Wow! Reading Burke is almost an out-of-worldly experience. His amazing talents take the reader out of their small and narrow worlds and bring them into Dave Robicheaux’s real and metaphysical world of good and evil. Normally one would expect a police procedural set in New Iberia, a Louisiana hotspot located near New Orleans. Actually you are taken into Dave’s world some of which is so beyond the realm of any procedural that only talents like Burke’s could make it believable or relatable. I cannot imagine anyone not wanting to learn about and participate in this world. Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC for an honest review.

And we're off again ... down to Bayou Teche, with wilder weather than usual, the oysters, crab and shrimp etouffee, the music always the music. But, wait.


Two things set the latest Dave Robicheaux novel apart from others in the series. One, there is far more fantasy than previously encountered. Dave and his Bobsey Twin Clete find themselves more up to their necks in not only their personal demons, but time travelers and shapeshifters who muddy the waters of the story's framework which involves the war between two crime families who harbor years' old feuds. Such crimes as human trafficking, child porn, enslavement through the use of LSD and China white, and the prevalence of cell phones set the time in the present, but there is constant mention of this having taken place many years in the past, which casts a surreal cloak over the proceedings.

What IS constant are Dave's thoughts about the inherent nature of the proponents of evil and the "legacy (that is) always there, their exponents and justifiers at the ready, the banner of heaven or nation flapping above their heads." Which brings me to the second element that makes this different from other James Lee Burke Robicheaux novels: this is his take on the current state of the affairs of state. That is all I'm going to say, since revealing any more would be a spoiler.

Nobody can stop themselves from being immediately immersed into the action of the twenty-third entry into the critically acclaimed Dave Robicheaux series from the pen of multi-award winning James Lee Burke. The often fired detective finds himself re-instated, only to become embroiled in the centuries long feud between Louisana's
two most notorious gangland families ... the malignant Shondell and Balangie families. Two of the youngest scions of the family ... Johnny Shondell and Isolde Balangie find themselves entwined in a mutual infatuation between themselves and rock and roll music. They create a sound reminiscent of "Swamp Pop" ... the New Orleans sound of old.. Johnny indeed has magnetisms on stage with his voice and guitar, accompanied by the golden tones of Isolde. This apparent idyllic situation seems doomed when Robicheaux learns that the seventeen year-old Isolde is imminently destined to be "given" to Johnny's slime ball Uncle Mark (Shondell) as an offering for peace between the families. No way can Robicheaux avoid jumping into the fray to investigate and hopefully stop this injustice .... naturally drawing into the situation his best friend, the "human wrecking ball" and "avenging angel" - Clete Purcel. If nothing else but colorful ... Clete lives to "blow up someone's shit" .... although a disgraced cop, he is a lone soul sowing destruction and chaos everywhere he goes. Complicating Dave and Clete's imbroglio involving the two warring families is the specter of an apparently hired assassin, Gideon Richetti. Gideon is referred by many as a "revelator" and possesses unfathomable skills that raise unworldly possibilities. All the while Dave has to contend with his inner torments to maintain his sobriety and fend off the "snakes" in his head regarding apparitions from his Vietnam days.
No other writer than Burke can put such electricity into his prose, or paint such an ethereal image while describing ongoing events. Get swept along the journey into his Cajun culture, and be sucked into the cadence of his poetic words brimming with local culture significance, And, at the same time, devolve into a treatise of the difference between evil and cruelty. James Lee Burke weaves a compelling and thrilling adventure concocted in an amazing brew of crime, romance, horror and a dollop of speculative fiction. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an electronic uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. ( at readersremains.com )

James Lee Burke is one of the best authors in this genre. The man is a wordsmith. It always takes me a few pages to get into the rhythm of Burke’s story and then it’s off the races.

Dave and Clete (the Bobbsey Twins from homicide) have went and gotten themselves in the middle of two powerful families fighting for dominance. I always find Dave’s internal dialogue challenging in a good way. He’s a character with flaws that you can relate to, while also causing the reader to pause and self reflect. The story is replete with developed characters that you either love or hate. The way the author describes geographical locations makes you feel like you are standing there in the story sharing the experiences of the characters. Dave’s dry witty banter with his friends and foes make this series a joy ride. The mix of crime and mythology in this installment of the Robicheaux series comes together well and keeps the reader fully engaged the whole time. It’s hard to believe that after 40 books James Lee Burke is still writing the best books on the market.

JLB is one of the greatest writers working today, and his books have given me so much joy, that Dave Robichaud and Cleve feel like friends. This latest installment was so sumptuous, so surreal and beautiful, and as always, the writing glows, particularly when writing about human frailty and alcoholism, and the plot was suspenseful and as always, the fight between good and evil.

Happy to scream about this latest novel, and can’t wait for the next!!

