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Light of the World: A Dave Robicheaux Novel Kindle Edition
Sadist and serial killer Asa Surrette narrowly escaped the death penalty for the string of heinous murders he committed while capital punishment was outlawed in Kansas. But following a series of damning articles written by Dave Robicheaux’s daughter Alafair, Surrette escapes from a prison transport van and heads to Montana, where an unsuspecting Dave—along with Alafair; Dave’s wife, Molly; Dave’s faithful partner Clete; and Clete’s newfound daughter, Gretchen Horowitz—have come to take in the sweet summer air.
Surrette may be even worse than Dave’s old enemy Legion Guidry, a man Dave suspected might very well be the devil incarnate. But before Dave can stop Surrette from harming those he loves most, he’ll have to do battle with Love Younger, an enigmatic petrochemical magnate seeking to build an oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas, and Wyatt Dixon, a rodeo clown with a dark past whom Burke fans will recall from his Billy Bob Holland novels.
Drawing on real events that took place in Wichita, Kansas, over a twenty-year span, Light of the World “reaffirms Robicheaux’s status as one of the most successfully sustained creations in contemporary crime fiction” (The Washington Post Book World).
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon & Schuster
- Publication dateJuly 23, 2013
- File size5.6 MB
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Review
“James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux, the haunted, all-too-human homicide detective from the Louisiana bayou country, first appeared more than 25 years ago in The Neon Rain. It was apparent, even then, that Burke had given us an extraordinary character, one whose depth, complexity and evocative narrative voice was worth returning to again and again. That has turned out to be the case. Light of the World is the 20th installment in this increasingly ambitious series, and it reaffirms Robicheaux’s status as one of the most successfully sustained creations in contemporary crime fiction.” (Washington Post Book World )
“James Lee Burke is truly an American treasure, right up there with the Liberty Bell, the Constitution, and apple pie. To say he is a mystery writer is like saying the Atlantic Ocean is a pond.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer )
“Evocative, lyrical, and haunting . . . [Robicheaux] is a complex, thoughtful, damaged and violent man, unlike any protagonist in modern mystery fiction. . . . Mr. Burke’s books are beyond traditional procedural mysteries. You won't find better writing in, or arguably out of, the genre. While uncommon in almost every way, his characters are knowable and very real.” (The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )
“This magnificent new novel seems the capstone of a formidable career, an awesome world bristling with references to Elizabethan and Greek tragedy, Roman emperors, the stench of the devil, and the Manichean vision of medieval chronicles.” (The Providence Journal-Bulletin )
“You can call Burke a crime fiction writer, but I call him a national treasure — he's not just a master of propulsive plots, rich prose and achingly real characters, he's a writer who looks unflinchingly at violence in American culture, at every level from the personal to the corporate. . . . Despite such moments of despair, Dave Robicheaux is an enduring hero, and Burke takes Light of the World pedal-to-the-metal to a hair-raising standoff and a satisfying end.” (Tampa Bay Times )
“[Light of the World] is vintage Burke: a killer plot, flawed but decent heroes, loathsome villains, a keen sense of history and philosophy and prose that leaves the reader in awe. . . . At once lovely and lethal, Light of the World shimmers with Burke’s ability to depict the best and the worst of the human family, and to do so with a steady eye and a generous heart.” (Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch )
“A hellbent death-row inmate escapes and comes gunning for Cajun police detective-troubleshooter Dave Robicheaux, his family and friends. This is the 20th Robicheaux tale by a celebrated master of the thriller genre.” (Sacramento Bee )
“I long ago exhausted my skimpy store of superlatives on James Lee Burke’s exquisite prose and moving plots. . . . Once again, Burke takes us to the best and worst of worlds.” (Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail (Canada) )
“Burke’s boldest and most complex novel to date, at once a superb crime story and a literary masterpiece from an author who has been named a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master.” (Associated Press )
“Hats off to the Library of Congress cataloger who applied the subject heading ‘Good and Evil’ to Burke’s latest Dave Robicheaux novel. In that simple tag lies the core of this acclaimed series. . . . Occasionally the evil comes in a more chilling, vaguely supernatural form—depravity beyond sociology—giving these novels a darker, more mythic tone . . . but it works, enveloping the reader in the visceral terror of the moment.” (Booklist, starred review )
“Burke produces his most sharply focused, and perhaps his most harrowing, study of human evil, refracted through the conventions of the crime novel.” (Kirkus Reviews )
“A powerful meditation on the nature—and smell—of evil . . . But even as the stomach roils, the fingers keep turning the pages because the much-honored Burke (two Edgars, a Guggenheim Fellowship) is a master storyteller.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review )
“Fans will be thrilled to find Robicheaux and Clete Purcel joined by their respective adult daughters in a hard-hitting, intense battle between good and evil. . . . As the story unfolds, a rodeo cowboy who speaks in tongues, a serial killer who should be dead, ex-cons, rapists, bear traps and evil that dwells in caves in the hills all come together in perhaps the greatest showdown of Burke's career.” (ShelfAwareness.com )
About the Author
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Product details
- ASIN : B00A27X6ZW
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (July 23, 2013)
- Publication date : July 23, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 5.6 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 561 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1476710767
- Best Sellers Rank: #104,805 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author, three-time winner of the Edgar Award as well as the Grand Master Award from Mystery Writers of America, winner of the CWA Diamond Dagger and Gold Dagger and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, and the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in Fiction.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this novel to be one of the best in the series, praising its incredible descriptive writing and well-developed characters. The story is suspenseful with enough twists and developments to satisfy readers, and they appreciate how it not only holds interest but keeps them reading non-stop. The emotional content receives positive feedback, with customers noting that no emotion is left untouched or unexplored. The pacing and level of violence receive mixed reactions, with some finding it believable while others consider it too full of gratuitous violence.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as one of the finest novels in the genre.
