内容简介
Hauntedbythereemergenceofaforty-year-oldunsolvedmurder,detectiveDaveRobicheauxmustalsocontendwithaspateofserialkillingsofprostitutesandlocaldissensionaboutthemoviecompanythatisshootingintown.EdgarAward-winnerJamesLeeBurkereturnswithanotherrivetingDaveRobicheauxnovel.RobicheauxhashishandsfullinNewIberia,Louisiana,whatwithafilmcrewshootingaCivilWarmovie,thereturnofalocalmobster,andthebrutalmurderofayoungwoman.Withthehelpofasupposedlypsychicactor,Robicheauxtracksatwistedkiller.Authorsignings.
作者简介
MorebythisAuthorFeastDayofFools(HackberryHollandSeries#3)AMorningforFlamingos(DaveRobicheauxSeries#4)BlackCherryBlues(DaveRobicheauxSeries#3)TheGlassRainbow(DaveRobicheauxSeries#18)TheNeonRain(DaveRobicheauxSeries#1)JamesLeeBurkeJamesLeeBurkewasstrugglingthroughsomeleantimesasanovelist--hehadpublishedonlyonebookin15years--whenafriendandfellowwritersuggestedhetakeastabatcrimefiction.TheresultwasTheNeonRain,thefirstbookinhissuccessfulDaveRobicheauxbooks.Withacomplexmoralprotagonistandalushwritingstyle,theseriesevokestheheadyenvironmentoftheLouisianabayoucountry.BiographyInNovember1999,TheAtlanticMonthly--undertheheadline,"SoftBoiled:DetectivesAren'tWhatTheyUsedtoBe"--notedanoddturnofeventsinthecrimefictiongenre:thestrong-and-silentherowasonthewane,replacedinsteadbyabunchofchattyCathys."The1990sdetectivecan'tshutupaboutanything.It'shardtogoevenafewpageswithoutbeingassaultedbyaconfessionofinnerfeelings."Asanexample,itofferedJamesLeeBurke'sLouisianadetectiveDaveRobicheaux,who"wasinVietnam'intheearlydaysofthewar,'andthishaslefthimwithasizablereservoirofmusingsaboutpersonalanger,whichhetapsfrequently."Butputthearomatherapyaway.Robicheaux--Burke'sbest-knowncharacterandthelaunchofhisfinancialsuccessasawriter--isnosensitiveNewAgeguy.He'sapolicedetectivewhoholdshisownonthemeanstreetsofNewOrleans,whofacestheperilsofalcoholismeveryday,andwhosupplementshisworkpolicingtheLouisianaparishofNewIberiawithrunninghisbaitshoponthebayou.Ropywithmuscle,hecantake--and,ifnecessary--throwapunchwiththebestofthem.RobicheauxisoneofthestarsofaseriesthatstartedwithTheNeonRainandcontinuedwithsuchtitlesasHeaven'sPrisoners(turnedintoa1996moviewithAlecBaldwinandKellyLynch),IntheElectricMistwiththeConfederateDeadandAStainedWhiteRadiance.TheotherstaristheLouisianaswampcountryitself,whichshimmerstolifeatthetouchofBurke'spen.Thesmellofbrackishwaterallbutwaftsoffthepage.AndinRobicheaux,Burkehascreatedacomplicatedandoftenconflictedprotagonistdrivenbyafiercemoralcode."ThereisapronouncedstreakofpoetryinMr.Burke'sprose,"TheNewYorkTimeswrotein1988."Hehastheknackofcombiningactionwithreflection;hehaspityforthehumancondition,andevenhisvillainscanhavesomesympatheticandredeemingqualities."LikeRobicheaux,Burkehimselfisarecoveringalcoholic.Hecontributeshisteenagedrinkingtohispooracademicstandinginhighschool,anditdoggedhimthroughoutmuchofhiscareerasawriter.Evenwhenhewassoberforfiveyears,hehassaidhestillsufferedfromthesameproblemsasanalcoholicanddidn'ttrulyfindsanctuaryuntilhejoineda12-stepgroup.Hisearlydaysasawriter,inthe1960s,weremarkedbycriticalsuccessthathethoughtmeanthewasonhisway.Butafterhisthirdnovelmetwithso-soreviews,heonlypublishedonebookforthenext15years,supportinghisfamilywithanassortmentofjobs--teaching,socialwork,pipefitting.Onenovel,TheLost-GetBackBoogie,wentunpublishedfornearlyadecadeandwasrejectedroughly100timesbeforefinallybeingpickedupbyLouisianaStateUniversityPress.(ItwasnominatedforaPulitzerPrize.)BurkecreditsLSUPressforresurrectinghiscareer.Threeyearslater,whenthethirdRobicheauxnovel,BlackCherryBlues,waspublished,Burkewasbeginningtoreachawideraudience.Aftertheninth,helaunchedanewcrimeseries,thisonefeaturingTexasRanger-turned-lawyerBillyBobHolland.DespitetheshiftfromtheswampsofLouisianatothedustystreetsofDeafSmith,Texas,muchisthesameinBurke'snewfranchise."ThethemesthatstalkDaveRobicheauxthroughtheswampsinJamesLeeBurke'sLouisianamysteries--thearroganceofwealth,thecorruptionofpowerandthepriceamanmustpayforthesinsofhispast--trailBurke'snewserieshero,acountrylawyernamedBillyBobHolland,outtoTexashillcountry,"TheNewYorkTimeswroteina1999reviewofthesecondbookintheseries,Heartwood.HenowhasareadershipforbothRobicheauxandHolland.Buthehasbeencarefulnottotakeitforgranted.In1996,evenafterhehadthreestraightbooksonTheNewYorkTimesbestsellerslistandwasbuildingasecondhomeinNewIberia--tomatchhishouseinMissoula--Burkewasvigilantaboutnotlettingthemantleofsuccessresttoocomfortablyonhisshoulders."BythetimeIwas35,Ihadthreebookspublished.IthoughtIwashomefree,"hetoldPeople."Butthatwasvanity.Iwentadozenyearswithoutsellingabook.Icouldn'tsellicewaterinhell."GoodToKnowWhenBurkeiswriting,he'stypingblind."Idon'tthinkupthestories,"hetoldPublishersWeeklyin1992."I'mconvincedthey'realreadywrittenintheunconscious.Myworkissimplyaday-to-daydiscovery.IneverseemorethantwoscenesaroundthecornerandIdon'tknowabook'sendinguntilthelastpages."HiscollegeEnglishpapersearnedhimastringofD-minusesuntilhetalkedtohisprofessoraboutwhatwaswrong."Shesaid,'Yourspellingisanassaultupontheeyeballs.YourpenmanshipmakesmewishthePhoenicianshadnotdevelopedthealphabet.ButIcouldn'tgiveyouanFbecauseyouhavesomuchheart,'"hesaidina1996interviewwithPeople."EverySaturdayIwentwithherandrewrotetheessayfortheweek.IgotaBandmadethedean'slist.(She)changedmylife."The1993publicationofTwoforTexasmarkedBurke'sreturntobookshelvesafter11years.UnabletosellabookafterLayDownMySwordandShield,BurkefinallybrokethebadluckstreakwithhishistoricalnovelabouttheTexasRevolutionof1835.KrisKristoffersonstarredinthe1998TVmovieadaptation,whichairedonTNT.
