I have not read a James Lee Burke novel in awhile and have forgotten just how graphic his books are. They are graphic in every sense-language, violence, sex, subject matter that they are not for the faint of heart. For some reason I picture them more of a male novel but I could be off on that.
The other thing to remember is Burke is an achingly beautiful writer. He wraps you up and takes you to Southern Louisiana with descriptions of food, geography and people so on target that I am transported there.

Dave Robicheaux is an off and on cop. He is always getting fired or suspended as he only listens to his own moral voice. And he will do anything, and I mean anything, to accomplish his goal. His best friend is Clete, a former cop and now a P.I. with voracious appetites. They both came back from Vietnam with a load of medals and enough PTSS to last a lifetime.

This book deals with two criminal families who trade a young girl in one family to the other family. This sex trafficking enrages Dave and starts a war like no other. There is lots of mysticism and a bad guy who travels through time to accomplish his horrible goals. He rides a big ship with black masts and only certain people can see him.

This deals a lot with death and good and evil and making choices in life. "There are epiphanies most of us do not share with others. Among them is the hour when you make your peace with death," Dave says at one point. It's a book that really makes you think. I was so shaken that I couldn't sleep last night. As I said, it's not for the faint of heart.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This book was not for me.

The idea of it was good, but the writing style threw me a bit. It's sort of old western style.

In addition, I could not connect with the characters emotionally. They were obviously going through some shit, and like normal men they just breezed the surface and I didn't get a look into their minds, what they were thinking, what they were feeling.

All this led to me not connecting, and therefore not loving, this book.

Fans of the series should know that this is not a continuation- it falls somewhere in the middle of the timeline of Dave Robicheaux (and Clete Purcell). Dave's wives Annie and Bootsie are dead, he hasn't met Molly, Alafair (who only has a cameo) is at college, and Tripod (again a cameo only) is alive. It is, however, classic James Lee Burke, blending Dave's (and Clete's) need to right wrongs with a fair number of evil doers. Dave's working as a PI when he learns that young Isolde has been trafficked from her wealthy crime family to another wealthy crime family in some sort of murky and historical agreement. This sets him off on a quest to find her which takes him through worst the swamps can offer but this time adds in a time traveling torturer and killer known as Gabriel who has a snake like appearance. Dave and Clete see him as well as a ship with black sails but not everyone can. Clete, who can't abide those who hurt women or animals (and especially hates Nazis) gets on the wrong side of the evil doers (not a surprise) but so does Father Julian, a progressive priest. And so does Dave. It's next to impossible to describe the plot - it's got some real odd (and often very gory) moments but it kept me engaged. As always, though, its the characters that stand out, starting with Dave and Clete and continuing through with, especially Leslie. AND then there's Burke's writing which, admittedly can go a bit purple at times but I wouldn't have it any other way. He can make you feel the heat, smell the smells, feel the pain, and hear the sounds in a way few can. His description of drunkards- and Dave's cravings- is sadly perfect. I loved this- I admit to being a fan- because it gave me more insight into a character I've followed for a long time. Burke never turns a blind eye to the bad stuff and that's what makes him such a terrific chronicler of life. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A great read - highly recommend.

Another good edition to the Dave Robicheaux series. The ending and the acknowledgements in the book make we wonder if this is the last time we will see Robicheaux. Or if this is the penultimate novel in the series and Burke is saving his farewell to the fan favorite to be his last release. I don’t want to give much away but from the description folks may wonder how a “time traveler” fits into a raw, gritty crime novel. It doesn’t interfere much with the traditional ebb and flow and of the thoughts, actions and turmoil that always seem to surround Dave and his faithful sidekick Crete Purcell. A few times I wish the always witty dialogue between the characters would have been fleshed out a little more. But another the good addition to an incredible series and still goes to show that Burke can’t go wrong when he revisits the Bobbsey Twins from Homicide

