In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead (Dave Robicheaux) 1st (first) Edition by Burke

I enjoyed Burke's prior four books in this series, although they were formulaic as well. Rogue cop overreacts, goes off the rail, etc., but he's the good guy. Burke added dreams and visions of Confederate dead to this one, which were endless and boring. I did not have enough interest to finish the book.

The woo-woo in here was Dave Robicheaux seeing apparitions of a War Between the States campaign. The general is supposed to be John Bell Hood with his men in gray and butternut. General Hood never led an army in or around New Orleans. But he was injured in the hand and leg as portrayed in the novel. Burke has Hood saying in effect, it's terrible that men go to war over a dishonorable issue as slavery. That's not what historians say about Hood. "Hood was sympathetic to the Southern cause and often stated that he would resign from the U.S. Army should his home state of Kentucky join the Confederacy. Although Kentucky did not secede, Hood submitted his resignation in April 1861 and was appointed a first lieutenant of cavalry in the Confederate army. We do know from reading his books, that Burke is as liberal as can be and his portrayal of black and brown people is admirable, if somewhat unrealistic. And really the novel's real time bad guy getting caught up in Hood's crutch! Hood retired and became a New Orleans cotton merchant and insurance man. He had eleven children. He married and his wife died of yellow fever as did he and one of his children. So some facts got jumbled. It's an interesting book if you like ghost stories with your murder and mayhem.