“At a certain time in your life, you think about death in a serious way, and you think about it often,” muses Dave Robicheaux more than halfway through James Lee Burke’s latest novel. One might assume Robicheaux, who has found himself in harm’s way in 16 previous books, thinks about death quite a bit. Even his vacations come with a high body count.
“Swan Peak” arrives on the heels of what may be Burke’s best novel, the post-Katrina elegy “Tin Roof Blowdown,” and while it doesn’t quite measure up to that book’s haunting resonance, it’s still a heck of a ride.
There are more lowlifes and psychopaths per square inch in “Swan Peak” than in three or four books by other suspense writers, and the shifting point of view changes so quickly it can leave you shaking your head. But overall, Burke provides another meaty, thoughtful exploration of why men do the evil that they do.
Robicheaux, on leave from his job as a New Iberia, La., detective, and his wife, Molly, have unwisely chosen to vacation in Montana with his old partner Clete Purcel. The violence-prone P.I. manages to land them in conflict with a wealthy oilman and his brother by fishing in the wrong stream.
Two college students are viciously murdered above Robicheaux’s lodgings. A bluesman with a mysterious past wanders into town, a vengeful Texas prison guard, formerly of Abu Ghraib, on his trail.
Even more disturbing: A ghost from Clete’s past may have returned. Mob boss Sally Dio was on a plane that exploded years ago (helped along by a generous helping of sand in the gas tank). Could he or one of his henchmen have survived?
“Clete had demons not even an exorcist would take on,” Robicheaux thinks, but the resurrection of Sally Dio could oust even the persistent horrors of Vietnam and Katrina’s waves from Purcel’s nightmares.
A relentless passion for revenge runs strongly through “Swan Peak,” as does Burke’s pensive acknowledgment of man’s propensity for violent and selfish acts. Robicheaux, who has cheated death many times, has learned some lessons over the years, none of them pretty.
“The great joke,” he says, “is that any wisdom most of us acquire can seldom be passed on to others.”
Fortunately, Burke’s understanding of the fragility of men’s souls again proves lucid and compelling.
Fiction
Swan Peak, by James Lee Burke, $25.95
