Part of Dave Robicheaux, book 19
First published 2012
Dave Robicheaux lies in a New Orleans recovery unit, his body mending from a bayou shootout. His morphine-clouded mind conjures visions of Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman who has vanished. An iPod containing an old blues song appears at his bedside, transforming the detective into a man consumed by obsession. The Gulf Coast oil spill unfolds in the background as corporate interests deflect responsibility for the environmental catastrophe. Robicheaux discovers links between this massive disaster and his personal tragedies. He must confront powerful forces that corrupt and destroy good men. The investigation pulls him deeper into a web where greed, violence, and environmental destruction intersect with his own damaged psyche and the mystery of the missing woman.
Genres: suspense, crime, detective, mystery-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: damaged-protagonist, obsession
Setting: New Orleans, Gulf Coast
Period: Contemporary
528 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: violence