Wow, I just finished reading an advance copy of “A Private Cathedral “ by James Lee Burke. The novel follows Dave Robicheaux and his partner Clete Purcell as they try to save a young lady who, they fear, is being delivered into human slavery. The rich imagery and vivid descriptions that Burke is famous for are here in spades. One can smell the salt air, see the vivid colors, taste the Cajun cuisine and hear the music of New Orleans and the southern Louisiana coast. This is Mr Burke’s first full- on assault on the supernatural. I am usually not a fan of the supernatural, but the author has done an admirable job with this story. Included as part of Dave and Clete’s inner demons is a reptile like, time traveling assassin. The demon goes by the name of Gideon Richetti and travels aboard an ancient black-sailed galleon rowed by his previous victims. No Dave Robicheaux tale would be complete without a liberal dose of southern Louisiana’s most colorful characters and this one is no different. The characters show up as bar tenders, prostitutes, rich ner-do-wells and an assortment of others. All contribute to a wonderful story. Thanks to Simon and Shuster, Mr Burke and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advance copy. I can wholeheartedly recommend this novel for adult reading.

For older guys who have soaked their brains in alcohol for decades, been shot, beaten, blown up, kicked in the heads, and tortured, detectives Clete and Robicheaux are in fighting shape. Not only that, but Robicheaux must have a closet full of Viagra because, for an old, depressed, fried guy, he has no trouble getting on with gangsters' wives and girlfriends. When will Clete and Robicheaux ever learn? How have they lived this long?

Why am I writing about a James Lee Burke novel, A Private Cathedral, when I normally cover horror? Because every once in awhile, Burke's books feature ghosts, demons, dead Confederates, and figures that may or may not be of the imagination. Sometimes the denizens of the night are in Robicheaux's mind, but everybody seems to be seeing the Medieval lizard-man who rides a sea-going galleon rowed by the damned. Who is this torturer from the past and is the Louisiana mob in the hands of the devil?

It takes two frayed, soused, haunted, depressed detectives to take on the demon.

One of the things I've always liked about Burke's books is that they describe the wet, the humid, the rotting and the beauty of the swamps and bayous in such a way that you feel like you are there. I've lived in the deep South (I know, I know, I've lived a lot of places) and there is something spooky and supernatural about it. Burke is good at bringing out the reasons the deep South feels cursed As William Faulkner said, "The past isn't dead, it isn't even past." Burke's Louisiana books, including Private Cathedral, are full of the atmosphere that the past isn't past.

Many thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for this chance to read and review this novel.

The Shondell and Balangie families are old families, big players in the criminal underworld in Louisiana. In Romeo and Juliet fashion, Johnny Shondell and Isolde Balangie have fallen in love. They run away when Isolde is given to Mark Shondell, Johnny's uncle, as a sex slave. When he learns about the transaction between Mark Shondell and Adonis Balangie, Isolde's father, Dave Robicheaux finds himself walking straight into the middle of a maelstrom. He's sticking his nose in family business and customs that go back hundreds of years, and Mark Shondell doesn't particularly like it. Trouble follows.

Dave Robicheaux has seen his share of hard knocks. Two wives untimely deceased, in and out of more than one police department, a recovering alcoholic, he still fights the good fight. He may be a bit rough around the edges, but he's one of the good guys. He and his best friend, Clete Purcel, are in it up to their eyeballs trying to take down Mark Shondell and a centuries-old custom of trafficking between the Shondell and Balangie families. Add to the mix a supernatural centuries-old assassin called a revelator who appears in a ghost ship, and this is one mess Dave and Clete might not make their way out of.

A Private Cathedral is full of suspense, action, family drama, the unexplainable, and a little sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It's hard to pin down allegiances sometimes, and there's always the possibility that someone may switch sides. And James Lee Burke tells the story with his characteristic glorious, and sometimes philosophical, turns of phrase.

"I wondered if Pietro, the Balangie patriarch, believed he was part of it, reborn in the New Country, safe from poverty, forgiven for the sins he committed out of necessity in the service of a capitalistic God."

"It was like waking from a bad dream as a child only to find, as the sunlight crept into the room and drove away the shadows, that your nocturnal fears were justified and that the creatures you couldn't flee in your sleep waited for you in the blooming of the day."

"It was one of those rare moments when the ephemerality of the human condition becomes inescapable and you want to smash your watch and shed your mortal fastenings and embrace the rain and the wind and rise into the storm and become one with its destructive magnificence."

