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CRUSADER’S CROSS
A New Dave Robicheaux Novel By
JAMES LEE BURKE
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Like the roots of a bayou oak, the mystery writing of James Lee Burke grows deeper, stronger, and more complex with age. His Dave Robicheaux series, starting with 1987’s The Neon Rain, is a brilliantly sustained epic of crime and redemption, set against the backwoods and back alleys of Cajun Louisiana–a literary milieu that Burke has defined almost singlehandedly for a generation of readers.
In CRUSADER’S CROSS (Simon & Schuster, July 12, 2005, $25.95), the thirteenth in the Robicheaux series, the detective delves into a mystery that dates back to his own adolescence, battles with corrupt Lousiana aristocracy, and finds a new love—in the form of a Catholic nun. Swiftly paced and darkly lyrical, CRUSADER’S CROSS is vintage James Lee Burke.
In the summer of 1958, Robicheaux and his brother Jimmie met a girl on the beach. Her name may or may not have been Ida Durbin, she was a prostitute, and Jimmie fell for her hard. But on the eve of eloping with Jimmie to Mexico, she disappeared without a trace.
Decades later, Ida’s name turns up in the deathbed confession of one of Robicheaux’s old schoolmates. Robicheaux is retired now from the New Iberia sherrif’s department, and he spends his days feeding his cat and attending AA meetings. But the memory of the missing prostitute—who somehow represents the innocence of an earlier time—won’t let him go.
When Robicheaux starts asking questions about Ida Durbin, a couple of redneck cops make it violently clear that the past should remain the past. Undeterred, Robicheaux traces the cops back to Raphael Chalons, aging patriarch of the powerful Chalons family.
Burke writes, “The person who believes he can rise to a position of wealth and power in Louisiana without doing business with the devil probably knows nothing about the devil and even less about Louisiana.” In addition to owning a good portion of the state, the Chalons have deep ties with the New Orleans mob.
The Chalons trace their lineage back to the Roman knights who defeated Atilla the Hun at the Battle of Chalons. Unfortunately for Robicheaux, the Chalons now view him as the new Atilla. Val Chalons, Raphael’s son and a prominent TV journalist, unleashes a vicious smear campaign—and possibly a mob hitman—to stop Robicheaux’s investigation. But Honoria, Val’s deeply disturbed sister, is attracted to Robicheaux and hints that her family is hiding a horrific secret. It may have something to do with the mutilated women who are being dumped in the bayou, victims of the so-called “Baton Rouge serial killer.”
Further complicating matters is Robicheaux’s budding romance with Sister Molly Boyle, a nun who works on behalf of New Iberia’s poor. Although Molly has never taken vows, she still provides ample fodder for Val Chalons’ muckraking. Molly must decide whether she will stand by Robicheaux, as his crusade against the Chalons becomes less about avenging Ida and more a personal vendetta. When Robicheaux goes down, he tends to bring everyone with him. A physical confrontation with Val Chalons uncomfortably recalls a scene from 1988’s Heaven’s Prisoners, when the beating of a suspect led to the revenge killing of Robicheaux’s wife, Annie.
After a two year hiatus, Robicheaux fans will find much that is comforting in CRUSADER’S CROSS. Old friends are back, including Jimmie the Gent, Robicheaux’s ambiguously criminal brother, and Clete Purcell, the vigilante ex-cop who isn’t above blackmail and even murder in the name of justice. Burke continues to be fascinated by the thin line between idealism and madness, as represented by both Robicheaux and Clete; man’s capacity for violence and self-destruction; and the passage of time contrasted with memories that refuse to distance themselves. The scenes of bloodshed crack and evaporate like summer storms, and the brooding bayou atmosphere drips off the page.
But as the Robicheaux series approaches its third decade, the results have grown richer and resonate with what has come before. In a series that has seen the deaths of two Mrs. Robicheaux’s, there is now an added poignancy in the courtship scenes between Robicheaux and Molly. The scenes between Clete and Robicheaux, best friends who often work opposite sides of the law but have come to accept each other, have the heft of history. They both know where the bodies are buried.
Showcasing James Lee Burke’s inimitable poetic style, crackling dialogue, and unforgettable characters, CRUSADER’S CROSS is the work of an old master at the top of his game.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Lee Burke is the rare winner of two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He is also the author of twenty-one previous novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Bitterroot and Last Car to Elysian Fields, as well as Jolie Blon’s Bounce, Cimarron Rose, Cadillac Jukebox, Burning Angel, Dixie City Jam, and Purple Cane Road. He lives with his wife in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana.
ABOUT THE BOOK
CRUSADER’S CROSS
A Dave Robicheaux Novel
By: James Lee Burke
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: July 2005
Price: $25.95
ISBN #: 0-7432-7719-8