Ambitious historical novel fails to engage

FICTION: Wayfaring Stranger. By James Lee Burke. Orion, €18. Reviewed by Joanne Hayden

James Lee Burke: wide scope but no real tension. Picture: Frank Veronsky
James Lee Burke: wide scope but no real tension. Picture: Frank Veronsky

ames Lee Burke has a history of probing the dark side of the American Dream. Though the veteran crime writer is best known for his series featuring Cajun detective Dave Robicheaux, several of his novels centre on members of the Holland family – hardened Texan crime-fighters who tackle violence, mendacity and corruption in the service of the greater good. Good and evil are ...