It doesn't take long to get hooked into this story, and once you do, it pulls you along. The tale is compelling, and eerie, and you aren't sure where you're going to end up until Burke ties all the threads together. There is betrayal and grief, loss and redemption. Buckle up and get to reading.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of A Private Cathedral through NetGalley. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books that I don't like.

After finishing James Lee Burke's landmark 40th book, “A Private Cathedral,” I knew I wouldn't read a better novel this year. The alchemy of Burke's prose makes the reader feel as if they've touched a bit of heaven itself.
Jim Burke's 23rd Dave Robicheaux crime thriller takes the grizzled Cajun detective and his best friend, veteran partner Clete Purcell, to new depths of evil. The story is set in pre-9/11 time, the late '90's.Dave is alone, having recently lost his second wife Bootsie to Lupus.
While attending a concert by young rocker Johnny Shondell, Dave meets New Iberia teenager Isolde Belangie. Isolde and Johnny are in love. But like Romeo and Juliet, the Shondell and Belangie families have been at war for generations in the South Louisiana criminal underworld. To keep the couple apart, Isolde is given to Johnny's uncle Mark as a sex slave. Johnny and Isolde soon run away together.
Dave and Clete begin their search for the couple, confronting both sides of the feuding families. Isolde's mother Penelope weaves a spell over Dave. Likewise, Dave befriends a former stripper and mistress to Big Easy mafioso Adonis Belangie. Twice threatened and beaten down, the jealous mobster calls in a mysterious hitman to rid the world of Dave and Clete.
Gideon Richetti is easily Burke's most heinous villain.. Gideon is a revelator, a time traveler from the 1600's, an executioner for kings and queens and religion and God, who arrives on a ghost ship with no warning.
To defeat Gideon, Dave must confront his alcoholic past, his ghosts of Vietnam, and the painful memories of lost family members.
“A Private Cathedral” crackles with an electric radiance that places it at the pinnacle of crime novels and just great reads, period.

Classic noir hard-boiled mysteries do not typically engage me so thoroughly, but there is a special something about A Private Cathedral that kept drawing me back in every time I put it down. From the descriptions to the paranormal's inclusion, James Lee Burke's 40th novel is a treat on many levels.

What I Love

The grit of the story has a unique beauty due to wonderfully detailed descriptions that painted just the right picture, while shocking metaphors that make you look at the ordinary through all new lenses. I loved the use of language in this novel. It immediately drew me in and left me with a whole new appreciation for the written word.

I loved the addition of the paranormal aspect with Gideon Richetti, who claims to be a time-traveling executioner from the 1600s. He is a revelatory or someone who reveals the true nature of the people he comes in contact with. He is also a killer of unbridled proportions. I loved that this unexpected part of the story fits so comfortably in a classic noir.

Dave Robicheaux is a delightfully flawed hero. As with all hard-boiled detectives, he has the code he lives by, and he is faithful to that code. Robicheaux only becomes involved in a relationship with Penelope when she declares that she isn't married to the man he thought is her husband. Of course, all the other characters raise their eyebrows at this declaration, as I did, but he takes it at face value. He only resorts to violence when he has no other choice. And, he is a loyal partner and co-worker.

The novel is gritty with a dark realism that is enhanced by its staccato rhythm and sharp tone. The pace fits the rhythm and ebbs and flows like the water the ship travels on, keeping me bound in its web of lies and misdirections while providing me with the details that created the multiple layers of the complex cast of characters.

To Read or Not to Read
There is so much to this story that most readers will find enjoyable, and I highly recommend that they jump aboard.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: A Private Cathedral (Dave Robicheaux #23) by James Lee Burke
(Published by Simon & Schuster, August 11, 2020)

4.25 Stars

William Shakespeare's family feud lovers' tale meets the bayou, and the "Bobbsey Twins from Homicide".

Nor, the reader duly notes, is this advocate of the exquisite flavors of Cajun culture, an author who would be denied his fair share and his own brand of the domain of the Bard of Avon - the beauty and elegance of lyrical prose.

Flowing in ripples, James Lee Burke delves deep and explores the character, mind, essence and demons of the protagonist - his Private Cathedral - his memories, his war experiences, the tragic death of his father, the adoption of his Salvadorean daughter...

