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Description edit
Hollywood has sent its emissaries to New Iberia Parish to film a Civil War epic in the steaming mists of the Louisiana bayou -- reawakening the ghosts of a past best left undisturbed. The restless specters wait in the shadows for cajun cop Dave Robicheaux -- as he hunts a serial butcher who... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters edit
- Dave Robicheaux: Protagonist. The author's detective hero.
- John Bell Hood: A ghost who appears now and then to Dave Robicheaux.
- Julie Balboni: aka Baby Feet. New Orleans mob boss. He tells Dave that he is co-producer of the movie being made in New Iberia.
- Cletus Purcel: Dave Robicheaux's best friend who often helps him in difficult situations.
- Elrod Sykes: Actor in the "civil war epic" that is being filmed in New Iberia
- Kelly Drummond: Sykes girlfriend and co-star.
- Tee Neg: A man who owns a poolroom in New Iberia. He is also Dave's sponsor at AA meetings.
- Oliver Montrose: A man from the film company who speaks to Dave about Sykes.
- Cherry Le Blank: A teenage prostitute who was murdered and mutilated in New Iberia.
- Sam Hogman Patan: The musician playing at the club where Cherry went on the nigh she was killed.
- Cholo Manelli: A man who works for Balboni.
- Margot: A woman who accompanies Balboni.
- Michael Goldman "Mickey": Co-producer of the movie.
- Mr. Trajean: Owner of the establishment outside of which Cherry was abducted and murdered.
- Jennifer: A woman who gives Dave information about Cherry.
- Alafair Burke: Dave's daughter.
- Batist: Add a description of this character.
- Bootsie: Dave's wife.
- J. Moss: The name on a historical item found by Sykes.
- FBI Agent Rosa Gomez: An FBI agent who comes to Dave's office. She asks about the murder of Cherry LeBlanc.
- Rufus Arceneaux: A policeman in New Iberia.
- Murphy Doucet: A former Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department employee hired by the movie staff for security.
- Twinky Herbert Lemoyne: A teamster official who complains about Dave interviewing the movie producer, Mickey Goldman.
- Jack Hatfield: A man on death row in Huntsville, Texas, who Dave interviewed.
- Mr. Meaux: The manager of a restaurant where Dave speaks to Julie Balboni.
- Dallas: An elderly black man Dave recognizes when he interviews Twinky Lemoyne.
- Jamie Ryan "Jamie the Dime": A New Orleans police officer Dave speaks to about the murders.
- Camel: A mulatto pimp Dave questions about his activities and recruiting young girls.
- Charlotte: A New Orleans prostitute Dave knew from the past. She has information for him.
- Downtown Bobby Brown: The main pimp working the bus depot.
- Poteet: A young girl who finds a mini-ball on Dave's land.
- Dr. Landry: Dave's doctor.
- DeWitt Perjean: A black prisoner who was taken from jail when Dave was a boy.
- Ben "Mr. Ben" Herbert: The old jailer.
- Amber Martinez: A prostitute who sets up a meeting with Dave.
- Lou Girard: A policeman who is at a shoot-out where Dave fires his weapon.
- Doobie Patout: A plainclothes detective.
- Sollie Rothberg: Corner in Lafayette.
- Big Melon: A man who grew dope for prison guards.
- Tommy Figorelli: A man who Cholo tells Dave about.
- Sid: Dave's barber.
- Jeb Bonin: Murphy Doucet's attorney.
- Expidee: A deputy sheriff.
Quotes edit
-
“My name's Dave Robicheaux. I'm an alcoholic. Sometimes I'm tempted to have a drink. But I never do.”
Dave Robicheaux -
“"Boy, it's hot ain't it? he said. "I think i'm gonna come in this afternoon and take a cold shower. You ought to try it too, Dave. A cold shower might get the wrong thing off your mind."”
Rufus Arceneaux
Setting & Locations edit
New Iberia, Louisiana
- New Iberia, Louisiana: Small town not far from New Orleans, where Dave Robicheaux is a police detective.
- Bayou Teche: Waterway that is at the edge of New Iberia.
- Del's: Where Dave picks up some food.
- New Iberia Sheriff's Department: Where Dave works.
- Atchafalaya Swamp: Where a body is found. It is of a black man who had been dead for many years.
- St. Mary's Parish: Neighboring Parish to New Iberia.
- Mamose: Where Cherry was from.
- Holiday Inn: Where Balboni is staying in New Iberia.
- Spanish Lake: The area where the cast of the movie are staying.
- The Chicken Ranch: A prostitution house in Lagrange, Texas where Elrod's mother worked.
- Angola: A prison where Hogman Patain was an inmate.
- Vermillion Parish: Where another body is found.
- Magazine: A street in New Orleans where Dave finds someone he was looking for.
- Lake Pontchartrain: Dave passes the Lake on his way back from New Orleans.
- Red's Bar: Where Dave and Rosie revisit a scene of a shooting.
- Lafayette: Where there is a shooting in which Dave is involved.
First Sentence edit
The sky had gone black at sunset, and the storm had churned inland from the Gulf and drenched New Iberia and littered East Main with leaves and tree branches from the long canopy of oaks that covered the street from the old brick post office to the drawbridge over Bayou Teche at the edge of town.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 6 of 19 in Robicheaux. (standard series)
Preceded by A Stained White Radiance, and followed by Dixie City Jam.
Authors & Contributors edit
- James Lee Burke (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Hyperion
Country: USA
Publication Date: April 15, 1993
ISBN: 1562828827
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Hyperion
Country: USA
Publication Date: April 15, 1993
ISBN: 1562828827
Page Count: 352
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS3552.U723 I5 1993
- Dewey: 813.54
Subjects edit
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
- Wikipedia Article on Dave Robicheaux: Once an officer for the New Orleans police department, Robicheaux constantly breaches the ethical code over the course of just about every case he works on - seemingly without consequence - and currently pursues cases in New Iberia, Louisiana as sheriff's deputy. He is a recovering alcoholic whose demons stem from his service in the Vietnam War and his impoverished difficult childhood in rural Louisiana; his mother abandoned the family (and was later murdered) and his father died in an oil rig explosion.
Movie Connections edit
- In the Electric Mist (2009) (IMDb): Starring Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, and Peter Sarsgaard
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