Light of the World

By now, the ingredients of a Dave Robicheaux thriller should be familiar to the constant reader: an ex-alcoholic Vietnam vet Louisiana cop with a self-righteous streak for whom even a trip to the shop to buy some milk ends up being a wrestling match with great themes of life and death and good and evil against the backdrop of epic natural grandeur and decay; there's his old partner, an alcoholic overweight burnout with poor impulse control, PTSD and a violent criminal career before turning PI who will find some rich wife or widow in trouble and end up in bed with her despite everyone up to and including the Hand Of God descending from the heavens with a note the size of the Grand Canyon tied to its finger stating this it is a Bad Idea show more but who is, nonetheless, the Goodest Man In The World; there's Dave's daughter, beautiful, talented, headstrong and doesn't like being called 'kid' anymore; new since the previous book is Clete's daughter, abuse survivor turned near-mythical mob hitperson, out of the life and making films and just maybe the person to whom all the bad things James Lee Burke can't bring himself to let happen to Alafair will happen instead; there's usually a basically decent law enforcement official who just won't see things the way Dave and Clete see them and who is small-mindedly constrained by not grasping the titanic spiritual war at the heart of each book; there is a rich family who are all awful, awful human beings; there is a not-so rich person who is even worse and either working for or using the awful rich people and committing various atrocities for reasons the human mind cannot easily contain within the comforting confines of Judeo Christian morality, or something; and there will be a damaged, dangerous, violent man looking for redemption, with or without the help or hindrance of good or bad woman, depending.

You'd think after twenty of them you'd get tired of it, but nope, bring on the next one.

Light Of The World has Dave and family taking a break from battling fathomless evil and venality in Louisiana to go battle some fathomless evil and venality in Montana, staying with their writer friend, with whom Dave, at least, never seems to do anything other than argue. Someone shoots an arrow at Alafair, and Dave hassles what turns out to probably be the wrong guy over it, but that's okay, he's involved anyway. There's an escaped, presumed dead serial killer who may be an avatar of an evil from outside the ken of men stalking the landscape, some dead and missing women, and a vile, filthy rich family up to no good. Clete's got a bad feeling about this one, he thinks it might be his last boogie, but we gotta punch their lights under a black flag, podna. Honestly, Dave and Clete must be scary and weird and insufferable to other people, and they ain't aging gracefully, but Burke continues to write like an angel taking an aerial survey of hell, making these books addictive and cathartic. One of the most readable crime novelists working today. show less

Full disclosure here: I’m a fanatic James Lee Burke fan so am biased toward anything he writes. I’ve followed his tales of Louisiana bayou homicide detective Dave Robicheaux from The Neon Rain to the latest and 20th installment in the series Light Of The World. Each book is a lesson in literary crime writing but LOTW is one of the best.

The theme of this story is evil. Pure unadulterated evil. Does it exist as a tangible object? A living, breathing entity? Is it buried deeply in each of us? Does it dwell in the hearts of some more than others? Light Of The World is a story of revenge, violence, corruption, and ultimately how one copes with the presence of raw evil in human form.

Or as Dave says:

I was never good at solving mysteries. show more I don’t mean the kind cops solve or the ones you read about in novels or watch on television or on a movie screen. I’m not talking about the mystery of Creation, either, or the unseen presences that reside perhaps just the other side of the physical world. I’m talking about evil, without capitalization but evil all the same, the kind whose origins sociologists and psychiatrists have trouble explaining.

Thus begins Light Of The World.

Dave, along with wife Molly and lawyer/novelist daughter Alafair, as well as former partner Clete Purcel, travel to the wilds near Missoula, Montana for a little R and R. All is well until an arrow flies from nowhere and nearly kills Alafair while she is on a mountain jog. To Dave, the most likely suspect is Wyatt Dixon, an ex rodeo champion and felon, who reprises from Bitterroot (2001) but other suspects quickly jump up on Dave’s radar. One, the sexual sadist and convicted serial killer Asa Surrette, who apparently died in an explosive prison transport van crash. Or did he? Could he have survived? Somehow escaped from the mangled, charred vehicle? Alafair has no doubts. She has seen his face, in town, following her. Dave isn’t convinced. Could Surrette not only be alive but be hell-bent on exacting revenge against Alafair, for whom he holds a deep-seated hatred after she wrote a series of articles blaming him for other crimes? Can Dave protect her from such a relentless force?

