It's roman noir at its very best. The characters have layers upon layers, even the third bad guy from the right has layers. We find Robicheaux living his life after leaving the New Orleans police force at the end of Neon Rain. He went back to the bayou and his childhood house south of New Iberia.
Burke knows how to spin a story. It's a wonderful, dark tale of despair, falling off the wagon, redemption and justice.