Black Cherry Blues: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
by James Lee Burke
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Book Summary Information
Author: James Lee BurkeEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1990-12-01
ISBN: 0380712040
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Avon
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780380712045
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Black Cherry Blues: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
Book Review: A Good Exemplar of His Work
Summary: 4 Stars
"Black Cherry Blues" (1989) was the third novel published by American author James Lee Burke in his New York Times bestselling detective Dave Robicheaux series. Like the earlier books of the series, and many of the series' works to follow, the book, a Southern noir, police procedural/mystery, is set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, more or less home country for Burke, who was born in Houston, Texas, in 1936, and grew up on the Texas-Louisiana gulf coast. But it also takes Robicheaux on the first of his many excursions to Big Sky Country, Montana, where Burke now spends some time.
The plot is set in motion by Dixie Lee Pugh, supposedly Robicheaux's roommate freshman year at Southwestern Louisiana Institute - the school that Burke himself attended. It seems that Burke modeled Dixie Lee on Jerry Lee Lewis: he begins his career, Burke tells us, at that recording studio, unnamed by Burke, but known as Sam Phillips Sun Studio to us, where Burke tells us, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison began theirs'. And Dixie Lee played the Brooklyn Paramount, in those legendary shows of Alan Freed's, along with Chuck Berry and Eddie Cochran. At any rate, Dixie Lee has had a successful career in the country music business, but, like many of Burke's musicians, he has lost that career to drink and drugs. However, Dixie Lee has found himself work doing odd jobs for another of Burke's many not-so wiseguys, all similarly named, in this case, Sally Dio, and has also picked up work in the Montana oil business. Dixie Lee comes to Robicheaux with a problem, and the way Robicheaux operates, we know it will soon be Robicheaux's problem. And it will call him and his adopted daughter Alafair to Montana.
"Black Cherry" finds Robicheaux still mourning the death of his second wife Annie, who was murdered by hit men looking for him; still mentioning occasionally his parents and half-brother Jimmie, and still being called "Streak," by those close to him, such as Clete Purcel, his former partner on the New Orleans Police Department, an overweight, heavy-drinking, brawling, heavily-scarred survivor of the city's tough Irish Channel neighborhood, who is still around to help Robicheaux: Clete's in Montana too. Robicheaux is of Cajun ancestry, and continues to relive the nightmare of his service in Vietnam. He has a drinking problem, and a tendency to violence. This book finds him not working in law enforcement, but he still owns and operates the boat rental and bait business, while living in the house in which he was actually born. He is assisted in the operation of his business by a black man, Batist, whom we've met before, and will see again. And we again meet Alafair's pet. the three-legged raccoon Tripod, whom we've met before and will meet again.
Burke continues to write with energy, passion and power. His Montana work is very nicely done, but, to me, nothing touches his Gulf Coast work, some of the most beautiful, knowledgeable writing ever committed to paper about the flora, fauna, geography, and human occupants of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, now so much in the news. Burke attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute; later received B. A. and M. A. degrees from the University of Missouri in 1958 and 1960 respectively. Over the years he worked as a landman for Sinclair Oil Company, a pipeliner, land surveyor, newspaper reporter, college English professor, social worker on Skid Row in Los Angeles, clerk for the Louisiana Employment Service, and instructor in the U. S. Job Corps. His work has twice been awarded an Edgar for Best Crime Novel of the Year. At least eight of his novels, including the more recent Jolie Blon's Bounce, and Purple Cane Road (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries) have been New York Times bestsellers. "Black Cherry," aside from its regrettable--to me--dalliance in Montana, is a good exemplar of his work.
Summary of Black Cherry Blues: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
Ex-cop Dave Robicheaux: His wife had been murdered ... Now they're after his little girl...
From the Louisiana bayou to Montana's tribal lands,he's running front the bottle, a homicide rap, aprofessional killer ... and the demons of his past.
In this winner of the 1990 Edgar Award for best mystery novel, Dave Robicheaux, a former New Orleans policeman, is pursued by a psychopath and flees his home on the Bayou Teche, in the heart of Louisiana, to find a new life in Montana. After settling near the Blackfoot River Canyon, Robicheaux finds himself smack dab in the middle of an illegal Mafia takeover of Indian lands. As he struggles to expose the truth, he must face some hard facts about himself, especially after the appearance of an old Cajun friend, Dixie Lee Pughe.
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