"...The Bobbsey Twins from Homicide are back in a big, satisfying book." Read more
"...Light of the World was a fine novel, but it's very dark and not quite up to some of his better works...." Read more
"...Still going strong, Mr. Burke. Thanks for a great read." Read more
"Burke has penned another masterpiece. This is one of the best Robicheaux books he has written to date...." Read more
Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, praising its excellent plot lines and satisfying twists and developments.
"...It sounds complicated, but the plot is easy to follow and all of the expected constituent elements are there: dazzling description of the natural..." Read more
"...Those claiming to represent God may in fact be Satan's minions. Many twists, turns, and not a few surprises keep the reader guessing to the bitter..." Read more
"...That seems an appropriate question for this book, which finds Dave, his wife, Molly, his adopted daughter, Alafair, and his best friend and partner-..." Read more
"...the only dummies-- just about everyone involved in this story behaves unrealistically...." Read more
Customers praise the author's descriptive writing and poetry, with one noting it as the best writing on mother nature, while another describes him as a wordsmith of the first order.
"...of the expected constituent elements are there: dazzling description of the natural landscape, extensive reflections on the nature of man and the..." Read more
"...But not in this novel. As always, the writing is first-rate. About Asa Surette, Burke writes "He had changed all of us...." Read more
"...This is an extremely well-written, disturbing, fast-moving Robicheaux novel, the best since Neon Rain...." Read more
"Burke has penned another masterpiece. This is one of the best Robicheaux books he has written to date...." Read more
Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one customer highlighting the strong Clete's-daughter character.
"...At just under 550 pp. it includes a broad cast of characters and a complex plot that appears to be sprawling but turns out to be tightly..." Read more
"...of Dave Robicheaux, his buddy Clete Purcell, and Burke's very flexible narrative voice that allows us to get deep inside the heads of everyone from..." Read more
"...He delivers character insight, wilderness craft insight, history, philosophy, and so many things for a reader who wants to sample from a smorgasbord..." Read more
"...His plots are well conceived and executed, his characters so real that we reach out or recoil from them, and his descriptions of places and things..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging, keeping them reading non-stop and providing reading pleasure.
"...Light of the World was just more of this for me; enthralling and frightening, full of colorful phrases, plot twists, drama and life...." Read more
"Author Burke has been tickling my need for entertainment that also makes me wonder in large ways, for many years now...." Read more
"...walk in during my waking hours, I get an undeniable and almost vicarious pleasure as Clete continues to triumph over monsters while simultaneously..." Read more
"...I hope I don't have to wait long before his next book. His work is essential reading." Read more
Customers appreciate the emotional depth of the book, noting that no emotion is left untouched or unexplored, and one customer mentions being able to feel each breath his characters take.
"...Burke has a melodic, lyrical way of writing that invites the reader to become a part of his literary environment...." Read more
"...the end of the story I felt chills running through me as it is that emotional and moving...." Read more
"...I can feel each breath his characters take, I listen to their thoughts, words and can envision each action as they live through some terrible..." Read more
"...But it feels half-hearted, with a wolf thrown in here, and a bear cub there, just to give artistic verisimiltude to an otherwise bald and..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it believable while others describe it as plodding.
"...landscape, extensive reflections on the nature of man and the nature of evil, dark secrets from the past that eventually surface, threats to Dave's..." Read more
"...I hate to say it but the descriptions materially interfered with what would have been an enjoyable read...." Read more
"...In this novel, Burke has painted the picture of the most credible, evil villain that I've encountered in literature because he almost seems mundane..." Read more
"...a weird kind of stream of consciousness that strings together non-sequiturs in a most unnatural way...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the violence level in the book, with some appreciating the more than enough action and gore, while others find it too full of gratuitous violence.
