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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Shootings, drug cartel violence, and the casual violence of criminal New Orleans
Language
A lot
Very strong language throughout — Burke's characters speak in the register of the Louisiana criminal world
Sexual Content
Some
Some adult content; New Orleans's particular culture includes no shortage of it
Substance Use
Some
Heavy drinking and drug use depicted in the criminal environment
Emotional Intensity
Some
The specific cost of undercover work — the gradual drift toward the identity you're performing; Dave's ethical compromises for the greater good
What this book is about
Convicted killer Jimmie Lee Boggs escapes during prisoner transport, killing a deputy, and Dave Robicheaux is shot and left for dead. When he recovers, he's asked to go undercover in New Orleans — to work inside the Haitian and Cajun underworld to find Boggs and get close to a drug cartel that has been untouchable. James Lee Burke's fourth Robicheaux novel is his most immersive in Louisiana criminal culture — the New Orleans that smells like the Gulf and sounds like a second line and contains the potential for sudden violence in every conversation. Burke's prose is as atmospheric as ever; the moral weight is heavier as Dave compromises himself to stay in character.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
very strong language throughout
fourth of the Robicheaux series; series context helps
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