Jole Blon on the jukebox.  As much as I love JLB's writing, this one is bit like a medley or mash-up of his Dave Robicheaux and later work.  We've heard all it before, but I still enjoyed the telling.
4149152
Good read, it's just that I like a story book continual plot.  James Lee Burke is my favorite author for mysteries, expecially when based in bayou.
1100682
Great characters and dialog as usual from Mr Burke. Love the historical setting and detailed descriptions of the time, places, and people.
1018321
James Lee Burke is the man. His novels get better and better.  One will not be disappointed in his books.
471341
Burke continues to do an outstanding job describing every aspect of the surroundings. The story is so gripping, it's tempting to move quickly through the descriptive passages.....I often reread sections to grasp all the subtle descriptors
979001
Ha, as always loved the story, thanks Mr. Burke
2723573
In true James Lee Burke fashion this novel grabs you from page one and holds your attention all the way to the end. The descriptions of all the areas involved are so vivid you can imagine yourself there.
3742755
James Lee Burke's creation, Dave Robicheaux, is a perfect Everyman. He struggles with demons - his own, and those of others. He is an excellently flawed man, a man of great strengths, towering weaknesses, and deep melancholy: his humanity bleeds from evgery page.
In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead gives us a better, and deeper, insight into Burke's Everyman. The story purports to be a mystery / thriller, and is designated as such by Amazon.  It is, of course, much more, and much less, than that. The mystery is satisfying, of course. Mr. Burke doesn't know how to write a bad mystery. But it's a side-bar to what the book really is: a series of character studies. There's Robicheaux, of course. The story is told in the first person, so the reader is swept into his psyche from the first page. There's Bootsie and Alafair, the people closest to Robicheaux - and the people he often feels are the furthest from him. There's Clete Purcell, his psychotic, sweaty, shambling drunken hulk of a partner. There are the figures from his past, who return to haunt him. And there is, of course, the ghost of the Confederate General with whome Robicheaux confers, and exposes not only himself, but the entire landscape of characters.
Speaking of which - the Louisiana landscape is as much a character as any of the others. The dust, the heat, the colours, the odours, the taste of the land play as large a part as any human in the book.
Mr Burke has been writing the best prose in popular American fiction for the past ten years, if not longer. He has always been a superb writer, making every word perform well above its potential. And in this book, In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead, he has written one of his finest works.
1486382
I thought this was a great read. I particularly like the way the author includes previous family members throughout all her series. it is good to read her footnote stating she will be continuing the series thru the cousins now. Burke''s character was really brought to life as believable in this book. In the previous books his charactor was very black and white. Most enjoyable!!!
1949335
James Lee Burke has been putting out these books for decades now, and I've become a pretty big fan over the years. I read most every one as it comes out, and enjoy them a great deal. The protagonist, Dave Robichaux, is a wonderful character, beaten and partially broken but unwilling to give in that last little bit; he's also utterly devoted to his former partner and good friend Clete Purcell, who's a force of nature and more than a bit out of control. The result, when both men begin to look for young women whom they believe are in trouble, is a sort of kaleidoscope of violence, confusion, conversation, and suspense that's frankly amazing at times, though at this point it's also a bit predictable.

I did enjoy this book though, and will continue to read the series in the future.
3299804
I always enjoy this authors writing. I did, however, make the mistake of reading this one out of sequence with the ongoing Dalhousie stories and so was somewhat confused by a few of the relationships mentioned in the book.
In this one, as per her usual, Isabel is musing on the nature of relationships, who is doing what with whom, who is talking about it honestly and who is not. She gets to the bottom of her puzzle eventually; and I realize I need to check the book order for this series and get back on track.
There is a certain atmosphere about the Dalhousie novels - no real crisis - just realizations. This author is an excellent describer of personalities and observer of human behavior. I always find him to be spot on, and always in a gentle way.
4291517
Friday I completed James Lee Burke's newest release, Wayfaring Stranger.

It's  a sad moment for me whenever I complete one of JLB's books because I know I will have a long wait before I can read the next one.  He usually publishes one book per year.

Wayfaring Stranger was different from any of Burke's books I have read.

It's hard to put my finger on the thing that causes me to say that.

