Swan Peak

James Lee Burke's latest novel, Swan Peak, is another chapter in the life of his troubled character Dave Robicheaux. It is set in the wilds of Montana rather than the lush lands of Louisiana. An early novel, Black Cherry Blues was similarly set against the Montana backdrop of mountains and grazing land.This time Dave and his friend Cletus Purcell are ostensibly taking a well earned break from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. At one point Dave reflects, in a beautifully constructed paragraph, of how the intersections in his life seem practically predetermined as is the attraction of iron filings for a magnet. There is a sense of evil in the first few pages as Clete is bullied by some unpleasant characters who move him off the territory of a rich landowner. It is surely a craft of very few authors to write so infectiously and to create such a sense of bad things to come as does James Lee Burke.The story is set around the rich landowner and some gruesome killings in the same area. It has, rather like an airliner, a smooth and progressive glide slope to a climax rather than a landing. As a reader one is drawn and even captivated by each turn of the screw.Woven into this story are some old and some new characters along with just a hint of romance. One or two descriptions of the Montana environment are reminiscent of early Lee Burke writing about Louisiana and I have to say I wish there were more of these.Quite where Lee Burke gets his material from is a mystery but how he creates such an art from whatever the source is very impressive. It is, yet again, a great read and I'm glad to say the author still retains those qualities of writing that attracted me to the Robicheaux novels all those years ago.

I'm such a fan of Burke's Robicheaux books that a year ago I re-read the first 16 in the order they'd been published (mixed with other books in between) and was struck that he'd been able to keep up such a high standard throughout. Most authors understandably tail off when they've used the same characters in more than 10 or 12 books.But Swan Peak is a book too far and it's time for Burke to turn to other characters. His handling of Cleate has long stretched the reader's patience but in Swan Peak he's ridiculous. Would a young self-confessed FBI lesbian fall into bed with a 60 year old drunken slob and ride off into the sunshine with him? I thought that Cleate was going to be killed off (at last) but Burke can't resist saving him - and all the other characters except the chief villains.The book is too long and sometimes rambles when the author drops in bits of personal pontification, whilst the Montana setting constantly reminds one of James Crumley, perhaps the finest US crime-writer of the past 50 years.

Good book. Always like the skillful depictions of time and place

One of the best writers of our time, brilliant story as always well paced and just so enjoyable.

Great book was sorry when it ended this guy puts a wonderful storey together. eileen d