"...struck me about Light of the World is that it was extremely dark and evil. In past books, there is usually a little levity shining through...." Read more
"...The latter is a crescendo of suspense and violent action that occupies approximately one-fifth of the novel...." Read more
"...Evil is palpable. It strikes when it is least expected. Things are never quite what they seem. Those who should be good may not be...." Read more
"...But having a deviously intelligent, dangerous, and megalomaniacal serial killer coming after his daughter isn't all Dave has to confront...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2013Light of the World is James Lee Burke's most ambitious novel to date. At just under 550 pp. it includes a broad cast of characters and a complex plot that appears to be sprawling but turns out to be tightly constructed and brilliantly drawn.
Dave and Clete are on vacation in Montana, staying with a successful but quirky novelist who has a ranch in the mountains. Molly is with Dave and she plays a larger role in this novel than most. Clete's daughter Gretchen is also there and so is Dave's daughter Alafair. Like Jim's real-life daughter, Alafair, Dave's Alafair is a novelist. She once interviewed a Kansas serial killer named Asa Surrette. He appears to have escaped from prison and is seeking revenge on the world and Alafair in particular. Alafair and Gretchen each play a significant role in trying to prevent this from happening.
Along with Surrette there is a billionaire industrialist who has a gothic family, each of whom is demented and dangerous in his or her own way. The industrialist manipulates the local members of law enforcement, some of whom are prepared to cross any moral line that might be drawn or imagined. Add to that mix a rodeo clown who had been significantly abused by his parents and whose brain was further addled by electroshock `therapy' and powerful drugs administered by the state.
In the course of the novel we discover which individuals actually fathered which individuals, which individuals turn out to be siblings, which individuals are responsible for which violent actions (and who hired them to do so) and what are the motivations for various acts of murder, torture and mayhem. The initial stories concern the escape of the serial killer and the murder of the adopted Native American daughter of the industrialist's son and his wife. Dave and Clete become involved when Alafair narrowly escapes being shot in the head by a razor-sharp arrow.
It sounds complicated, but the plot is easy to follow and all of the expected constituent elements are there: dazzling description of the natural landscape, extensive reflections on the nature of man and the nature of evil, dark secrets from the past that eventually surface, threats to Dave's and to Clete's families, violent circumstances that drive Dave and Clete to seek justice and justifiable vengeance. The latter is a crescendo of suspense and violent action that occupies approximately one-fifth of the novel. And this time Gretchen is there for the ride, with her assorted weaponry and Alafair egging her on, while Molly throws in her two cents, staring into the face of evil. The Bobbsey Twins from Homicide are back in a big, satisfying book.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2013I always look forward to July as James Lee Burke releases a new novel. If it's a book in his Dave Robicheaux series, that's even better. Light of the World was a fine novel, but it's very dark and not quite up to some of his better works. Light of the World is Burke's 32nd novel, and the 20th in his Dave Robicheaux series.
Dave Robicheaux is a New Iberia, LA sheriff's detective who is vacationing in Missoula, Montana with his family. Best friend and former partner, Cletus Purcell, is also with him, as is Purcell's daughter, Gretchen Horowitz. They are staying with a friend and the game plan is to just relax and do some serious fishing. But of course, things don't go as planned. First, an arrow shot from a bow grazes daughter Alafair while she is out for a walk. She swears that it was shot by serial killer Asa Surette, whom she interviewed in the past. Surette was said to have been killed in a fiery accident during a prisoner transport, although no body was found. Then Robicheaux and Purcell are sucked into the investigation of the death of a young Native American girl, who was the adopted grand-daughter of a self-made gas and oil man, Love Younger. The former partners find themselves immersed in a plan to stop the evil that has descended on Missoula and also, to protect themselves and their families.
One aspect that struck me about Light of the World is that it was extremely dark and evil. In past books, there is usually a little levity shining through. But not in this novel. As always, the writing is first-rate. About Asa Surette, Burke writes "He had changed all of us. He had taken over our thinking processes, invaded our dreams, and set us against one another. His evil would live on long after he was gone. To dismiss him as a transitory aberration was a denial of reality. Surette left his thumbprint on the soul in the same way that a stone can leave a bruise buried deep inside the soft tissue of your foot." But I miss Burke's Louisiana settings. I don't think that Montana has the same passion and mystery as Louisiana. Even in Montana, Burke's thoughts go back to Louisiana. "For many people, New Orleans was a song that sank beneath the waves. For Clete, New Orleans was a state of mind that would never change, a Caribbean port that practiced old-world manners, its pagan culture disguised by a thin veneer of Christianity." That description is almost poetry.
