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Crusader's Cross

a Dave Robicheaux Novel
Mar 25, 2014lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
"My holstered .45 rested on a table, next to a bottle of Scotch, a paper plate containing the remains of a fried-shrimp dinner, a scattered deck of playing cards, and three empty glasses. The .45 was mine; the rest I had no memory of." Along with James Ellroy, James Lee Burke is my favorite living crime writer. Because he's stuck almost exclusively to the genre, I think he gets ignored by more high-brow critics, even though he is one of the best, most consistent novelists in the country. His longest running series features Vietnam vet and recovering alcoholic Dave Robicheuax, a detective in Louisiana. He excels at capturing place, nuanced characters and a real sense of evil. His writing can be both lyrical and visceral, a rarity in the crime genre. It's a series that you can really pick up at any point.