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5.0étoiles sur 5
Blue Bayous, Jui 27 2004
Book reviewers probably overuse "atmospheric" in their critiques, but to describe James Lee Burke's writing as "atmospheric" is akin to observing that Daniel Steele's literary talents are "shallow". In fact, if Burke has a flaw, it is that the settings are so dense and powerful that the plot can be, if not lost, at crushed by the atmospheric pressure. Burke writes of southern Louisiana with a mix of pride and frustration - of steamy bayous and rusted car bodies, of antebellum mansions presiding over tin shacks. Lots of pain, precious little joy. Burke's south is a mystical place, where from the swampy mists the ghost of a Confederate soldier is as likely to break as is the sun. He pens his lyrical prose with a fatalism and pathos that only a diehard, but sincere, liberal can master. From this "atmosphere", the story of "Burning Angel" slowly unwinds. Dave Robicheaux, the perpetually haunted and self-suffering cop of backwater Iberia, LA, agrees to help the local po' black folk get to the bottom of a land dispute with the wealthy gentry. (I like Robicheaux's character - he is written with an uncommon depth, sensitivity, passion but also in-your-face toughness - but can anyone remember Robicheaux laughing - ever?) Enter Sonny Boy Marsallus, a seemingly "common" thug, were it not for his uncommon sense of honor and loyalty. Marsallus has a mysterious past, linked through the Central American jungles to the past of Robicheaux ex-NOPD partner and friend, the inimitable Clete Purcell. The plot is not straightforward, which is OK, as it allows Burke plenty of time to weave in another set of unforgettable supporting characters, heavily weighted towards New Orleans mobsters and cutthroat militant mercenaries. Throw in the lure of Jean Lafitte buried treasure and just a hint of the supernatural, and you'll be hooked on another melancholy and thoroughly entertaining brand of crime fiction that has become a Burke trademark. Kick back and succumb to Burke's humid tale of brutality without redemption - fiction doesn't get much more "noir", nor entertaining, than this.
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de James Lee Burke
de James Lee Burke
