I tried, I really tried to talk myself out of giving this five stars. There is just so much violence happening in the states right now, and this being JLB, with Robicheaux and Clete, one knows there is going to be plenty. Still, I failed, had to give it five stars simply because, to borrow from a song title, No one does it better.

His stories including this one are so multifaceted, so we'll written and his characters drawn so richly. Clete and Robicheaux have villians of their own internally to deal with, and in this outing they rise to the surface. The line between good and evil is so finely drawn, it is sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad. The veils between this world and another at lifted, a galleon appears in the fog and all bets are off. There very sanity now added to some heavy duty issues, seek to derail them in their quest to save two young people from feuding families. Can it be done and what will be the cost to their very souls?

I realize that this book will not appeal to all, but for me he is my number one favorite writer.

James Lee Burke never disappoints. The ghosts of The Bayou are far more dangerous than the ghosts of the Confederates, as Dave faces his demons with the help of his friend Clete. Page turner to the end!

James Lee Burke is unequalled in bringing the sights, sounds and smells of the Louisiana marsh country's culture to life. He is always mixing the past and present cultures. In this case, Dave and Clete are waging the good fight against centuries of evil while struggling with their own inner demons. A new twist for the Bobsey twins from homicide and a good read.

Classic James Lee Burke. This one also had the right dose of weirdness and thrill mixed to a scintillating denouement. Gritty mystery fiction at it's best. Recommended.

I know Burke’s long time fans will welcome his latest Dave Robicheaux novel. I certainly did. Much is familiar here. His buddy, Clete Purcell, is back and Dave has his badge back, on a conditional basis. The ambiguity of characters is constantly in flux. Familiar struggles—with PTSD, alcoholism, mob figures, sexuality—still part of the story. The different element is the appearance of pure evil in the person of a Time Traveler, reptilian in appearance and omniscient in his ability to target his victims’ most secret vulnerabilities. And the victims include Clete and Dave. I found it all over-the-top stretch of believability and full of more than the usual violence.

James Lee Burke has long been a favorite of mine, and a new book in the Dave Robicheaux series is always welcome. In Private Cathedral, Dave faces foes that may be literal demons, bringing this crime series into new territory. As always, my favorite "character" is the state of Louisiana itself, brought to vivid life on the page. The mystery in Private Cathedral wasn't so much a mystery as a self discovery for Dave and Clete both. If you are a long time reader, you will sink into this book like you would a warm bath. If you're new to the Dave Robicheaux books, I would not recommend this one to start. The book is a little wordy and a lot flowery, and doesn't give much in the way of a gripping, suspenseful plot. I think it's more of a love story to the Bayou, to friendship, to love itself, and to faith than a whodunit.

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley.

I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, James Lee Burke, and Simon & Schuster. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors who never disappoints. Though A Private Cathedral is a bit more of a downer than some of the earlier Dave Robicheaux novels, this one is right up there with the must-reads as are the other 22 Dave novels. If you haven't met Dave and his best friend Clete Purcel there is no time like the present social distancing occasion to get acquainted. Your library probably has ALL of the James Lee Burke novels on their digital programs - Libby or Overdrive in most instances. The App is free, and the books automatically erase at the end of the loan period, usually 2 weeks. If time is heavy on your hands I can recommend binge-reading a few of these gems. Some are also movie choices now on AmazonPrime or NetFlix.

There are dark days ahead in Louisiana for Dave and his circle of friends, as we re-visit a few of the crime families in that neck of the woods, and are introduced to the newest generation of those rival crime families, teenager rock-and-rollers Isolde Balangie and Johnny Shondell. Dave has for him what is an eye-opener as he is drawn to a couple of very different women. Mostly Dave, a two-time widower, doesn't involve himself with dating, he's too busy raising Aliafair (in college, now) and solving crimes that circle around the New Orleans communities. Fired from several Police Departments in that environ - Dave had a problem with liquor at times - Dave is currently working for the Sherriff of Iberia County and has been sober for almost two years. One day at a time. In between jobs and on the side, Dave and Clete are private investigators who have a reputation for getting things done.

The timing of this novel is a couple of years after Katrina - there is still a lot going on with restoration work in the area, and it is an area pictured beautifully for you in this work. It makes me wish I didn't hate humidity. We have old friends from previous novels and new acquaintances, and we travel up and down the highways - mostly the little one's, staying off of Interstate 10 and Highway 90 - as we travel from clue to clue. If you love the swamp, you will feel right at home. If like me you love the desert, the emotional visit is welcome as our daily temp hit 93 degrees on May 5, 2020.

