it is about time that Clete Purcel, so often the supporting act received his moment in the sun and this book does him proud!

It is a complex and interwoven story that ranges from topic to topic but it all comes together well - eventually -and draws the reader in.

It was illuminating to discover more about the man and it was a really worthwhile journey of discovery.

It was about time that James Lee Burke threw us another curveball to keep fans of the Dave Robicheaux series on their toes. Turns out it was as simple as letting the voice of Dave's rambling, giant-sized and giant-hearted "podjo" Clete Purcel take center stage as narrator.

Clete, for lack of a better phrase, is chaotic good, and it's reflected in the freewheeling, tangent-filled way he tells one of the more peculiar stories in the Robicheaux catalog: A bizarre alliance of peckerwood Neo-Nazis, rich fascists and psychotic opportunists is raising hell in NOLA and a mysterious hallucinogen, the illicit fentanyl trade, an unpredictable ex-cop turned assassin named Gracie Lamar, a phantom that may be Joan of Arc (seriously) and a femme fatale named Clara Bow are also involved. (Yep, Clara Bow. Because obviously a Clete-led story is gonna be chock full of movie references.)

As with quite a few of the later Robicheaux novels, the plot specifics are...pretty hazy. And that's OK. (Burke is capable of airtight plotting, he just seems less interested in it of late.) The point of CLETE is for its titular protagonist to tell you who he is in his words, and they differ significantly from Robicheaux's perspective of the man. By his own telling he's both more mercurial and more impassioned than you would think from only getting Dave's perspective for the last 23 novels.

Clete's mile a minute storytelling style does lead to some continuity errors, or at the very least confusing moments. He says this story takes place in the late 1990s, but at that time fentanyl was not in wide circulation as a street drug. It certainly existed and I'm sure someone was selling it illegally, but Burke is usually very precise with timing when he brings in real-life incidents. Also, at one point Clete is mulling over Dave's unfortunate marital history and somehow jumps ahead to noting the death of Molly Robicheaux, who, if this is the late 90s, Dave hasn't yet met. (Earlier in the story it does seem like Clete is writing this all down at a later date, but if you blink, you might miss that detail and be thoroughly confused).

These are small gripes about a book that was largely quite a good read, as Burke typically is. Hopefully there will be at least a few more.

Just finished reading an advance copy of James Lee Burke's #Clete #NetGalley , the latest in his Dave Robicheaux series. The novel, narrated by Dave's long-time best friend, Clete Purcell, is a great read and gives new dimension to both characters. Highly recommend if you are a fan of Mr. Burke.

A popular author with a popular character…red herrings and secrets…mystery and intrigue…realistic characters keep this story moving quickly to a surprise ending. Enjoy. Thanks Netgalley

Call it 4.5 stars. Brilliant and beautiful, but a touch too much woo woo for me. I wasn't sure I was going to read anymore in the Robicheaux series. The last entry seemed to be violence in place of depth. Plus the fact that Dave and Clete are way too old now.

But Clete lured me in because 1. focusing on Clete gave Burke a new voice, and, 2. it takes place sometime in the past. Clete and Dave learn of a new death-dealing drug that is about to be loosed on New Orleans. Joan of Arc makes multiple appearances. Highly recommended.

This book features Clete as the story teller and Dave as a secondary character. There are some dark aspects but also some glimpses of kindness. The book is set in the Louisiana bayou and I felt like I was there from the authors descriptions. This is a dark book that will draw you in. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This book unlike other books in this series has Clete as the narrator and Dave as the secondary character. It is excellent, It is dark, dirty and nasty but there is always an element of kindness and decency that overpowers the evil. Highly recommended.

I finished reading this book some days ago, and ever since I’ve been ruminating on what I think of it. To start with, it’s fair to say that JLB has long been the writer who excites me and drags me into a story to a greater extent than any other. his descriptions of place and people are, I believe, peerless. His tales are about good versus evil, though even the good people in his books have significant flaws. The bad are as grim and malevolently violent as any I’ve come across in literature or film. It’s this clash, this sublime contest, that I’ve found totally compelling for thirty years or more. But in recent years, Burke has started to introduce paranormal elements increasingly, his characters having visions of events and of people that make no sense in everyday life. It’s this trend in his writing that gives me pause.