Intense and dark. Long and wordy, philosophical and sad. Few characters are likable, many are a cruel. Interesting yet tiring read. As you can tell from my description I don't know what to make of it. Read for yourself and decide what you believe in.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

I have always thought of Dave Robicheaux as a tormented soul. This newest entry in this amazing series, I think, brings that fully to life. Told in the style James Lee Burke can only do you will find yourself sucked into the prodigious , artistic writing that permeates this whole book. Mr. Burke is an artist and words are his canvas. The ambiance of the locale he writes about just stuns me with its beautiful allegories and analogies. I can smell the cane burning in the fields, watch storms develop over the Gulf and hear the slap of a gator's tail as he dives in the swamp.

Dave is always searching for the origins of evil. In this book, probably more so than any other, he confronts the ghostly, the metaphysical and the sacred as his quest takes him and partner, Clete into uncharted territory that will leave you with the thousand yard stare.

This book is due to be published in May, 2020. Please add it to your to read list!

James Lee Burke latest novel Detective Dave Robicheaux and his closest pal Clete Purcelhas evrything one would want in an exciting adventure story. Robcheaux takes on the two most powerful and violent familes, the Shondrell and Balangie, and hopes to destroy them both. During this adventure he has anaffair with Balangie's partner nd is involved with a time-traveling superhuman assassin. . Though the plot was exciting and he maincharaters interesting I thught there ws to much violence in the book. Both Robicheaux and Purcell use violence to settle most things and Purcell seems to have anger problems and uses violence to solve most issues.
i hadn't read one of Burke's novels inseveral years but the vilonece inthis one seemed much more . ther eis also a time-traveling superman assassin who kills and destroys.

I’m an unabashed fan of James Lee Burke. I’ve read everything he’s written in the Dave Robicheaux series, plus a great many of his other books, including a rare, signed paperback copy of THE LOST GET-BACK BOOGIE (Christmas gift). With all of this said, I admit to having some degree of uncertainty around his latest Robicheaux, A PRIVATE CATHEDRAL. From the description I learned that Dave Robicheaux would find himself caught between a bloody family rivalry—the Shondell’s and the Balangie’s; all so very Shakespearean—and battling his most terrifying adversary ever: a time-traveling, superhuman assassin. This is all from the first lines of the book’s description, mind you, and instead of intrigued I was…put off. For certain, Burke has included supernatural elements in previous novels, but this one sounded like a mashup that I would not enjoy. Well, Burke is a genius, and I shouldn’t have been concerned. Imagine writing a meandering, sixty-plus word sentence, a twisty affair, and not losing steam, but instead motoring ahead to something beautiful and poetic. Burke has the rare ability to pull off this kind of literary magic. He has the ability to consume you with beautiful descriptions of everything from the flora to the firmament. He is, simply put, a genius. I leave you with the sentence I’ve mentioned as evidence:

“As I stood on a sand spit and watched the lights come on in the Shondell stilt house, the tide washing through miles of sawgrass, I realized the sky had turned a gaseous green, and the air had become as heavy and dense as a barrel of wet salt, the sun buried in a solitary cloud on the horizon, blood-red and flaming orange, like the inside of a torn peach.”

Reading a James Lee Burke is an adventure in itself as the master turns ordinary and extraordinary words in a way that creates a beautiful tapestry onto which he weaves his tale.. Rival families, angels, demons, alliances, betrayals abound in another amazing story.

Another masterful outing by Mr. Burke. While the stories have become almost silly and cliched, the writing remains masterful. It is also the moral issues that compel me to keep reading this series. Mr. Burke is alone in his wrestling with the human condition and how it got that way. As long as he writes them, I will read them. This is a landmark in American crime fiction by one of our greatest living stylists.

384 pages

5 stars

Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell have gotten themselves in a real pickle in this latest book from James Lee Burke.

Dave, Clete and Father Julian get on the wrong side of the Balangie and Shondell clans. These are two mobster families who are trying to get the upper hand – and using their children as pawns. Each is murderous and very violent when they don't get their way. When Johnny, a very talented young musician, and Isolde, a pretty young woman, decide to team up to make music the stage is set for explosive action. And a further complication is Dave's attraction to one of the wives.

Add to this the haunting dreams, memories and a supernatural element experienced by several of the key characters. The stuff of dreams...Is it real? A result of great stress or guilt felt by those who experience the psychological effects or is it conscience?

Mr. Burke explores these issues in this volume. Is evil real or a product of our imagination? Can we see it; touch it? I love the way that Mr. Burke's books explore these questions in all his books, but he really brings it home in this one.

Mr. Burke can certainly turn a phrase. I really like that he interjects bits of wry humor into his stories. I love the philosophical side trips and the journeys into Dave and Clete's pasts. They are fascinating characters. I've been reading Mr. Burke's books since the first one and I must say this one has really made an impact. It may just be his best book so far.

I want to send a hearty thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for forwarding to me a copy of this most intriguing book for me to read, enjoy and review.

