Last Car to Elysian Fields

The Barnes & Noble Review


In Last Car to Elysian Fields, James Lee Burke (Jolie Blon's Bounce, White Doves at Morning) orchestrates the masterful return of volatile New Iberia homicide detective Dave Robicheaux to the lush and grim world of crime in the Big Easy. With vivid, enticing prose, Burke conjures offbeat but wholly believable characters who animate a rich, complex, and enthralling plot.

When Dave and former partner Clete Purcel decide to help out a priest buddy who's been targeted by thugs for defying the Mob, several deadly events and schemes are set in motion. Dave becomes enmeshed with former lover Theodosha LeJeune, whose father was rumored to have been involved in the 50-year-old murder of a black blues singer -- and who now seems to be connected to the DWI deaths of three underage girls. Complicating matters further, a murderer is on the prowl for the people responsible for the girls' deaths.

As in all Burke novels, the strength of Last Car to Elysian Fields lies in its breathtaking, moodily descriptive passages and in scenes that provide a perfect sense of time, place, and character. The evils of the past hold sway over the present in a particularly gut-wrenching way, as Robicheaux finds his life unraveling along with the mysteries around him. Involving, disturbing, and compelling, this novel will pluck at your nerves and refuse to let go.

Tom Piccirilli