The Glass Rainbow

Starred review from November 1, 2010

A heinous serial killer is attacking young women in southern Louisiana, and Dave Robicheaux and his associate, Clete Purcell, are on the case. When Robicheaux discovers that Alafair, his adopted daughter, is dating a man with possible ties to the suspected killer, he fears they might not solve this case in time. Worse, Alafair may not be the only one in danger. Two-time Edgar Award winner Burke's (www.jamesleeburke.com) 18th Robicheaux title follows Swan Peak (2008), also available from Recorded Books/S. & S. Audio and read by actor narrator Will Patton, who once again perfectly renders Burke's many characters. This audio will keep listeners up way past bedtime; highly recommended. [The New York Times best-selling S. & S. hc also received a starred review, LJ Xpress Reviews, 6/10/10.--Ed.]--Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ. Lib., Russellville

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Starred review from May 17, 2010
MWA Grand Master Burke offers everything his readers expect—brilliant prose, prosaic situations that suddenly become mystic experiences, and a complex plot that repeatedly plumbs the depths of human depravity and the heights of nobility—in his superlative 18th novel featuring Iberia, La., deputy sheriff Dave Robicheaux (after Swan Peak). Robicheaux finds himself dealing with adopted daughter Alafair's attraction to novelist Kermit Abelard of the degenerate Abelard clan (who echo Faulkner's Snopses), as well as trying to avenge the sadistic murders of two young women, aided by best friend Clete Purcel. Evil comes in many forms, from the psychotic interloper Vidor Perkins to Robert Weingart, a convict turned author, whom Kermit has championed. The sights, smells, and sounds of the Louisiana bayous become sensory experiences in Burke's novels, and death is a constant presence that threatens to overwhelm his angels with "tarnished wings."