Caught Reading: Crusader’s Cross by James Lee Burke

When you are a recovering alcoholic, every day is a struggle. Dave Robicheux, ex police detective and sometimes private eye, is haunted by his past which includes a magical summer in his younger days when he and his brother Jimmie met a mysterious woman on the Galveston waterfront. His search for the full story of the woman draws him back into work for the New Iberia, Louisiana police department and the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing southern Louisiana. He also has to confront his own alcohol-inspired demons.

Burke captures pre-Katrina Louisiana perfectly (I wonder how his next book in the series will describe the devastation) with hypnotic descriptions of the landscape and culture. As you might infer from the above description, this is a dark book filled with much soul-searching and a considerable amount of violence. But if you can endure that, there is a riveting story here, filled with fascinating characters. It is a dark night of the soul, but one you won't soon forget.

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