If you love Burke, don't miss this book, releasing on August 11th according to AmazonSmile today. If you don't know him, give him a read. He is to the Southern Gulf Coast what Harry Bosch is to LA, CA. and Jesse Stone is to the Eastern Seaboard.

pub date August 11, 2020
Simon & Schuster
Reviewed on Goodreads and Netgalley on May 11, 2020.

Dave's head is in a strange place

Dave is in a mental funk and tells us this story set in the past. He and Clete get involved, not exactly deliberately, with two pretty awful local families – the Shondells and the Balangies. I didn't like the story of sex slavery, favors owed, and long feuds between despicable people, and didn't finish. The thing is, though, despite the 2020 copyright, I could swear I've read it before.

A new Dave Robicheaux novel is always a welcome respite from the drudgery of one’s life. With A Private Cathedral, the author goes back to an earlier Clete and Dave adventure that is otherworldly and quite unlike anything either character normally experiences. When I first read the plot synopsis, I said to myself, really? But you know, dear reader, it works. I throughly enjoyed this novel and one could say it coexists within the Dave Robicheaux mythos and alongside it simultaneously. Not a contradiction but a possible alternate Dave Robicheaux universe or timeline. As always, any novel in this series is highly recommended.

James Lee Burke’s books never fail to draw me in.So well written so multi layered.Another page turner by him kept me reading late into the night.Highly recommend #netgalley#simonandschuster

Mesmerizing, haunting writing where the plot becomes irrelevant and you just want to immerse yourself in beautiful, insightful prose! Burke forces us to think of the unpleasant things around us and our decisions to do something about them or not. One is enveloped metaphorical language so evocative that I could envision myself immersed in a nice warm bath and being totally unaware of my surroundings -- in another world with only Burke. He is the finest pure write in America today. Be aware: he uses gritty, earthy dialog that some readers might find offensive even if the language is authentic/realistic. No one can create an atmosphere as well as Burke!.

James Lee Burke just gets better. His 40th book introduces a super natural element and it works without being hokey. There are many players to keep straight but once you have them down the story flows. Dave Robicheaux is back on the police force fighting internal and external demons while he waxes poetic in philosophical explanations. He is one of the good guys. Add in a Romeo and Juliet type love story, a bit on the darkness of mental illness, and plenty of violence. The location descriptions sing and I love the New Orleans authenticity. A couple of missing details about why an abduction takes place detracts from this being perfect, but it nearly is.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

This has a lots of everything, family feuds,
romance, mystery, supernatural, horror and ultimately sadness and loss. This is James Lee Burke’s 40th book and he shows no sign of slowing down, which is great for readers. A terrific book.

A fascinating read that kept my attention from start to finish. The characters as well as the story come together to give the reader a deep and meaningful story that entertains.

A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL by James Lee Burke is the twenty-third book in the Dave Robicheaux series. This is categorized as a crime thriller, but it also has a bit of supernatural suspense thrown into the mix. Detective Dave Robicheaux has been fired or suspended from three police forces in and around New Orleans, Louisiana. However, he does get a job back with the sheriff’s office during this book. The New Iberia criminal underworld has two families that are longtime enemies; the Shondells and the Balangies. When the youngest heirs of each family fall in love, there is bound to be trouble.
Dave and his best friend Clete are flawed protagonists. Dave is an alcoholic, but has not had a drink in nearly two years. He also has a tendency to fall hard for beautiful women and he is generally a very polite person. On the other hand, Clete has both alcohol and anger management problems. He is a disgraced policeman, who works as a private investigator. The secondary characters were there, but I did not feel that they had enough depth.

The author painted vivid descriptions throughout the book that helped me easily picture the people, places and actions. However, the sheer amount of it slowed the pace of the book substantially. The battle between good and evil was clear, but actions were not always legal. There were a few things which were not neatly wrapped up enough to satisfy me that I can’t describe here without spoilers.