James Lee Burke is easily one of my favorite authors. His novels so often take on epic battles between good and evil. A Private Cathedral may be Burke's bleakest book yet. The battle here is not just with evil people, but a spirit world that keeps appearing in different forms. Dave Robicheaux is facing his worst challenge, and Clete Purcel, his best friend, is very much needed. I like the way Burke has these two characters interact. He definitely has me wondering if they have finally met their match. As Robicheaux contemplates death, maybe for the first time did he realize its insignificance, the forces aligned against him peak in the Bayou.
With a hint of a spoiler, one character decides that he no longer wanted to probe the shadows of the heart or the evil that men do. I say, speak for yourself, but hopefully not James Lee Burke.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC. It was a blast reading it.

Dave and Clete find themselves looking for a teenage girl they believe is be trafficked for a very rich New Orleans mobster. It’s believed the family possible has some mystic powers after both Dave and Clete experience some odd sightings. With all the years of writing JLB is still writing each book better then the last. A classic. Enjoy!

A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke is the twenty-third novel in Burke's Dave Robicheaux series.

As I have written in previous reviews of books in the Dave Robicheaux series, I am biased when it comes to the writing of James Lee Burke, but not so biased as to purposely write a positive review when the novel does not deserve one. On the contrary, Burke's writing in A Private Cathedral is fully lush in its descriptive nature, just as with his other novels. Reading a Burke novel is like looking at a painting mixed so well and so rich in vibrant color, describing the painting is almost impossible to adequately do. Especially to a person that is not viewing the painting. With that, writing the review of A Private Cathedral is probably one of the most difficult reviews I have yet written.

For one thing, writing a concise and adequate description of what is between the covers is difficult to do and to reveal too much may cause newer readers to move away from A Private Cathedral (I would recommend readers read the Dave Robicheaux novels in order, but especially read a handful of the novels from the series before the taking on the last three Robicheaux novels).

In the simplest of description, A Private Cathedral is a story where Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel return and because of trying to help a young couple, they end up caught in between two wealthy and influential families with centuries of violent and deprave discord between them (one reviewer described the relationship between the two families as a "rivalry," but that is too genteel of a word to describe their bizarre relationship).

As the story unfolds, after Purcel and Robicheaux gain the attention of the two families, they run afoul of mafia gangsters, killers, and a mysterious assassin named Gideon Richetti. Richetti has a background and abilities almost too terrifying to contemplate and when spoken of by Purcel and Robicheaux, both are looked upon as if they are on the verge of mental breakdowns and insanity. The novel is mystical and spiritual while refusing to bend to the physical world of science, land, earth and all things we think are true just because our senses tell us so.

A Private Cathedral continues on with Robicheaux ruminating on true fairness and justice in the world and what it means to one edging closer to end of life mortality, especially when those apparently exempt from justice keep escaping what they deserve in a humane world.

One last comment about the writing of James Lee Burke and what he does so well is it is so refreshing when an author refuses to always explain every aspect of characters in a novel, both in speech and deed and not be afraid to leave it to the readers' interpretation or imagination.

A Private Cathedral is highly recommended.

Netgalley provided an ARC of this novel for a fair review.

I have such a love for this series and these characters. I would love to read a Clete Purcell solo book. There has always been a touch of the supernatural in these books, but this time it was the focal point and I worried that it would change the tone of the series too much, but instead it worked wonderfully. Another great installment from James Lee Burke.

Burke's "A Private Cathedral" is a chilling story about angels, devils, personal demons, and sour madness. Set in the Louisiana countryside, the book is filled with biblical imagery and told in such a gorgeous prose that the reader will find themselves highlighting every other paragraph. Ostensibly, its a detective tale about mafiosos and human trafficking, but don't make the mistake of thinking that's what's really here.

For most of the book, Robicheaux and his Bobsey twin, Clete Purcell, are caught in a virtual tempest between two warring all-powerful crime families whose animosity and customs go back four hundred years. They've poked their noses into family customs that are hard to disturb. It's not necessarily all about the plot so much as the suffocating atmosphere of thunder and lightning and rain and all hell about to break loose. Haunting might be a good word to describe the visions Burke leaves us with. Chilling might be another word. It's a story about looking evil in the eye and surviving wounded bitter lost and lonely.

What sets this book (and perhaps this series) apart from so many others is that the writing is all-intoxicating. There is no let up. The tension never stops building and the evil grows throughout. There is a contemplativeness about the narrative, beginning with talking about those rare moments when "you hang between life and death and ache to hold on to the earth and eternity at the same time." The prose tells us, the readers, about "waves pounding on the beach, devouring the sand, as though the tide were sliding backward in mockery of itself." And, it begins with a man who "was tired of evil and all its manifestations and our attempts to explain its existence." It is, as to be expected, quite a dark and treacherous journey.

This is one book worth reading more than once. There's just so much good stuff thrown in.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

James Lee Burke is the only person alive who can write luscious but brutal words and somehow turn them into poetry.. There is no one better.