Rating: 
Summary: Maybe it's just me, but
Review: I found this latest offering to be more of the same: brooding, tormented Robichaux, out of control Clete, the understanding Bootsie, the tolerant Sheriff, Dave and Helen taking out bad guys but pinning it on other bad guys who are conveniently dead, the ubiquitous rain and stormy weather, which in Dave's world, comes daily, the visitors who never come to the door, but instead are just seen standing at the boat dock, or in their cars waiting for Dave to take notice and come out.But more importantly, in this book, the over-use of similes was annoying to the point of distraction. Even with the lovely twist at the end , and the fact that I remain a member of the James Lee Burke Admiration Society (I cheerfully await his next book with Billy Bob), and hope that no one sees this review as akin to an attack on motherhood, apple pie and the flag, I shuddered when one of his characters fell to the ground 'shuttering' in pain. I'll end this review as I began it: maybe it's just me...maybe I'm just bored with these particular characters..maybe I'm just having a bad day..but when I start counting the similes per page, something's wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: James Lee Burke is still my hero!
Review: Dave Robicheaux is back and better than ever! I've read all of James Lee Burke's books but none are more intense, read-in-one-sitting books like those about Dave Robichaux. As always, Dave walks the razor-thin line between calm and fury, sobriety and alcoholism, idealism and cynicism. His story as he searches for the truth of what happened to his mother is an incredible one, and the sidebar stories are equally gripping. The only bad thing, of course, is having to wait another year (or two if Burke goes back to Billy Bob Holland) for another book!
Rating:
Summary: simply the best
Review: James Lee Burke is simply the best writer of genre fiction today, so good his work should be considered "serious." Purple Cane Road returns us from brief sojourns in Texas to Dave Robicheaux country, and that means not only the Louisiana bayous, but that constant fate for any thinking human, a painful search for the truth of the past, of others and oneself. Here it is the unkarmic mention of the fate of Dave's mother that sends him careening into his past, which ironically dredges up his present: the implacable, eternal corruption of his world. Ironies abound: the state executioner gets his; will an innocent (or is she? or how much?)victim of his be in turn executed? Into this world come the highest mugwumps of Louisiana--the governor, the attorney general, both of whom are both guilty and innocent (the word sin recurs). And there is Dave's family, including Clete, partner and podner, who is also pulled into this whirlpool of death and enmity. The plot is, as usual, fine; the characters the most arresting in the genre. But, and oh, but, the prose. This is just beautifully written, great style, great emotion conveyed starkly. I don't think it may be his very best (Confederate Dead has even more great stuff), but it's better than anyone else.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Should Have Six Stars!
Review: James Lee Burke has again plumbed the depths of Dave Robicheaux's soul and come up with a real winner, the best in the series in my estimation, and that's saying one heck of a lot. While trying to prevent the execution of a twin sister convicted of killing a pedophile who had molested her and her twin as children, Dave inadvertantly uncovers dark secrets about his estranged mother's life and her brutal murder. Two New Orleans cops working as bag men for the mob might have killed her. Now Dave suspects that these two cops have climbed the baroque ladder of Louisiana society. One is a budding gambling entrepreneur with his fingers in the pie of dope and prostitution, while the other has elevated herself to the office of Attorney General of the state. Mix into that brew a psychotic hit man with a moral compass and a thing for Dave's teenage daughter, Dave's out-of-control ex-partner who has fallen for one of the sex-abused twins, and you have vintage James Lee Burke. The author's prose is rich as ever, but rather than using it strickly for setting and mood, Burkes uses his unique gift of language to drive the narative and the plot line forward, better than he has ever done before. If you've never read a James Lee Burke novel before, this one would be a great introduction. He is not only one of our greatest crime writers, but one of the greatest writers of any fiction today.
Rating: 
Summary: Back Again
Review: This is the strongest entry in the Robicheaux series in some time. Too often, Burke's plots disappear into a mess of tangled events that happened to Dave years ago. In PURPLE CANE ROAD, Dave and Clete do some actual police work! Burke's great theme is how the past is never through with us, and he explores it movingly here. I also enjoyed Clete, Bootsie, and the always-unnamed New Iberia sheriff, who seemed much more 3d this go-round. I highly recommend this to all fans of good American detective fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent addition to the series
Review: Dave Robicheaux sets off on a search for his mother's killers in this gripping and atmospheric addition to the popular series. All the Burke/Robicheaux trademarks are there - the visitors waiting at the dock, the clipped encounters with potential villians and the threat of violence in the air. Although Robicheaux narrates the novel, once again we learn more about him through his actions and from the comments of other characters, all of whom are finely written. No wonder James Lee Burke is perhaps the most admired crime writer by his peers.
Rating:
Summary: All the elements are here....
Review: ....for another five-star novel by James Lee Burke, starring our favorite Louisiana lawman. Tell me, in any other series, is there any sidekick so colorful and over-the-top as Clete? In this story, our man Clete has an affair of the heart with wrenching results. Once again, bodies of (mostly) bad guys are strewn across the landscape, meeting their violent fates in gruesome detail. Once again, there are despicable, corrupt rich people to plot and connive. Once again, Bootsie the Amazing Blow-Up Doll serves our man Dave lunch and provides him succor and comfort (although she does show signs of human life when she gets ticked off by the non-stop violence, though she should be used to it by now.).Mr. Burke describes the sights, sounds, and smells. and flora and fauna, and the extreme weather, of the Louisiana bayou, and the details of the lives of rich and poor people who live there. There have been many reviews concerning the plot of this book, so I won't go into that again, but I do want to point out a few things that made this one special to me: I found the relationship between the young hit man, Dave, and his daughter to be absolutely fascinating. There is a twist in the tale of Clete's new lady friend and her sister, who is on death row, that is devastating. And the story of Dave's search for the murderers of his mother, and the final justice...These things I found to be extremely touching. I felt sorry for the hit man, the twin sisters, and of course for Dave. The ending of this book brought tears to my eyes. A wonderful, violent, touching, engrossing, purple-prose story from one of my favorite authors ever, thank you, James Lee Burke!
Rating:
Summary: Read this book! Robicheaux Still King!
Review: Man oh man, Dave Robicheaux is one stylin' guy. Dave deals with the villian of all villians, Zipper Clum, helps Letty Labiche and Mae Guillory and along the way meets, Bootsie, Belmont and Batist. New Iberia is the town for me! Dave's a wonderful character. Moral, upright and determined. The other characters he meets along the way are all memorable as well. This is a really enjoyable book. My only regret...Dave is fictional.
Rating:
Summary: Best reader/writer combo in audiobookdom!
Review: I listened to the 4 tape abridged audiobook. Will Patton's treatment of James Lee Burke's writing does not get any better than this. Will manages to do male/female, ethnic and children's voices in a very credible Louisiana bayou drawl. You can smell, hear and feel this story on audio much better than reading it. I believe I would now have trouble (after listening to the last 4 James Lee Burkes/Will Pattons) reading this author again. The plot is sufficiently twisted and surprising, the characters are appropriately hard-bitten and multi-layered and the ending is vintage Burke.
Rating:
Summary: James Lee Burke at his best!
Review: Being a dedicated mystery fan, I always pick up James Lee Burke knowing I will be entertained. This offering is one of his best. We learn a bit more about Bootsie, and alot more about the characters who inhabit New Iberia. It is fast paced, and quite intense on a personal level. Great reading!
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