The author’s Dave Robicheaux novels are probably my favourites, set mainly in Southern Louisiana settings that Burke describes so brilliantly and with such personal loving. Robicheaux, a sometimes lawman, is usually accompanied by his best friend and ex-partner in the NOPD, Clete Purcell. Dave can sometimes lose it and snap into acts of extreme violence, but Clete takes this to another level: one minute, creating mayhem and the next cracking wise with a comment that has me laughing out loud. To date, these books have focused on events as seen through the eyes of Robicheaux, but this time it’s through Clete that we watch events unfold. To me, this was like looking at the world through tinted lenses: things look as they always did, but at the same time, they seem different. It was intriguing to see the world through the eyes of Purcell for the first time and to obtain insight into his inner thoughts on life and also on Dave.

The story itself takes us back quite a few years. At this point, Clete was a private investigator based in New Orleans, and Dave was a police officer working out of New Iberia. Clete has a bad experience shortly after having his car returned from a car wash owned by an old friend. He wakes in the night to find a bunch of men stripping down his lovingly restored Cadillac. A violent exchange ensues, with Clete winding up on the wrong end of a beating. It seems that the men were looking for a stash of super-charged Fentanyl that had been planted in Clete’s car by mistake. Dave is soon on the scene, and the pair attempt to track down those responsible with a view to dispensing their own form of justice.

So far, so good. But then Clete begins to receive visits from a historical figure from 15th century France, who seems intent on passing him messages. The meanings are often obscure, and it’s at this point that I started to struggle with a meandering narrative, which sometimes bordered on incomprehensible. Are these visions a result of the beating Clete took? It’s not clear. But as the story plays out it’s fair to say that the plotline doesn’t really function without these interventions. Such elements have occasionally surfaced in even Burke's early books, but they’re much more prevalent of late. I’m not sure why this is. It’s been suggested to me that it’s a result of Burke’s age (he’s 87 years old) and therefore facing what are most likely the last years of his life. This might be so, and perhaps I’ll understand this more as I make my way steadily to the same place.

As a piece of writing it’s first class, and the book is well worth reading to experience the superb way JLB is able to put sentences together in a way I think no other writer can. But as a story it’s flawed, difficult to follow, and fairly predictable in how it’s going to end. However, it’s Dave and Clete, and I’d happily open a new book every day to read another adventure featuring this pair.

James Lee Burke has always been one of my most favorite authors. The yearly release of his newest novel is always a much anticipated event. This newest novel is no exception.

While never having visited New Orleans and the bayou towns he writes about, James Lee Burke’s prose is so well done and prolific, that I feel I’ve actually been there.

I feel that he is this generation’s Hemingway. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and especially James Lee Burke for allowing me to read this advanced copy. It was truly a pleasure.

In Clete, James Lee Burke has written an homage to the many haunting Dave Robicheaux novels he has written over the years.

There are vivid images of Dave’s hallucinations, both real and imagined, and descriptions of the beauty of their Louisiana and the ugliness of the time and world in which he and his best friend Clete lived. There’s also mention of the delicious food they always ate.

There’s sweet love and horrible hate and horrifying murders and more you can’t even imagine.

This novel, like many of the others, tells a story, but this one is so grim it becomes hard to even believe.

Though if you’re a Dave Robicheaux fan, you’ll want to read this book.

honestly I could not finish the book as the formatting it for Kindle was terrible and made it a chore to read.. I will wait and get from the library as the little I did read was great..classic James Lee Buck

I am a big fan of James Lee Burke and was thrilled that I was able to read his latest novel. Usually, the tale is told by Detective Dave Robicheaux and Clete is his long time friend and former partner in the police department. Clete was tossed out and works as a private investigator, wreaking his own special havoc with his demon drink. This time, the story is Clete's to tell and I loved it.

Clete's Cadillac is a victim of criminals who are caught tearing it apart looking for something they are sure he has. He doesn't and never has had, as far as he knows. This action then takes off with a bevy of characters, Dave of course and Helen and even the FBI and the cast of bad guys seems endless. His urge to protect others has him opening his home to an odd collection of women who are somehow wrapped up in everything.

