There's a story in the mist

"In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead" shows the spiritual and compassionate side of Det. Dave Robicheaux of the New Iberia Police Department.

As the story opens, there has been a murder of a nineteen-year-old prostitute. Her body has also been mutilated.

When Dave sees the body and notices the victim's purse is still in the nightclub she had been at, he assumes that she knew her killer and that it wasn't random.

We also see a childhood acquaintance of Dave's move back into New Iberia. Julie Balboni has ties to the mob and wants to become involved in a movie being made about the Civil War. The sheriff wants Dave to encourage Julie to leave New Iberia and take his mob business elsewhere.

As the movie is being made, Dave meets the star, Elwood Sykes. Showing his compassionate nature, Dave tries to help him, Elwood, with his alcohol difficulties. Through the story, Dave and Elwood form an interesting relationship.

The plot is excellently written with a number of plot twists that add to the uniqueness of the story and keep it unpredictable.

The story was written a number of years ago but demonstrates why Dave Robicheaux is such a popular character in today's detective fiction.