Sweet Pea Chaisson has parked his pink Cadillac convertible full of hookers in the parking lot of a convenience store in Spanish Lake, Louisiana. He’s causing a commotion, but not because of the car or the women—his mother’s coffin is sticking out of the trunk.

Welcome again to the world of Dave Robicheaux, the Bayou cop who works murder cases and a 12-step program with a unique mixture of gentleness and suppressed rage. On his beat in Iberia Parrish, ancient burial sites, a Vietnam war

diary, an old affair, and a street hustler are stirring up trouble. Dave needs to solve these overlapping puzzles, or he’ll end up without a job—or his life.

Edgar Award–winning author James Lee Burke twines threads of the past and present to create unforgettable visions and characters.