History and the mystical have always been a constant
presence in this series. Such is the case here where both are major characters
in The Hadacol Boogie: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke.
The setting itself, at the very end of the late 90s with a new year fast
approaching, is its own character as well.
Though one could, if so inclined, argue that all of
this started way earlier. In Eden, perhaps. Or back during the Civil War. Or
any other location in time that you would like to choose. Maybe we, as the
reader, just think it starts in the late 90s at the dawn of the new year.
While some have some have shot off fireworks and had
a good time, Dave Robicheaux is thinking about the long history of Louisiana,
good and bad, as well as the things he has seen and done. He’s in his kitchen and
trying to stay sober so he settles for some chocolate milk when he sees some
kids in a small boat out on the Bayou Teche fire off a bottle rocket. Instead
of going skyward, the flaming bottle rocket ends up going inside a tent he has
set up on the end of his yard to protect an armadillo and her babies from the
wet weather.
In the aftermath of putting the fire out, the kids
tell an annoyed Dave Robicheaux that they fired the thing into his yard to
light it up as they did not have a flashlight. They saw a large man who scared
them. They saw him dragging a big plastic garbage bag through his yard. They
lost sight of him and the bag. The kids are seemingly good kids that he has
seen around and they certainly are very clearly scared.
Robicheaux soon finds the bag. He gets it open and discovers
the nude body of a woman inside. She has a wire wrapped around her throat that
may or may not be a guitar string. She is very clearly dead. Now he has to
report in to his boss and others, see to it that the kids get to their respective
parents safely, and do a lot of other stuff.
After calling it in to the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Department
where he works and other folks that need to know, he also calls his former
homicide detective partner, Clete Purcell. Soon, seemingly, half the local population
has shown up to his house and yard, as does Purcell. Identifying the dead woman
is his first course of business. Then comes figuring out who did it and why
dump her body in his yard?
Before long, things get strange in the neighborhood. History and the mystical constantly power this latest read in the series. As often happens, though not usually nearly to this level, The Hadacol Boogie: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke is part mystery and part out of reality adventure. While both aspects are very common in this series, here they are so constant and so large in their presence, that they threaten to overshadow the actual murder case and the complications surrounding that.
Despite that aspect of the read, the book keeps the
reader turning pages and hooked in the story. In the end, that is all that
matters.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4aK8MNG
My digital ARC came by way of the publisher, Atlantic
Crime (Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a positive
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026
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