Perhaps the most interesting character in the story is Gretchen Horowitz, Clete’s estranged daughter, introduced in Creole Belle (2012). A former contract killer for mob types, she is now reinventing herself as a documentary film maker. A fascinating and deep character with a history, she enters the fray in a no-brakes, in-your-face fashion. Smart, tough, and relentless, she employs her own brand of violence to protect herself, and Alafair.

This story is written in James Lee Burke’s usual style. Richly poetic writing mixed with down and dirty storytelling. The setting comes alive, the story drags you along at a breathless pace, and the characters rise to haunt you long after you read the final page. Classic JLB.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Dub Walker and Samantha Cody thriller series show less

James Lee Burke, like his detective Dave Robicheaux, grew up in the bayeux of Louisiana. Most of his Robicheaux books are set there or in New Orleans. A number of years ago Burke moved to Montana and he has set some books there, including one, Swan Peak, that has Dave and his friend, Clete Purcell running into trouble while on vacation there. Now, with Light of the World, he has brought Dave and Clete, Dave's wife Molly, Dave's daughter Alafair and Clete's daughter Gretchen Horowitz to Montana for another vacation. You would think after the last time that they would find some other place to vacation! But then I guess you wouldn't have this story.

Alafair and Gretchen are adults now. Alafair has written a novel and is working on another show more one. Gretchen, formerly a killer-for-hire, went to film school and has produced one critically acclaimed documentary. She is filming another one about an oilman, Love Younger, who lives in Montana near where Dave et al. are staying. Love Younger isn't very happy with Gretchen but he does have other things on his mind as his granddaughter, an orphan from a nearby reserve who was adopted by his son, Caspian, and daughter-in-law, Felicity, was just recently murdered.

Three years before this Alafair decided to interview a serial killer, Asa Surette, in jail. She was so shaken by this man that she wrote several articles with the intention of getting Surette subject to the death penalty. Earlier this year Surette was supposedly killed when the prison van that was transporting him collided with a fuel truck and everyone was burned beyond recognition. Now, Alafair is convinced that Surette survived and that he is in Montana. Not just anywhere in Montana but right near the house where Alafair and the rest of the gang are staying. Someone shot an arrow at Alafair when she was out jogging and nicked her ear. At first Dave didn't believe Alafair when she told him that Surette was alive and in Montana but he is forced to accept that it is so when Alafair comes back from Missoula with a note from Surette. Did Surette kill Younger's granddaughter? Is he responsible for the abduction of a waitress and the brutal mutilation of a police detective? Or is there more than one homicidal maniac at work here?

Some of the scenes made my skin crawl. Burke has always written in the noir tradition but this book seemed darker than any other. Surette is not only without conscience but has a connection with evil forces. He exudes a smell like fecal matter that no deodorants, cologne or soap can get rid of. He believes he cannot be killed. This reminded me a lot of Andrew Pyper's book The Demonologist which I read earlier this year. When Pyper was in Winnipeg for the Thin Air Festival I asked him if he believed in the existence of demons and evil forces and he replied in the affirmative. I am normally an optimistic person but reading books like this and Pyper's make me wonder if I am deluding myself. show less

Thus Burke continues the weakening of his canon. With this one, Robicheaux and crew return to Montana - never my favorite stories. Somehow several violent criminals descend on a Montana backwater. Somehow we have to continue to deal with Clete's long-lost, killer-for-hire daughter. Somehow Alafair and the vicious progeny of Clete grow as close as sisters, and there's a subtle hint of a potential love affair between the two. It's all just too far from the origins of the series. Not to mention, Burke's math on how old Dave must be at this point is starting to stretch the boundaries of believability. I'm saddened by what the Robicheaux series is becoming.

2 bones!!

Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell – and those closest to them – have certainly earned a little downtime. Barely having survived the gunfight that ended The Glass Rainbow, Dave and Clete were soon battling pure evilness again in the nineteenth book in the Dave Robicheaux series, Creole Belle. Now, as Light of the World opens Dave and Clete, along with Dave’s wife Molly and daughter Alafair, are recovering on a friend’s ranch in a remote part of Montana.

Life is good – at least until Alafair is almost killed by an arrow while running on one of the ranches wooded trails. Dave, not a man who believes in coincidences, immediately starts nosing around (much to the chagrin of the local sheriff) and is soon reminded that the forces of show more evil never take a day off. The fight is on. And then Clete’s daughter (introduced in Creole Belle) shows up and throws a little gasoline on the already simmering fire.

Dave and Clete, personally flawed as they are, pride themselves on representing good in the perpetual battle between good and evil. They defend those who are incapable of defending themselves – and, because they are willing to get their own hands dirty to get the job done, they do it very well. And when it comes to protecting their daughters, all bets are off, especially when facing someone like Asa Surette, a ghostlike psychopath who has been nursing a grudge against Alafair for years and finally is in the position to make her pay.

Alafair, however, is more than ready to defend herself, and takes a surprisingly active hand in confronting the man whose attention she feels so guilty about bringing into their lives. Readers will decide for themselves (I found her new warrior-like persona to be a little jarring) whether the new Alafair is, perhaps, a bit of a misstep on the author’s part.

Now twenty books long and twenty-six years old, the Dave Robicheaux series is as strong as ever. Dave Robicheaux and Cletus Purcell have become as familiar to avid fans as members of their own families. The men, especially Clete, may not be perfect but it is their flaws that make them so effective in fighting the human predators so common in their world. They are willing to give as good as they get, and we love them for it.

Bottom Line: Light of the World is a great addition to the Dave Robicheaux series and fans will want to grab it. James Lee Burke is as good as ever – maybe even better. Gretchen Horowitz, Clete’s recently discovered adult daughter, is great fun and one hopes that she will be around for a long time. show less

It was supposed to be a glorious vacation for detective Dave Robicheaux, Alafair, Molly, and their friend Clete Purcell in the mountains of Montana. They are the guests of Albert Hollister. Mr.Holllister is a retired English professor of considerable reputation thanks also to his status as a novelist. His expansive property is at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountains in western Montana and should be the perfect spot for Dave and the others to recover from recent traumatic events.

Unfortunately, while it may be paradise, evil and trouble are in the woods. The arrow that barely nicked Alafair’s ear could have killed her. The only person in the immediate area she can find and confront is a Mr. Wyatt Dixon of Fort Davis, Texas. Mr. Dixon show more clearly has issues, but whether he fired the arrow is not clear so she enlists her father’s help. When that does not work, they get local law enforcement involved in the matter. That just makes things go from bad to worse.

Whether or not Mr. Dixon fired the arrow, he is now on their radar as they are on his. Whether he is the one lurking in the nearby cave writing strange religious sayings on the walls they don't know. Whether he is responsible for other strange events, they don’t know. Why they seemingly are targets they don't know. But, gradually over the course of many weeks, pieces began to fall into place proving again that true evil never really goes away.

As in earlier reads of this series, author James Lee Burke once again ponders the idea of evil in the world. Going far beyond the nature vs. nurture arguments, the evil that Mr. Burke refers to is an evil from beyond humanity. It may take human form from time to time in each generation but even when those humans are detected for what they are and ultimately removed from the board, the evil that spawned them is still out there waiting to come forth again.

Much of this book is spent in the minds of various characters as they perceive people and events around them. Some of these characters have experienced horrific things in their childhood and subsequently in their lives and have learned to deal with that in interesting ways. One such character is Gretchen, the daughter of Clete, who experienced what can only be termed as horrific childhood abuse by multiple male figures in her life and ultimately became a contract killer for the mob. She makes a return appearance in this book and is again transforming herself--this time into a talented film student and director.

Then there are other characters who have basically become the people who did things to them. While they may have a redeeming quality or two buried deep inside, they basically are primarily evil in some way.

