Part of Dave Robicheaux, book 10
First published 2002
New Iberia police detective Dave Robicheaux watches uneasily as Megan Flynn and her brother Cisco return to Louisiana. Their childhood was marked by tragedy when their father Jack Flynn, a union activist, was found crucified on a barn door. The crime went unpunished, protected by silence born of indifference and fear. Cisco has become a successful film director while Megan works as a photographer. Their homecoming attracts predators who sense blood and opportunity. Cisco shields Swede Boxleiter, a dangerous psychopath working on his mafia-funded film set. The project connects to landowner Archer Terrabonne, whose daughter Lila drowns her secrets in alcohol. Old wounds reopen as the past resurfaces, bringing score-settling, murder, vengeance, and racial hatred. An ex-cop orchestrates the violence, a man the FBI knows well but who refuses to work with local police. Robicheaux must navigate this web of corruption and brutality.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: corruption, enemies-to-lovers, vengeance
Setting: Louisiana, New Iberia
Period: 20th-century
324 pages · Paperback · Rivages
Content warnings: violence