James Lee Burke is famous for his thrillers, but now he has written a book that shows his versatility as an author. Flags on the Bayou is historical fiction set in the closing years of the Civil War. Burke uses the points of view of his characters to narrate the chapters. The author himself considers this book to be his best work.
Wade Lufkin helps his uncle run a plantation. He admits he voted for Lincoln and has a hard time seeing people as property. Pierre Cauchon is responsible for enforcing the law in this area of the country and will not give up control to the Union Army that is taking over the South. Lufkin and Cauchon will eventually duel. Hannah Laveau is a slave who is rumored to have voodoo powers and is an agitator for the anti-slavery cause. She is hunting for her lost son Samuel. Florence Milton is a white woman who believes in abolitionism and is friendly with Hannah. Colonel Carleton Hayes is a man with a deadly agenda. These are the main characters.
Hannah is wanted for the murder of a local landowner who was ruthless in the way he dealt with her. At one point, she and Florence are captured but manage to escape. They eventually end up captured by slave trappers and have to kill to make their way out. Thereafter, the women are hunted as enemies of the South.
These characters know the difference between right and wrong. They may not want to know, but they do. One is more fun while the other is hard and may leave you empty-handed. Which does a person choose? Or does a person just wait and see what happens? That is at the heart of this novel.
This is a good book. It may leave you pondering life, war, and the choices people make. It will definitely make you think. James Lee Burke has given us an excellent read in Flags on the Bayou.
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