In his top third, not top 10%
Customer Rating: 
This book is better than his recent efforts in terms of the descriptive writing and eloquent language. He's written better 10 years ago, however. There are some passages in Swan Peak that stop you with their wonderful writing, but not as many as I recall from the books including and around Confederate Mist.
One negative to the book from my perspective is that he has 2 characters who begin the novel in same sex situations and then each character magically discovers sex with a different gender partner and sticks with that. It's a bit unrealistic, particularly in the case of the lesbian FBI agent.
Good to see Burke in good form after I was so disappointed with the new Elizabeth George novel that I read right before Swan Peak. George and Burke are normally my favorite 2 authors.
Paul
One Thing Leads to Another: Karma Creates Connections
Customer Rating: Consider Swan Peak a taut Dave Robicheaux thriller about bringing down the bad guys transferred from Katrina-depleted Louisiana to sparking Montana. Since Louisiana is usually the major character in this series' books, that shift cuts down the local color by one star.
Are there sleazy people in Montana? They seem to be everywhere that Dave and Clete Purcell look.
Dave and Molly have left Louisiana to recover from Katrina, and Clete has joined them. Naturally, it doesn't take much for Clete to begin stirring things up. In this case, a choice of campground begins an escalating conflict that no one seems to be able to or wants to avoid.
Pretty soon bodies are piling up around Dave and Clete, but it's not clear what the motives are. Both with and without encouragement, Dave begins investigating. That search draws them both into the business of the local, reclusive rich who want to drill for oil and gas and make lots of money through evangelism. It's an odd group of people, and the closer you look . . . the odder it gets.
In a related story line, a convict looks to do his time and get out . . . but a gun bull has other ideas.
The book's main weakness is that James Lee Burke often tells rather than shows what's going on. At times, you'll feel like you are in a lecture hall rather than reading an engrossing book.
As usual, the story has more slime in it than ten usual murder mysteries. But overcoming the slime is part of the appeal of this series so I'm sure you know what to expect.
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