James Lee Burke has a real love for Southern Louisiana and it is apparent in his novels. With this in mind I had wondered how he would respond to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This book takes rural detective/ex- New Orleans cop, Dave Robicheaux into the center of the aftermath to help with recovery efforts. Burke/Robicheaux provides the reader with a very real and disturbing picture of how the hurrican affected the people and the City he loves. Along with this insight is the development of a very good mystery story in the Robicheaux tradition dealing with a complex set of characters that reflect the culture of the bayou country. Burke has a literary quality that is matched by few in his short but succinct descriptions of the intimate details that seem to flow effortlessly into the telling of the story.