The beauty of James Lee Burke’s books isn’t in their plotting. Yes, the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master knows how to craft a mystery well, as the return of his series protagonist Dave Robicheaux in his 25th outing decidedly shows. But the crime at the heart of The Hadacol Boogie – the murder and dismemberment of a young Black woman whose body has been dumped on Robicheaux’s property – is merely the catalyst for the Iberia Parish (Louisiana) detective and his sidekick Clete Purcel to pursue larger-scale issues of justice and for Burke to indulge in the metaphor- and allusion-filled prose.

Life is messy, but glorious. Kind of like The Hadacol Boogie.