On the one hand, I found the same remarkable prose to which I am accustomed to in his writing.  For Burke the page is a canvass on which to paint each scene.  He has mastered the art of knowing just the right amount of detail to include in those descriptions and how to draw them in a unique way, which still resonates with the reader.

On the other hand, the cast of the book struck me as out of the ordinary for Burke.

It is a Holland family book.

Those of you familiar with Burke's writing know that he has two main streams of books.  One stream deals with New Orleans detective Dave Robicheaux and his cronies.  The other branch tells the story of various members of the Holland family.

In Wayfaring Stranger, Burke follows the life of Weldon Holland from his teenage encounter with Bonnie and Clyde, through the killing fields of WWII, into the rough and tumble, corrupt world of post WWII oil business in Texas and Louisiana.  It is an ambitious book that only a virtuoso like James Lee Burke could handle.

The book will haunt me for a while.

I say this because Burke's writing peels away the sugar shellac of society and exposes the under surface, a realm where wishful thinking is lost, and winning decisions are few if any. The irony is that Burke's protagonists are truly decent people placed in impossible situations.  The more honest and sincere they are, the worse things get for them.

Sort of like life, I guess.

I highly recommend Wayfaring Stranger.
694584
The Burke Books get better and better with each installment.

As a fan of the martial arts, it is a joy to read a work by an author who "gets" it.  Mr. Donohue does, and it shows every time he talks about the sweat, bruises, blood, and pure effort that goes into Budo.  With each book, his characterization of the human condition is more and more refined, as well.  A very solid effort.

It may not be Shakespeare, but it was more than worth it...cannot wait for the next one.
2749016
More adventures of Dave Robicheaux and Clete  Purcell.  There's also some backstory about their daughters and family. I've read most of what James Lee Burke has written.  Is it great literature?  Nope.  But a Burke novel is a pleasant way to pass the time.
3192591
James Lee Burke is a wonderful writer and his small town character, Detective Dave Robicheaux is always complex and interesting. In Cadillac Jukebox, a long-ago murder of a civil rights leader has put a lowlife, Aaron Crown, finally behind bars, and the person who wrote a book about the crime, Buford LaRuse, close to the Governorship. The candidate is a liberal, a hypocrite and a junkie, with a wife who had a one night stand with Robicheaux before either was married. That is one complication, but the major fly in the ointment, at least initially, is a documentary filmmaker bent on showing Crown was innocent of the crime. Robicheaux, using a cop's logic, doubts the old man's guilt, too, despite an obvious dislike for him.

What harms the book is its unrelenting excess. I counted at least seven murders taking place, a double attempted murder, a couple of beatings, several other crimes,including massive political corruption, and just too many characters. For some reason, one of the prominent secondary characters is a combination of the old LSD guru, Timothy Leary and the goofball poet Alan Ginsburg. The man is a close friend of the candidate, although anyone running for political office would avoid him like a leper. And in Louisiana yet! As always, Robicheaux spends a lot of time outside his jurisdiction, hooking up with thugs, liars and the downtrodden, even making detours to Mexico in search of certain truths. Apparently, New Orleans, and his pal Clint Purcel, just didn't have enough action for him.

Those of us who read the series know that Burke can be terribly repetitious, too. Robicheaux always describes once or twice in every book, his sex acts. Political conservatives, somehow and wrongly categorized as racists, weirdos or cruel, always get hammered. Somebody will threaten Dave, his employee Batiste, or a family member, in his bait shop. A visitor will be admonished for using profanity in or at least near, his home. And Dave will always reference a work of literature so we all know he is well read. Burke is Robicheaux, Robicheaux is Burke. But how many times do we need to read that his wife puts his member inside her? Enough already!

This is not one of the best in the series. It seems to me that Burke had problems organizing the book and it shows, for parts of it make no sense. He's done much better. Great prose does not overcome big flaws. This jukebox should have shelved a good portion of its playlist, maybe 100 pages worth.
204769
Stuart Woods is always excellent.  He has favorite characters that he follows in several books and I always anticipate each new one to be thoroughably enjoyable.  No disappointment here, either.
4142486
I have read every James Lee Burke book to date.  This may be the best one.