"...a Cathedral in which you can hear your heartbeat echoing off the walls."

The persona and exploits of Detective Dave Robicheaux along with his buddy, Clete Purcel, are much-storied literary products of the pen of an author proclaimed by Michael Connelly as "...the heavyweight champ".

In its 23rd iteration, a confrontation with an assassin, Gideon Richetti, an enigmatic revelator - a creature seemingly existing beyond the laws of physics, is compounded by a bitter family feud, the primordial elements of power, greed, lust and desire, the inducement of opioids and hallucinogens, and rendered intriguing by the very nature of Richetti and his pirate ship from the mist - evil, grotesque, fearsome - and yet full of surprises.

Elegant prose, complex characters, and a steady dose of down-to-earth humor, but not overly so. A quick, entertaining read to be savored!

Review based on an ARC from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley.

The twenty-third novel featuring Louisiana sleuth Dave Robicheaux is a heady gumbo of crime and violence, tattered souls, addiction, sticky landscapes, lyrical prose, and battles between good and evil that go far beyond a few cases or time periods. Bayou noir dosed with magic realism.

A Private Cathedral in some ways feels like a sort of culmination of a lot of what’s gone before in the Robicheaux series (even if it goes back in time chronologically), taken to a dizzying new level. It’s both brilliant, and perhaps not the best example of Burke's storytelling for readers new to the Robicheaux series.

The Bobbsey twins from homicide are back at it. This time they are battling a couple of feuding Mafia families with ancient traditions involving arranged relationships. Burke has a strong command of the English language and is a proficient story teller. While I like the dark nature of Dave Robicheaux’s character I wasn’t thrilled with the introduction of a supernatural character. A good read.

I expected a typical Burke story and got one. I love his deep, dark stories that build on fully- developed and familiar characters, and this did not disappoint. Recommend for his huge base of fans.

I was so excited to start this book once I saw the description. I have never read anything by this author before but I don't mind reading books out of order. It sounded like a modern day twist on Romeo and Juliet set in Louisiana with a time traveling assassin .

Unfortunately, after starting this one I ended up DNFing it shortly after chapter 4. I just gave up. For me this was way to wordy when it came to some of the descriptions.

Overall, I liked the main characters Dave and Celete and enjoyed the detective/mafia storyline. But I just couldn't get into the story at large.

After starting to read this one I found out it is book #19 in the Dave Robichaux series by James Lee Burke and the first I have ever read. Oh my what a ride! This book gripped you from the very beginning and I had a hard time putting it down. A gritty hard core detective he is in the bayous of Louisiana with all the mysticism and voodoo gris gris La. is known for surrounding the storyline. The only problem I had was some of the names he used and the political stance he gave. Having lived in the area a long time I can't agree with his views on racism in the area..He probably has lived in Montana too long and forgot how it is here. Now, that part was miniscule on the scale of the storyline so I still give it a 3.5 rounded up to a 4.

James Lee Burke's books are never boring! You can count on a vivid tale with the legends of Louisiana folklore setting the background for the trouble that Dave Robicheaux finds on every corner. Yes, this may be 23 in the series, but the story is able to stand on it's own. As Dave and Clete battle to save two young people on the run from their own families, they encounter a new villain set to kill them. These crime/thrillers are definitely not for the faint of heart, but the violence and the consequences make for an exciting, engrossing story that will have you searching for the other 22 Dave Robicheaux books.

A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL by author James Lee Burke is the 23rd book in the “Dave Robicheaux series” that began with THE NEON RAIN, an excellent book that anyone interested in the series would benefit from, as much of who Dave is and what haunts him in later books originates in the first book.

Dave seems to be doing o.k. in the beginning of this book, as is often the case, but as also is often the pattern in other books in the series, it doesn’t take very long for that to change drastically.

Two feuding families in the vicinity have been at odds going back generations, one family is the Shondells and the other are the Balangies, who both are clans that are best avoided if possible, and especially when getting involved in the affairs between the families, which of course Dave does albeit reluctantly when his heart goes out to a young daughter of the Balangie family who is a pawn in the affairs of both families as part of a business transaction that includes her arranged delivery to the Shondells into a forced relationship with an evil older member of the family.