New Orleans is one of my favorite cities and Louisiana a gem. This is the backdrop to the adventure and bodies pile up and answers are not easy coming. All is a puzzle or a riddle and it needs to be solved before Clete or Dave lose their lives. James Lee Burke can tell a story like nobody else and his lyrical writing just touches my heart and soul.

This story incorporated one of my most loved Saints, St. Joan of Arc. How could a book get any better??

I would like to thank Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this early read.

Another winner from Mr. Burke. Dave Robicheaux has a friend, Clete Purcel who is now a PI, but was once an NOPD police officer before a series of bad choices put an end to that career. After picking up his Cadillac from a local car wash, Clete finds it being ransacked by an unsavory group with ties to the drug cartels. Then Clete is hired by a woman with a dark history who keeps getting him more and more trouble. And it seems the trouble is also following and hurting those closest to him. Clete, with Dave's help uncover a dark and sinister scheme that no one on earth could ever imagine, and few would survive.

Thanks to the publisher for the early ARC.

I have read Dave Robicheaux novels for over 20 years. When I heard that the next iteration was to be from the point of view of his partner Clete Purcel, I couldn’t wait to read this. As always, it did not disappoint. Jame Lee Burke gave Clete his own voice and style so that it wasn’t just Clete sounding like Dave novel. The plot is ripped from today’s headlines involving fentanyl and the desire for the villains to use terrorism to “rule the world”. What amazes me about Burkes writing is the ability to poetically describe southern Louisiana. I’ve never been there but I can taste the po’ boys and beignets, smell the salt of the bayou and feel the heat and humidity of the weather.

My only criticism and it’s slight is that there is a supernatural element to this novel. Burke has done this before but I felt in this case, it was just a bit heavy handed. Not enough to ruin the story but one thing I want to mention.

Overall, another fine entry to the Robicheaux/Purcel canon and one a fan should not miss. Never a bad day when we get to hang with Clete and Dave - my old friends for all these years.

Clete is Dave Robicheaux's friend and detective partner. This book focuses on Clete as he becomes enmeshed with an extensive group of drug dealers after they tear up his car and his niece dies of an overdose.
In the meantime Clete is hired to investigate his slimy life and dark past.
It seems that this road leads him deeper into the drug dealer's lives than he would choose to go.

James Lee Burke is a great American novelist. His stories fly off of the page combining an exciting narrative with brilliant language skills. You cannot go wrong with this author, or this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

"Clete" by James Lee Burke is a riveting addition to the author's celebrated body of work, plunging readers into the murky depths of Louisiana's bayou country. In this latest installment, we follow private eye Clete Purcel as he navigates a labyrinth of present-day monsters and ghosts from his past, all set against the backdrop of New Iberia Parish in the late 1990s.

Burke's narrative is a masterclass in suspense and character development, with Clete's hard-edged perspective offering a raw and unfiltered view of the world. The novel's strength lies in its ability to intertwine the complexities of human nature with the haunting beauty of the Louisiana landscape. The story unfolds with a cadence that mirrors the ebb and flow of the bayou's waters, pulling the reader into a tale that is as much about the internal struggles of its protagonist as it is about the external conflicts he faces.

The supporting cast of characters is richly drawn, from the enigmatic Clara Bow, whose motives are as shadowy as the film she's producing, to the menacing Baylor Hemmings, whose presence looms large over Clete's investigation. Burke's skillful use of dialogue and regional dialect immerses the reader in the setting, making the environment an integral character in its own right.

At its core, "Clete" is a story of redemption and resilience, with the titular character's journey serving as a testament to the enduring human spirit. The novel's conclusion is both satisfying and thought-provoking, leaving readers to ponder the fine line between devils and saints.

James Lee Burke, with his signature gritty prose hits another home run with this captivating read.