Several themes run through the story line including human trafficking, racism, torture, murder, alcoholism, drug use and much more. Overall, the book was complex and suspenseful, but it left me wanting a cleaner ending. I recommend it to those readers who enjoy the series.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and James Lee Burke for a complimentary ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

It isn't unusual; for Dave Robicheaux to wrestle with his demons, but in this latest addition by James Lee Burke the demons are more magical and surreal than ever, blurring the line between reality and the occult. Feuding families in Iberia Parish, with strong connections to the mob, are at the center of the situation Robcheaux is dealing with. A young man from one family, a girl from the other, are star-crossed to say the least. The girl has basically been given by one patriarch to the other as a business deal, and Dave and his best friend Clete try to rescue her. Of course they become embroiled in unforeseen ways, and an embodiment of evil haunts them physically and emotionally. There is gripping suspense, but somehow Dave's motivation at the outset was never convincing to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in pre-publication in exchange for an honest review. I think I may have read almost every single Dave Robicheaux novel Burke has written, as well as a few of his other novels as well. According to the jacket – he’s written 40 books now. I love the way this man writes. His lyricism with a phrase just enchants me and I can almost always hear the words in my head being spoken in a soft Louisiana accent. Perhaps that’s due to my having listened to a few of his books in the car narrated by Will Patton. That man has the perfect voice for this series.

In A Private Cathedral, Burke mixes crime, romance (somehow there is always a little romance), horror and science fiction to create a compelling tale. If I recall correctly, Burke hasn’t used science fiction in this way since In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead. With the Shondell and Balangie families at war with one another in New Iberia and stopping at nothing to continue to harm one another – emotionally and physically Dave and his partner Clete Purcell get caught up in the feud. The book brings forth a frightening inhuman looking character who arrives on a ghost ship that materializes out of thin air and inflicts harm on chosen individuals on behalf of others.

What I liked: The writing, the characters and the interesting story line. Of course Dave and Clete always manage to get themselves up to their eyeballs in trouble. I liked the Helen Soileau was the book. She’s a good solid character and foil for Dave. Disappointed she was introduced so late in the book, but understand the need to build up the Carroll LeBlanc character earlier in the book so his role later in the book would be more significant. I liked the whole concept of Gideon and how he changed over time as he gained forgiveness.

What could have improved: I didn’t quite understand what happened with Leslie and her daughter. Without describing what happened in the book so as to create a spoiler – I have to admit that part of the ending mystified me. Did I misunderstand what her character was all about?

Lots of the Robicheaux series books are a triumph of good vs. evil with good usually taking some hits along the way. I always find the series well done, well-written and very entertaining. Always find things to highlight and revisit in terms of phraseology.

" Everyone has a private cathedral that he returns to when the world is to much late and soon godless and despair come with the rising of the setting sun."
This is the 23 book by author James Lee Burke featuring his character David Robideaux a Louisiana dectective. Along with his partner the ever cantankerous and quick temperatured Cletus Purcell the two are mixed up with feuding mafioso families, the Belangies and Shondells, add into this volatile mix.
The younger of the two feuding families Isodele Belangie has teamed up with Johnny Shondell the later wants to be a budding rock star but Mark Shondell wants Isodele for not only his own but has a alternative motive one that he keeps secret after making a deal with a supernatural character who travels by a ghost ship and goes by the name of Gideon Ritchetti.
"I've always believed that normalcy is highly overrated and is not to be confused with virtue."
The quote by one of the characters in the story, Father Julien Hebert, fits the plot of this eloquent, evocative and vividly descriptive story. As there is nothing in the story that does show high moral standards.
James Lee Burke knows how to show in print the condition of the human heart and it's disease with both David Robideaux and his partner Cletus Purcell having a battle with their own personal demons.
David Robideaux treats Marcel La Ferchette, who has just been released from prison, as a germ. The consequences of treating one as such comes back to haunt David Robideaux in one scene in the story.
There is however one part of the story that doesn't seem to work. Where the descriptions of the religious groups or individuals begin to act out scences of hatred towards individuals: Joan of Arc, or groups of individuals: the Puritans, Martin Luther against the Jews, Hiroshima, My Lai.

James Lee Burke never fails to deliver, and "A Private Cathedral" is just the latest feather in his cowboy hat!
Mr. Burke is a national treasure, and if you've not read is work, you are missing out!

private-investigators, assassins, Louisiana, supernatural, superstitions, evil, trafficking

Even darker than usual, but every bit as riveting. There is more magic and a prevailing sense of evil in a book that seems just a tad too intense this time with the bad guys far outnumbering the forces for good. The publisher's blurb is an excellent hook and the writing kept me at this book until finished with only necessary interruptions. No spoilers allowed and I really am at a loss as to how to summarize without using them. Bottom line is that I will buy my own copy when it comes out in audio.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Simon and Schuster via NetGalley Thank you!