Mark Shondell is someone Dave is familiar with and would rather avoid, but along with Clete, who is his longtime best friend and former partner on the police force many years ago, meets with Mark on the girl’s behalf, although Clete’s presence sours the deal and Dave can’t avoid making his feelings known, so the pair leave knowing they now have a powerful and ruthless enemy to contend with.

Clete is a Vietnam vet who has a mean streak a mile wide, especially when children or women are abused or threatened, and his demons are powerful, but rather than impeding his abilities to physically contend with his enemies, this seem to fuel his attacks; although the aftermath usually results in both he and Dave landing in serious trouble, and once again it’s no different this time around.

Johnny Shondell is a talented musician who is in love with Isolde Balangie, the young woman that is the subject of the human trafficking between the families, and their relationship appears to be doomed unless somehow Dave and Clete can find a way to extract Isolde from the deal.

Something that seems to be a trap for writers in many long running series of novels involving leading characters is for there to be an apparent formula that is repetitive, leaving readers familiar with other books from the series able to predict what situations can be expected to take place next, and this and other books involving Robicheaux are examples of this; yet some things in this one make it unique in that it has an eerie supernatural feel that fits the legendary Louisiana Bayou area it takes place in, and Dave’s curious relationship with a despicable criminal yet not understanding why he comes to his aid until later figuring out that he has something in common with the man that’s totally unexpected.

Clete was an important part of this book, and his background and life experiences are essential to explaining many of his demons and motivation to come to the aid of others, more so in this than any of the other books I’ve read in the series.

I enjoyed this one, although I think it would work better for readers somewhat familiar with Dave’s history, and the relationship between he and Clete that would make more sense to them of the abandon with which two proceed in spite of life threatening situations; yet it might not seem as cliched in places for those less familiar with the other books in this series.

4 stars.

James Lee Burke's favorite detective, who hails from New Iberia, LA, is back for the twenty-third installment of the Robicheaux series. In this book, Dave Robicheaux and his friend, Clete Purcel, try to help a young girl who they believe has been forced into an arranged marriage with a much older man and crime boss, Mark Shondell. However, instead of delivering Isolde Balangie to his uncle, she and fellow budding musician Johnny Shondell decide they are in love and flee to Florida. During the course of trying to find Isolde, Dave becomes close to Isolde's mother, Penelope, which doesn't sit well with her husband, Mark. Mark summons Gideon Richetti, a sort of hitman who can time-travel, to get rid of Dave and Clete.

A Private Cathedral seems to be a new take on the tale of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The teens, Isolde and Johnny, are the children of feuding Louisiana Mafiosas. This installment manages to blend crime, mystery, and the supernatural, which Louisiana is famous for! The descriptions of places in Louisiana are lush and accurate, and the character development is spot-on. The book has a number of underlying themes, including racism, human trafficking, class warfare, and substance abuse.

This was not my favorite of James Lee Burke's novels, due to the inclusion of the supernatural element. However,, I think his fans will still enjoy it!

So, thanks to Net Galley, I have just read James Lee Burke’s latest book entitled “A Private Cathedral.” Burke returns for the 23rd time to his protagonist Dave Robicheaux (and his trusty sidekick Crete). Burke takes the outline of “Romeo and Juliet” and gives it a Cajun twist. After finishing the novel last night I still am not sure what exactly occurred but enjoyed the suspense, the danger, the sudden violence all while commiserating with the inner life of his hero Robicheaux. The story has a puzzling mixture of the supernatural that is threaded throughout the narrative that was captivating for me as the reader but frustrating in its place in the plot. That being said, couldn’t wait for the sun to go down so I could pick up my Kindle and continue reading! May Mr. Burke keep on keeping on...

James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors, and his new novel, A Private Cathedral, takes his popular series character, Dave Robicheaux, into a strange, new experience. This time, Burke blends genres, adding a seemingly supernatural villain to a mystery/detective/crime story. Publisher's Weekly gave this book, Burke's 23rd novel, a starred review, and it deserves it.

In this outing, two criminal families continue a violent, long time feud, and Robicheaux and his PI sidekick, Clete Purcell, face off against a frightening, time-traveling golem--yes, really.

Don't miss this one.