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 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!

Hard-boiled Crime and Paranormal Make for an Uneasy Mix

The first thing I noticed about A Private Cathedral is the author’s writing style. It’s eloquent, evocative, and vividly descriptive. Author Burke doesn’t write about a sunset, but about strips of orange fire in the clouds. And while the final metaphors and similes may change—this review is based on a pre-release version of the novel—Burke’s writing style won’t, and that’s a definite plus. I appreciated the mental images and feelings his expressive prose engendered. I enjoy this style, however, as ‘seasoning’ to the text and for my taste, Burke over-seasoned this book. Amid action, he often paused to paint a word picture of the setting, or of a flashback from the protagonist’s past as a child or in Vietnam, or of a historical or mythological reference. I would have preferred that Burke depict the setting and once done, let the action flow. Additionally, he frequently rendered his flowery prose in quite lengthy sentences. One I noticed was 76 words long with seven conjunctions (and) to tie it all together. Probably as a result of these stylistic decisions, I found the story a bit slow, somewhat repetitive, and unfocused in places.

The protagonist of the story, Dave Robicheaux, and his partner and friend, Clete Purcel, are both deeply flawed characters. The former has been scarred by his childhood, the deaths of two wives, his experiences in Vietnam, his drug and alcohol dependency, his attraction to destructive relationships, and his dealings with the unsavory side of humanity on the job as a police detective. Purcel’s background has been no less difficult. And though the books are said to be standalone, that’s a lot of emotional baggage to try to understand when you start with book number 23 in the series. Easing into these characters would be preferable.

There is a hard realism to the story, one of sexual slavery, with Robicheaux and Purcel depicted in the same light. They are a mix of southern manners and violence. They’ll address you with your first name, proceeded by Mr. or Miss. Or they’ll hurl profanity and racial slurs at you before they beat you to a pulp. But when Robicheaux and Purcel start believing in the paranormal—ghosts ships piloted by time-traveling assassins—I found the plotlines nearly impossible to reconcile. Where had our hard-bitten, cynical heroes gone? Had our protagonists’ chemical dependency left them unable to distinguish reality from make-believe? And if that’s true, what else have they fantasized? Or is the paranormal real (whatever that means) and the book is a fantasy rather than a thriller? I suppose the author might have wanted the reader to ponder those questions, but for a book advertised as a blend of romance, mythology, horror, and science fiction, they made the first three themes vanish in confusion while the promise of science-fiction was left unfulfilled. Unfortunately, that confusion lasts through the finale, when I couldn’t guess who or what our heroes faced or who or what might come to their aid. And it’s tough to feel much tension when that’s the case.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (James Lee Burke), and the publisher (Simon and Shuster) for providing a copy of the book. I opted to write this candid review.

I have devoured almost every one of James Lee Burke's books. He has a way of describing a scene or a feeling that is unrivaled in fiction. His characters, Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell, each live in their own private hells while still trying to maintain a sense of basic human decency in a world gone mad. In "A Private Cathedral," Dave and Clete face their most challenging enemies to date, not to mention a supernatural being who seems to transcend time and place. Does this spell the end for the Bobbsey Twins of Homicide or will the pair prevail in the end?
James Lee Burke has become one of my favorite authors. I have yet to read one of his books that doesn't reach out and grab me by all five senses. He describes the environment in which his characters live and work with a skill that makes the reader feel as though he or she is right there. The colors, scents, and other attributes are vividly pictured. Add to that a storyline that keeps you turning pages late into the night and you have the makings of a five-star read. Anyone who likes crime drama and psychological thrillers will love this book. I cannot wait for Burke's next entry in this ongoing saga.

For those who enjoy this series, this is a continuation of the story of the protagonist in his favorite place..
I could not get into the book asnithers night because I have o kynread anxouple in this series. The author is, of course, a famous talented author who weaves a tale as few others can do. In fact, his books don’t need reviews-readers will buy them to see what happens next. That being said, his descriptions are such that one imagines he is in this place with these characters.

As always James Lee Burke has written something better than what he has previously written. This story involves two old Louisiana families whose rivalry pulls Dave Robicheaux and his partner Clete Purcel into a dangerous situation involving mafia families, mismatched love interests, a mysterious assassin and a young couple fighting for the love of a lifetime.

James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors and never fails to draw me in to the story in such a way that I feel as if I have lived through the experience with the characters. This one was no different. I cheered the good guys and despised the bad. The journey of Dave Robicheaux in this episode of his adventure through life was different from previous ones in that he battled not only the crime families, but a mysterious and supernatural character that has Dave examining his former and current life and loves.

This will easily be one of the best books of the year and will be read and reread for many years to come. It can easily become an escape from the realities of our own lives... if only for a moment.

"But everyone has a private cathedral that he earns, a special place to which he returns when the world is too much late and soon, and loss and despair come with the rising of the sun. For me it was the little dry mudbank on which I now stood, the tide rippling past me, the ducks murmuring and ruffling their wings among the cattails and flooded bamboo."

3.5 stars

Detective Dave Robicheaux is one of James Lee Burke's most popular characters. In this book, Dave tries to help a teenage girl who's about to become a sex slave. The book can be read as a standalone.

