Crusader’s Cross (Burke)

Crusader’s Cross : A Dave Robicheaux Novel (Dave Robicheaux Mysteries)

by James Lee Burke

I love Popeye’s. It’s not just that their food is good; I’ve certainly eaten at better Cajun restaurants. No, a big part of Popeye’s charm is that it’s consistently good. I’ve never had a bad meal at a Popeye’s, even in skanky locations like turnpike rest stops.
So it is with James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux books. They pretty much all taste the same: there’s an Evil-with-a-capital-E bad guy, a host of amusingly named minor players, and at least one troubled woman who wants to jump in the sack with Dave. Either Dave or Clete Purcel beats the stuffing out of a few people; some of these beatdowns are deserved and some aren’t. In the end, justice triumphs; the details aren’t necessarily important. Along the way, Burke writes some masterful descriptions of the climate and rhythms of life in south Louisiana, and he usually teaches me a few new phrases of copspeak.
This book contains all those formulaic elements, in spades, and so I’m happy with it– when I opened it, I knew what I was getting, and that’s just what Burke delivered.