What is the author's style in Sunset Limited by James Lee Burke?

As is common in the murder mystery genre, the majority of the novel is told from the perspective of the main protagonist, Dave Robicheaux. The only exceptions to this assertion can be found in Chapters 4, 14, and 18, which chronicle events that take place in the past. By breaking away from the first-person perspective, the author grounds the greater overall narrative in both time and space outside the story.