****

Background info: Dave - an investigator for the Sheriff's Department in New Iberia, Louisiana - has had a rough life. Dave's mother deserted the family when he was a child and his father was killed in an oil rig explosion. As a young man Dave witnessed unspeakable horrors during the Vietnam War, after which he became a cop in New Orleans - a city rife with mobsters, gambling, prostitution, drugs, loan sharks, money laundering, extortion, murder, and so on.

In his job, Dave met criminals of all kinds, including: street thugs; mobsters; sociopaths; psychopaths.....and rich, entitled 'bluebloods' who would do anything for money and power. Dave rose through the police ranks to become a homicide detective and eventually left New Orleans for New Iberia - where he lives in a modest home adjacent to a bayou.

Dave's first wife Annie was murdered and his second wife Bootsie - with whom he adopted an El Salvadoran daughter named Alafair - died from lupus. These hardships exacerbated Dave's depression, nightmares, and alcoholism. Even when he's not drinking, Dave sees ghosts of Civil War soldiers who died near his home.

Dave's best friend is Clete Purcel, a fellow Vietnam vet who was Dave's partner in the New Orleans Police Department. The buddies, both of whom are smart and tough, call themselves the 'Bobsey Twins.' Clete's inability to follow rules got him kicked off the police force, and he became a private investigator/bail bondsman. Clete works for gangsters; eats to excess; drinks too much; falls for the wrong women; and uses violence (and worse) against his enemies. Clete is close to Dave's family and would give his life for them.

*****

In "A Private Cathedral" Dave Robicheaux gets involved with two wealthy and influential families who are evil incarnate. The Balangie and Shondell dynasties - both of whom have vast criminal empires - have lived in southern Louisiana for hundreds of years. The two clans have always been mortal enemies, and manage to co-exist in part by the medieval practice of exchanging young daughters for 'marriage'.....or sex.

Dave considers this archaic practice human trafficking and is incensed to learn that 17-year-old Isolde Balangie is being given to the patriarch of the Shondell family - the scuzzball Mark Shondell. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Mark Shondell's nephew Johnny Shondell - a talented young musician - has fallen in love with Isolde, who sings like an angel.

Dave can't abide Isolde being gifted to a dirtbag and the detective confronts all the major players in the deal: Isolde's stepfather and mother, Adonis and Penelope Balangie; Mark Shondell; And Isolde and Johnny themselves. EVERYONE tells Dave that he doesn't understand and to mind his own business.

Nevertheless Dave inserts himself into the middle of the fray, drawing his best friend Clete Purcell into the imbroglio - and the Bobsey Twins have physical altercations with Adonis Balangie and Mark Shondell. It's bad to get on the wrong side of the Balangies or the Shondells at any time, but even worse now because Mark Shondell has literally made a deal with the devil.

Mark has a nefarious right-wing plan to ensure the triumph of the 'Nordic' race. To advance this goal Mark is in league with a cruel and vicious 'man' called Gideon Richetti. Richetti looks like a snake, moves through time, tortures and kills people, and travels on a mystical slave ship that slips in and out of the dimension we inhabit.

To further his political scheme Mark Shondell has engineered the release of convict Marcel Laforchette from Angola prison, and hired him as a gardener. Dave knows there MUST be an agenda here because Laforchette helped murder Mark's relative years ago, presumably at the behest of the Balangies. So why would Mark help this criminal?

Dave tries to live a good life and do right, but he's a troubled guy. Dave is plagued by memories of war; has alcoholic longings; and is profoundly lonely. In addition, Dave is rankled by environmental destruction; hates racists and misogynists; and loathes sinister people who enrich themselves at the expense of others. To top it off, Dave has to deal with demonic Richetti and his slave ship, which Dave wishes weren't real.

To find some comfort, Dave gets involved with Adonis Balangie's beautiful wife Penelope and his beautiful mistress Leslie Rosenberg. Dave also tries to ease his soul by talking to Father Julian Hebert (pronounced a-bear).

Hebert is an eccentric priest who wears casual clothes; tells people to call him Julian; supports gay rights; and discourages people from enjoying dog-and-cockfights; drive-through daiquiri windows; cage fights; strip bars; porn theaters; and casinos. This righteousness irks the Balangies and Shondells and makes him unpopular with local bigots and peckerwoods.

Dave and Clete get into grave trouble with the Balangies and Shondells, as does Father Hebert, and all their lives are put into serious jeopardy. The book's climax, where all this comes to head, is hair-raising and compelling.

Author James Lee Burke is a master of descriptive writing and pens riveting word pictures of sun and sky; sunrises and sunsets; bayous and swamps; greaseballs and fashionistas; good deeds and bad deeds; crab burgers and fried catfish po'boys; whiskey drinks and sodas with crushed ice, cherries, and sliced oranges; and so on. Burke is also a philosopher, with many thoughts about both history and current times.

I'm a big fan of Burke's 'Dave Robicheaux' series but I wish he'd take his plots in a different direction. In every book Dave faces up to at least one evil family and there's always an ill-conceived relationship with a woman, either by Dave or Clete. I'd like to see the Bobsey Twins do something different for a change.

Still, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to fans of the series.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (James Lee Burke) and the publisher (Simon and Shuster) for a copy of the book.