Author: James Lee Burke
Format: Paperback
Pages: 402
Rating: 5 out of 10
Summary (peeking at Goodreads): "James Lee Burke's new novel, Swan Peak, finds Detective Robicheaux far from his New Iberia roots, attempting to relax in the untouched wilderness of rural Montana. He, his wife, and his buddy Clete Purcell have retreated to stay at an old friend's ranch, hoping to spend their days fishing and enjoying their distance from the harsh, gritty landscape of Louisiana post-Katrina." But the serenity is soon shattered when two college are found brutally murdered in the hills behind where the Robicheauxs and Purcell are staying. They quickly find themselves involved in a twisted and dangerous mystery involving a wealthy, vicious oil tycoon, his deformed brother and beautiful wife, a sexually deviant minister, an escaped con and former country music star, and a vigilante Texas gunbull out for blood. At the center of the storm is Clete, who cannot shake the feeling that he is being haunted by the ghosts from his past - namely Sally Dio, the mob boss he'd sabotaged and killed years before.
My Thoughts: So, I didn't really realize what I was getting into with this novel. It's one of those novels that somehow manage to sneak onto your shelves without you noticing. Eventually you look at it and think "I don't know where you came from" so you pick it up and look at it for a minute. You proceed to ignore it because it isn't your top priority then suddenly you have free time (you bring it on a trip with you so you have to read it) and you finally read the book. This is the first novel in this series that I've read but it didn't bother me. The author provides enough information on the characters and whatever back story is needed that reading the others wasn't important. That's good because this isn't the usual novel I read and I don't plan on buying that other 17+ novels.
This story is less character focused and more plot/action oriented. It really just tells you the story. It gives you the information and expects you to keep up. I thought it was interesting. I liked the mystery and how it was all tied together. I enjoyed that I followed along trying to get ahead. It didn't bother me too much that it wasn't super excited. I managed.
I found myself rooting for characters. Other characters I totally hated. It worked out how it should have been in that area expect that so many times I wanted to smash Clete upside the head.
For me, I don't consider this very high on the reread list. My being stuck mainly within the interest of the young adult genre kind of keeps my interest elsewhere. This was a bit like CSI novels though, if you like that. Let me know what you think about this novel.
Finally: I doubt that I would turn down another in this series but I'm not going to search for them. This novel isn't really my thing but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed the mystery of it. If any of the labels speak to you and your favourite type of novels then check this one out!
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