Then there are those who may not be human who walk among us, live in our prisons, and receive intense and almost worshipping media attention for their crimes. What they are and their power over this mortal coil is just a small part of this very complicated book. The result is a 500 page plus read that ponders many topics in the state of the world today while dealing with a complex mystery that stretches from Montana across several states.

One gets a sense that this is the final book of the series. If so, author James Lee Burke once again delivers a compelling and very complicated read. If you prefer your characters to be simple, the action fast and furious, and everything obvious, then Mr.Burke's books are not for you. If you prefer mysteries that are complicated with characters that are deeply complicated human beings, you are open to philosophy in its many forms, and are comfortable reading on several layers at the same time; Light of the World: A Dave Robicheaux Novel is another feast for the mind and soul.

Light of the World: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
James Lee Burke
http://www.jamesleeburke.com
Simon & Schuster
http://www.SimonandSchsuter.com
July 2013
ISBN# 978-1-4767-1076-1
560 Pages
Hardback (also available in audio and e-book)
$27.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013 show less

I read my first James Lee Burke book in 1990, it was The Neon Rain, I bought the paperback for the title, and I loved the main Character Dave Robicheaux. After reading the book I read the next two books in the series, and from then on I read everything that James Lee Burke wrote. I would buy his books the day they came out even though they were hardback and expensive and knowing if i waited a week or two they would go on sale. I didn't care, I couldn't wait to read them. Like all book series, some were better than others but even the not so great ones were better than many other books out there. The series should have ended with "The Glass Rainbow", even though I would be sad that the series was over, the main characters Dave and Clete show more were becoming, cliched, predictable and tiring. Let's face it these two should be dead, after all of their crazy antics or at the least in jail or retired and playing shuffleboard in Florida.
The series was in trouble as all series are when he started adding additional characters to the story. His wife Molly who was some liberal do-gooder Nun in El Salvador, so she gets a pass for anything she helps Dave with, and then there was the the making of Dave's daughter Alafair more prominent in the stories. A daughter with the same name that the author has in real life.To really "Jump The Shark" the author added a daughter for Clete named Gretchen whose background was supposed to, I guess elicit sympathy but was just cliched and laughable.
The other problem with this series and other series from Mr Burke, were that his politics and beliefs went from being a small part of the story, to instead being front and center. The author is free to have whatever political views he wants but to ruin a fictional book series to make his point is disastrous. We all know he is Liberal, hates Republicans and especially Bush who we blames for everything including New Orleans lack of planning for Hurricane Katrina. The BP disaster was another example of big business screwing over the little guy, in fact he really hates oil companies, and Logging companies too. He doesn't however see a problem with Dave and Clete repeatedly taken the law into their own hands and administering justice the way they see fit. Like many other Liberals he also doesn't seem to mind making money for himself, as he is doing something good and noble because he writes books as opposed to raping the land and fouling the water. It must be nice to hang out at one of your two homes Mr Burke and and make pronouncements about the rest of the world.
I must confess I did not read the last book in this series Creole Belle, because based on actual reader reviews it did not sound like I would like it, and I thought I would seek it out in paperback sometime down the road. That has yet to happen.
So it was with major wariness I decided to buy Light of the World, as I had some time to kill at the airport recently.
The writing is like James Lee Burke, there are parts that lyrical almost poetic, but it has all been done before and better by this author. There were times I wondered if Mr Burke even actually wrote this book of if someone who was very familiar with his style (his daughter maybe) actually contributed or fully wrote it. I mean who talks like Dave in the 21st century? In this book the storyline is all over the place, there are descriptions that seem to be used to fill up pages rather than adding anything to the story. His political views started showing up as early as on page 24 of the paperback version and the story continued downhill from there.

If you have read this book and it was your first or second in this series, and you liked it, go back to the books in the beginning before the Author was a cranky preachy old Liberal. The series used to be the benchmark of writing and storytelling, the descriptions made you feel as if you were there experiencing what Dave was, as it was happening. The action portions make sense and the story lines made sense.
I saw where Mr Burkes latest Book is not really part of any of his current series though the are a character or two from one of his series, in it. I doubt I will read it. This author unfortunately for me just is not worth the time anymore. show less