The Hadacol Boogie - (Dave Robicheaux) by James Lee Burke (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Dave Robicheaux, James Lee Burke's iconic detective, returns to investigate the death of an unidentified woman, pulling him into a vortex of corruption and violence in the Louisiana bayou. When a cloaked, disfigured man leaves a dead woman in a garbage bag on Dave Robicheaux's property, he knows his world and family are about to change. With Valerie Benoit, a detective new to the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Department who is grappling with sexist and racist harassment from their colleagues, and the volatile but fiercely loyal Clete Purcel, Dave embarks on an investigation that brings him into the most dangerous moments of his career, including the potential death of Valerie and his daughter Alafair. Dave encounters a local handyman who leaves cryptic notes and warns of the ghosts who roam the shores of the bayou and is targeted by a vicious New Orleans button man and gangsters from the north. Through brilliant prose and a quintessential cast of characters, James Lee Burke weaves a portrait of a gritty, violent Louisiana at the turn of the twentieth century. Visceral, atmospheric, and wholly original, The Hadacol Boogie brings to life Dave Robicheaux's fierce determination to confront evil both past and present"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Dave Robicheaux, James Lee Burke's iconic detective, returns to investigate the death of an unidentified woman, pulling him into a vortex of
corruption and violence in the Louisiana bayou

When a cloaked, disfigured man leaves a dead woman in a garbage bag on Dave Robicheaux's property, he knows his world and family are about to change.

With Valerie Benoit, a detective new to the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Department who is grappling with sexist and racist harassment from their colleagues, and the volatile but fiercely loyal Clete Purcel, Dave embarks on an investigation that brings him into the most dangerous moments of his career and threatens the lives of Valerie and his daughter Alafair.

He encounters a local handyman who leaves cryptic notes and warns of the ghosts who roam the shores of the bayou and is targeted by a vicious New Orleans button man and gangsters from the north.

Through brilliant prose and a quintessential cast of characters, James Lee Burke weaves a portrait of a gritty, violent Louisiana at the turn of the 20th century. Visceral, atmospheric, and wholly original, The Hadacol Boogie brings to life Dave Robicheaux's fierce determination to confront evil both past and present.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Hadacol Boogie:

"Some series have their highs and lows, but not so the Robicheaux series...it's been one slice of brilliance after another, and this one is, like the ones the came before it, a work of art."--Booklist

"Burke continues to shine as a literary bard of the bayou with his depiction of a beleaguered but good man fighting the corrupting and sinister forces of organized crime. An absolute must-read."--Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for James Lee Burke:

"James Lee Burke is not only the greatest living American mystery novelist, but also perhaps the most deeply moral and humane. The rest of us are writing in his shadow, and are fortunate to be doing so."--John Connolly

"Reading one of Burke's novels is truly an immersive experience, with every ache and anguish feeling gut-wrenchingly real. It has been almost five years since the last Dave Robicheaux novel, and it was absolutely worth the wait."--Associated Press, on Robicheaux

"Burke is what fellow writers call a wordsmith. He can make your eyes water with a lyrical description."--New York Times Book Review, on Robicheaux

"Burke is known for his lyrical, deeply melancholic prose, and once again it permeates every page of this profoundly elegiac novel. We tend to forget, however, that he is no slouch at plotting and at constructing hold-your-breath action scenes. Both traits are in evidence here, the former in the way he nimbly juggles the multiple strands of his narrative, the latter in the barn-burner of a climax."--Booklist (starred review), on Robicheaux

"Heaven-storming prose . . . the intimations of mortality that have hovered over this series for 30 years have never been sharper or sadder."--Kirkus Reviews, on Robicheaux

"[An] enthralling yet grim novel of crime, hate, and tragedy . . . The novel's murders and lies--both committed with unsettling smiles--will captivate, start to finish."--Publishers Weekly, on Robicheaux

"Burke is at the top of his form, still drawing from the rich material of his family background in Louisiana and Texas as well as his deep knowledge of literature and history. Robicheaux rings with lovely prose and chills with a dark vision of America's current condition."--Tampa Bay Times

"Like a violent summer storm . . . Dizzying action . . . Burke's writing is masterful."--The Washington Post Book World, on The Neon Rain

"Burke writes with honesty and tough compassion . . . An intelligent and intriguing story of greed, vengeance, and the precarious redemptive qualities of love."--San Francisco Chronicle, on The Neon Rain

"James Lee Burke is the reigning champ of nostalgia noir."--New York Times Book Review

"You can always count on Burke to deliver a white-hot page-turner."--AARP Magazine

"Burke's evocative prose remains a thing of reliably fierce wonder."--Entertainment Weekly

"One of the finest novelists in North America."--Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail

"James Lee Burke is one of a small handful of elite suspense writers whose work transcends the genre, making the leap into capital-L Literature."--Bookpage

"This is James Lee Burke writing at the height of his powers. The long wait for a story told from Robicheaux's pal's point of view has been worth it."--Linwood Barclay, #1 internationally bestselling author, on Clete

About the Author

James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author, two-time winner of the Edgar Award, winner of the CWA Gold Dagger and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction. He has authored forty-four novels and two short story collections. He lives in Missoula, Montana.