Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke

Going all the way back to 1989 for book number three in the Dave Robicheaux series. This is classic James Lee Burke. Dave Robicheaux is one of my favorite series characters and from that perspective this book shined. The book features justice. Maybe some ongoing redemption. And an undercurrent of vengeance from a couple of directions.

Burke has many of the classic private eye tropes. One of my favorites is the heavy sidekick. In this case, Cletus (Clete) is not necessarily a welcomed sidekick, but a necessary one. And in classic PI fashion, Robicheaux is the moral one and Clete is the one that does things outside the lines. One plot twist to this one is that Robicheaux crosses the line. Much of the book is about him trying to get himself out of the jam he got himself into due to that moral misstep.

As usual, Burke’s writing is phenomenal. Especially his sense of setting. Beautiful prose about both Louisiana and Montana. Nearly every chapter, almost every scene, Burke lays out the landscape, the weather, and natural beauty around his PI. He’s also a master of dialog. And he has some interesting and unusual characters in the story.

This book is more suspense than mystery. There’s never much doubt as to who has done what. Again, the story is more about Dave Robicheaux vindicating himself. Being early in the series, it’s shortly after the death of his wife, a death that lays a heavy burden of guilt on Robicheaux. The sub-plot of Robicheaux coming to terms with himself and his wife being gone runs throughout. In that sense, there is some redemption.

There is a fair amount of profanity. And there is some on page sex. The violence is necessary and not gratuitous. Burke’s writing carries the book. The story is strong, but not as strong as the other Dave Robicheaux books I’ve read. If you like classic private eye, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s not necessary to read numbers one and two as there is enough back story to give the reader a good sense of who Dave Robicheaux was and how he got to where he is at the start of this book.

Another good read for me this year. The streak continues. I’m going to rank this one number 7. It’s not quite as strong as what I’ve ranked 4 – 6.

1. The Record Keeper by Charles Martin
2. The Samaritan’s Patient by Chevron Ross
3. Days Coming by Pat Simmons
4. The Maid by Nita Prose
5. Where is My Sister by Jane Daly
6. The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman
7. Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke
8. A Vanishing Act by Edwina Kiernan
9. Cali’s Hope by John Matthew Walker
10. Field Training by Patrick O’Donnell
11. Deadly Pursuit by Elle Gray

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