The New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke

This dark, disturbing mystery features justice, as all Dave Robicheaux novels do. It also features a twisted version of vengeance. For Detective Robicheaux, redemption is a slow, ongoing process. This mystery is also a psychological suspense story. We get a deep glimpse into the psyche of Robicheaux and how the killer or killers plays with that psyche.

A series of murders seemingly only connected by a possible reference to the Tarot happen in New Iberia and the surrounding area. Detective Robicheaux is given a new partner, a young, attractive woman named Bailey Ribbons. There’s also a new deputy attached to the New Iberia Sheriff’s department, Sean McClain. Of course, there’s the ever-present Cletus Purcell, whose philosophy of life and death and crime is more black and white than Robicheaux’s. Their clash of philosophies is a fascinating backdrop to this story. Alafair, his now grown daughter, also plays a critical role.

Burke is brilliant in bringing the setting of southern Louisiana alive. Hardly a page goes by without the writer setting the mood and often the suspense with the unique bayou environs and the ever-changing weather. Overall, Burke’s writing is spectacular.

Where I sometimes struggle with this series is that much of the philosophizing seems more the author than what I would expect of a sheriff’s detective. If the reader can believe that Dave Robicheaux is this insightful and over educated, then it works. One other thing that bothered me was a scene where Dave Robicheaux remembers himself sitting with his father in 1945 – VJ Day. I’m not sure when this story is set, but I figured it was “modern” times, which would have been around 2018 or 2019, as the book was published in 2019. There are several references Robicheaux makes about being old. However, if it is set in modern times, Detective Robicheaux would have to be at least 76 years old. That seems too old to still be working as a sheriff’s detective.

The story had a lot of profanity. Several on page explicit sex scenes. The violence isn’t gratuitous, but a warning, some of the murder scenes are graphically described and disturbing. It’s a gritty novel mostly set in a seedy area about truly evil people. I’ll rank this one number four. The story pulled me along. The writing is terrific. And the mystery had me waffling back and forth, like Detective Robicheaux, as to whodunnit.

1. The Last Exchange by Charles Martin
2. Weapons of Remorse by Chevron Ross
3. Relentless by Ed Gorman
4. The New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke
5. Framed by James Scott Bell
6. The Big Empty by Robert Crais
7. After Her Deceit by Steve Rush
8. Water Grave by Mitchell S. Karnes
9. The Book of Answers by Darrow Woods
10. My Brother’s New Wife by Matt McGregor
11. Deadly Silence by Erik Carter
12. Neon Prey by John Sandford
13. A Tan and Sandy Silence by John D. MacDonald
14. Perfect Daughter by Ion Esimai
15. Her Last Wish by Blake Pierce

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