For my money, James Lee Burke is one of the best mystery writers today. Even though Light of the World might not be his best, it is still way better than most other books of this genre.
Top reviews from other countries
-
hermann maierReviewed in Germany on August 9, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars wieder ein Meisterwerk
ich habe Jim Burke erst vor etwas mehr als einem Jahr zufällig gefunden, als Regengötter es in Deutschland auch in die charts schaffte.
Sein Stil hat mir so gut gefallen, dass ich begann Kritiken zu allen seinen Büchern zu lesen. Überall wurde Burke fast nur in höchsten Tönen gelobt und auch ich kann mich mittlerweile seinen Büchern einfach nicht mehr entziehen.
Ich habe dann begonnen die Robicheaux-Serie von Beginn an zu lesen und war beim dritten Band "Black Cherry Blues" hooked und zum Burke-addict geworden. Auch wenn die ersten Romane von Ulrich von Berg super übersetzt waren, wollte ich dann auch mal Burke in der Originalfassung lesen und hatte mir die Katrina-Sache "Sturm über New Orleans" / "The TinRoof Blowdown" in beiden Sprachen geholt. Die deutsche Fassung hätte ich mir sparen können, das Original war einfach nicht zu toppen.
Erst hier habe ich gemerkt wie bildgewaltig seine Sprache wirklich ist, und ich kann wirklich jedem nur empfehlen dies auch zu tun.
"Light of the world" ist wieder ein absolutes Meisterwerk. Von einem Spannungsabfall, weil der Held mittlerweile ja auch schon in die Jahre kommt, ist nirgends was zu spüren. Speziell hier vor der gewaltigen Kulisse Montanas setzt Burke seinen spannenden und teilweise mit Paranoias gespickten plot wieder unvorstellbar gut in Szene. Ein absoluter pageturner.
Warum dieser Autor im deutschen Sprachraum nicht bekannter ist, wird mir immer ein Rätsel bleiben.
Hoffentlich besinnen sich auch mal ein paar Verlage dieser Perlen.
- StefSReviewed in Italy on July 6, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars A Greek tragedy in Big Sky Country
When Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel leave sultry Louisiana for a family vacation in Montana, they don’t realize they can’t leave evil behind. Suddenly, even the natural beauty of Western Montana is tainted by horrific deeds perpetrated by cruel and ruthless individuals. In this harrowing story there’s more than one monster and there exist sordid and invisible links between several of the characters.
To make matters worse, Dave and Clete are getting old and their instincts dulled: the “Bobbsey Twins of Homicide” clearly risk getting overmatched here.
This is when Clete’s daughter, Gretchen, and Dave’s adopted one, Alafair, take the field and become front-row players. Besides regaling the reader with great dialog, they take and hold the limelight in this convoluted plot, which is somewhat reminiscent of Greek tragedies and their somber atmosphere.
Burke’s prose is rich and evocative as usual, especially in his vivid descriptions of Montana’s majestic landscapes and mighty weather.
Someone may find that Burke’s narrative set pieces are becoming repetitive, that Dave Robicheaux’s moral conundrums and Clete’s signature attitude (“Full throttle and f*** it”) are beginning to get old, but – in this reader’s opinion – they have firmly become part of American literature and are getting more layered with every following book.
- BJO TuckerReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars The promotion said "as good as ever" and it surely is.
The older James Lee gets, the better his writing. He brings the setting into such beautiful clarity and his philosophy is always absorbing and interesting. So much so, you just want to go there. My America is James` America.
Dave, Clete and now the two girls remain fascinating with time bombs always ticking and the new "villains" are as ever, scary, violent and doomed.
A longer than usual book but remains gripping to the end. Will he write more?
It is so refreshing to see quality and work maintained through a writers career, where so many others get rich, lazy and begin to just turn the handle.
Well done James Lee Burke. Another winner.
- Nathalie AugerReviewed in Canada on March 31, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark
I'm a fan of James Lee Burke's series with Dave Robicheaux and have been since the beginning. It's been interesting seeing his daughter grow up and mature along with his real life daughter Alifair who now writes mysteries. His courtly, deep South writing style may not be everyone's cup of tea but I find his ability to set a scene and develop atmosphere truly unique. In effect, Robicheaux is the opposite of Spenser with the economy of words, but both are enjoyable.
- Defa45Reviewed in Australia on January 20, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Scary
Always exquisite and fast moving, the black hats, black and the good guys evergreen! However on the chronology Dave and a Cletus have got to be 70 years old and that really does stretch credibility.