If I had written this review at one point in the book I might have started it “Although it pains me to write this.” but, since then, I’ve had more time to ruminate over my opinion. To put in context my reading relationship with James Lee Burke’s novels is the fact that I have been reading them for over thirty years. Indeed, his character Dave Robicheaux has been my literary crush for all those years and I have also held an affection for Dave’s best friend Clete. My initial frustration in reading this latest book was the constant asides and meandering of the narrative. For example, near the end, a full six paragraphs were taken to describe a bowling alley. A characters name would come up and I would have to stop and think “who was that?” I have also noticed in the last few novels a prevalent supernatural theme that I don’t remember in early books unless I missed it in my impatient youth. I need to reread one. The turn around in my reading came sometime in the middle of the story. I looked up Mr. Burke’s Wikipedia and saw his birthdate. At that point I started seeing through the different eyes of individuals who, having lived long lives are mulling over what they have seen and what they have come to believe. Perhaps “Clete” was not the heart pounding story of early years but it is certainly something to think about.

You could change the names of these characters to Joe or Tom, not tell me who the author is and I would still be able to tell you who wrote it. Burke’s legendary style and prose is reliably distinctive and recognizable. There are only a select few authors I would say that about. He paints a scene with words in a way that renders you feeling deeply, breathless, sometimes overwrought. His characters are imperfect, they’ve seen and experienced atrocities, war, pain and suffering. The bayous, swamps and even the vernacular of Louisiana was dripping in authenticity. It’s a dark mystery where friends get hurt and lives are lost. I have not read all in this series but it didn’t deter my enjoyment.
An advance reader copy of “Clete” Dave Robicheaux #23, by James Lee Burke, Grove Atlantic, publication expected 06/11/2024, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

"I believe he was evil by choice."

Now that's something observed in the bleachers by the regular guys. Focusing on acts of horrendous brutality committed by the hands of our fellow human beings. You don't have to go far nowadays. It's not just in the outfield anymore. It's touchable and breathable and painfully close.

James Lee Burke is my favorite author. He writes of the tender softness of the wind against your cheek at times. And then, he gets down in the grit and the grime of what human nature is capable of. His lead characters are often Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell. Burke's latest offering is in the voice of Clete Purcell. That voice is roughened by the life he's lead. Tragic at times. Heartfelt at other times.

Clete, with a shady past, has his own P.I. business that serves New Orleans, New Iberia, and the surrounding areas. Clete is a former officer of the New Orleans Police Department until a time when things went way south for him. He's a tightly wound bundle with unresolved PTSD from being in the military. Actual life cannot be unseen. The bottle has often ridden shotgun with him to deaden that pain. But Clete gets up each morning to right the wrongs........and there's plenty in that business.

He takes his swanky pink Cadillac convertible to the car wash owned by Eddy Durbin. He and Eddy have been friends since childhood. Clete returns to his apartment only to be wakened during the night by noise in his driveway. Three men are ripping the upholstery out of his Cadillac and tearing out the dashboard. Clete confronts them only to be knocked out and left on the ground.

Next stop: Dave Robicheaux' house in Iberia Parish. Dave still works for the NOPD. He and Clete have been joined at the hip for years and years. The duo follow leads that take them to a movie producer's stately home. Clete spotted one of the bad guys working for Lauren Bow and his wife, Clara Bow. If you know Burke, there will be plenty of rotten fish caught up in this net. Rumor has it that a group called the New Rising are stashing something called Leprechaun which can have catastrophic results on the population. Deadly is the name of the game.

Don't be frightened off by the #24. Clete tells his own story here. He's tightly stitched and complicated at times. But Clete will fight to the death in your favor. He's also beginning to see a highly unusual figure in the shadows. Robicheaux is beginning to believe it, too, It all adds another layer to an already action-packed storyline in the hands of this master. Experience it for yourself. There's nothing like a sit down with Clete in the telling. Nothing.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press and to the highly talented James Lee Burke for the opportunity.

Thanks to James Lee Burke, Grove Atlantic, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is not a typical police procedural. There are deep waters centered around Clete’s troubled past, as well as Dave’s. Clete’s struggles with that past weave throughout the story as he deals with them and the bad guys.

James Lee Burke has created a strong mise en scene of Louisiana and the backwaters. It’s easy to get drawn into the place and the story.

Review posted to Goodreads manually due to linking problems.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6310299879