Burke's law

by LES EVERETT

SUCH is the beauty of the writing of James Lee Burke that I'd happily read him whether or not there was a storyline.

Of course, his novels and short stories are underpinned not only with amazing descriptions - of people, places and natural things, brilliant dialogue and interesting characters but also cracking stories.

Burke's latest, 'Pegasus Descending', features Dave Robicheaux a detective from Iberia, Louisiana. He's a cop who quit drinking just in time; he's a humanist who doesn't mind dishing out a bit of rough justice when it's required.

Robicheaux finds himself in the centre of a number of cases that are linked not only to each other but also to a sorry part of his past and a hard-to-crack cold case.

Burke doesn't preach on matters political but weaves issues into the story so cleverly that as the bodies pile up and mayhem threatens you'll find yourself reflecting on issues such as privilege, racism, revenge, justice and political correctness.

While Robicheaux chips away at his investigations, and perseverance is one of his great virtues, he runs into many dead ends. Some because of the ability of powerful criminals to keep themselves at arm's length from the messy part of their business and some because of those in authority more interested in results than justice.

All the time Robicheaux struggles with his own motivation and a sometimes irresistible urge to fight fire with fire.

'Pegasus Descending' by James Lee Burke is published by Allen & Unwin. RRP $32.95.

22 October 2006

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