Light of the World by James Lee Burke

Light of the World is the 20^th Dave Robicheaux by James Lee Burke, and in this one, Burke brings in his usual cast including Dave’s old PI partner from New Orleans, Clete Purcel, Clete’s daughter Gretchen Horowitz (the recently retired Mafia hit woman), Dave’s adopted daughter Alafair, and Dave’s wife, Molly. The arch enemy is the remarkably vile Asa Surrette who commits the worst possible offenses against his victims. As always, Burke’s character development is incredible, moving at the right pace, providing the right amount of information. His plot is as suspenseful as any that we at MRB ever read. In this case, the ending scene is epic and so satisfying that it caused me to sit up and laugh aloud. But, make no mistake, the content of this story is very dark.

In addition to his good characters and good plot, the real reason to read Burke is for the quality of his prose and the bits of wisdom that he sprinkles throughout the book, usually spoken by Dave. Such as:

I believe that the account of the apple taken from the forbidden tree is a metaphorical warning about looking too deeply into the darker potential of the human soul.

Hitler, Nero, Ted Bundy, The bitch of Buchenwald? Their deeds are not ours. But if these individuals are not like us, if they do not descend from the same gene pool and have the same DNA, then who were they and what turned them into monsters?

The motivations of a psychopath are almost irrelevant to an investigation. Psychoanalytical speculation about a moral imbecile makes for great entertainment, but it doesn’t put a net over anyone, and you do yourself no favor by trying to place yourself inside his head. The methodology of the psychopath is a different issue, one that frequently proves to be his undoing. In all probability, the perpetrator’s pattern will repeat itself, primarily because he’s a narcissist and thinks his method, if it has worked once, is fail-safe; second, the psychopath is not interested in the hunt but, rather, in assaulting and murdering his pretty, unlike a professional thief, who is usually a pragmatist and considers theft an occupation and not a personal attack upon his victim.

I agree with George Bernard Shaw’s statement that we learn little or nothing from rational people, because rational people adapt themselves to the world and, consequently, are seldom visionary.

I read pretty quickly, but I slow down for Burke in order to savor the quality of his writing. I’ve already acquired his next book.