Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Prose
Review: Burke's latest is not his most exciting or memorable Robicheaux entry, but for any fan it's a must-read. Dave comes to a place of understanding about himself, and his past in this one. Burke's prose is even more beautiful than usual here-especially in the first two thirds of the tale. I enjoyed it very much, but was somewhat dissapointed with its final act as it seemed rather brusk and perfunctory. It almost seemed the author needed to "wrap it up" by a certain page number(this opinion may come from the fact that I'm always sad to see a Robicheaux story end)...None the less, it's a darn good summer mystery novel.
Rating:
Summary: Purple Cane Road
Review: I have just finished the latest by James Lee Burke and as always turning that last page was hard because it meant starting the wait for his next book! I happened on his work several years ago and read everything I could find in paperback and then started collecting hardbacks for my library. He is the best. I could write 1000 words and not describe the detail he brings to life in his books. Every one makes me want to make a trip to the part of the country he has just written about and see it for myself. I have visited Louisiana and Montana and no travel brochure paints the scenery as well as Burke. His years of teaching English literature shows up in the wonderful way he writes. Simply said - Wonderfully written and well worth the read. Thank you again James Lee Burke for placing your talent out there for those of us awaiting it every time.
Rating: 
Summary: A drop in quality
Review: One of the biggest problems with "Purple Cane Road" is Mr. Burke's purple prose. He needed a good editor to tone this down a notch or two. It is not necessary to demonstrate for the reader that one knows all the underworld jargon. The second problem is in the ragged "edge" the novel has. In Burke's other novels with the same hero, there was a hardness also, but it was softened by his affection for wife and daughter, by his serene occupation away from catching murderers. There is not much of that in "Purple Cane Road." It's downright mean from start to finish. I had hoped for something more, not that the author would give us the same old same old, but that he wouldn't sound so damned angry at the world. Still, I'm an avid fan of his previous books and look forward to the next.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST KEEPS GETTING BETTER
Review: TO DESCRIBE JAMES LEE BURKE AS ONE OF THE BEST CRIME WRITTERS TODAY IS A CRIME. HE IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, ONE OF THE BEST WRITTERS OF ANY GENRE. WHEN HE DESCRIBES THE HEAT OF A LOUISIANA SUMMER, THE READER FEELS THE SWEAT BREAK OUT ON HIS OR HER BACK. HIS CHARACTERS, ESPECIALLY DAVE ROBICHEAUX, ARE AS COMPLEX AS THE ROOT SYSTEM OF HIS BELOVED CYPRESS TREES. PUT SOME TIME ASIDE BECAUSE ONCE YOU BEGIN TO READ PURPLE CRANE ROAD YOU WON'T STOP TIL YOU'RE DONE.
Rating: 
Summary: Whoa! Wait a minute!
Review: I've read most of them too. Burke is clearly the best of his genre, head and shoulders above the crowd on the shelves. He has reached a point in his writing where he now competes only with himself. Judged in this way, this book is NOT his best. It is a bit sloppy for Burke; there is a clear error of identity early on in the book -- see if you can spot it. In the main, this is great stuff. Burke's metaphors are incredible. "Sun coming through the trees like beaten brass." This doesn't just occur to a writer; this is evidence Burke works hard at his craft. But he needs to slow down, refuse to respond to his publisher and his agent, and take his time with the next one. Or he will be guilty of writing merely for the buck, as with Larry McMurty and his "Crazy Horse."
Rating:
Summary: One of his best!
Review: I was beginning to fear that Burke was losing his edge. The Dave Robicheaux novels of the mid-to late 90s, I felt, were less compelling than the earlier ones. With Sunset Limited and now Purple Cane Road, I see my fear was unfounded. PCR is as good as Neon Rain, Heaven's Prisoners, and Black Cherry Blues. It's all here: the intertwining plots, the uniquely Southern characters, the beautifully vivid scenes, the characters' philosphic wrangles--everything we love about Burke. Buy it today! It's one of his best!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Burke Has Written!!
Review: I couldn't wait until the release of Purple Can Road. Detective Dave Robecheaux has gotten older over the years. I knew after the first 20 pages I was in for what might be his best. This is a wrenching story, but it's Burke's writing that is the star. Having read everything he's written, his style is almost like having someone read to you if you were blind. The words flow, no herky-jerky jolts of prose. He makes you feel the people and events long after you stop reading for awhile. His brilliant descriptions of a deep Louisiana culture stay with you after you turn out the lights. The man can write. His characters are sad people, but they get out and do the best they can. The people are believable, especially his trying to relate to his adopted daughter's feisty independence. For first time James Lee Burke readers, go back to the beginning of the Dave Robecheaux books starting with The Neon Rain and Heaven's Prisoners and come forward. I finished the book two days ago and I've been walking around kinda sad that I've got to wait another 1 to 2 years for his next one. James Lee Burke is a real friend, and I've never met the man.
Rating:
Summary: It's Pulitzer time for James Lee Burke
Review: Having read damn near everything James Lee Burke has published, I admit to being a bit biased. Nevertheless, I just finished reading one of the finest works of literature any American author has produced. This man is a national treasure. He writes with a poetic,delicate strength the likes of which no one else can touch. Dave and Clete's world is certainly not one in which I would choose to live, but my God, does he make it vivid. As a New Orleans Creole, there are times when I am overjoyed to be out of that racism and pain where everybody knows everyone's family business. Then again, sometimes I miss the humidity and craziness so much it brings tears to my eyes. Dave Robicheaux has spent years trying to exorcise his demons, the major of which has always (to me, anyway) been his mother's desertion when he was a child. Finally, and with such beauty and compassion, that demon has been put to rest. Now if we could only help Clete find some measure of peace.
Rating:
Summary: Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Review: Sometimes I feel like I simply cannot wait for Burke's latest Robicheaux. Never, but never have I been disappointed! "Purple Cane Road" has it all -- an old murder, and a newer one wherein the female killer is on death row, never mind that the victim needed killing. The old murder was that of Robicheaux's mother and new information on her death falls into his lap as he searches for anything exculpatory to get Letty Labiche off death row. Every lead he follows in search of his mother's killer seems to lead back to organized crime and dirty cops back in the Big Sleazy. The situation isn't helped any by Clete Purcell's falling for Passion Labiche, sister of Letty. Passion Labiche. Do you love it?! In this book, Clete's behavior is spiraling increasingly out of control, while Dave Robicheaux has his own demons to wrestle, not the least of which is his inherent propensity for violence. There is a lot of bloodshed as the pieces fall into place and the perpetrators are brought to one sort of justice or another. The writing is as always crisp, strong, and poetic, so descriptive that one can almost smell the blood and sweat and brackish water and the steamy rain as it falls on a tin roof by a Louisiana bayou. This is a seamy tale, but another great one, and I absolutely adored it.
Rating:
Summary: Homage To The Master
Review: I admit I am the consummate James Lee Burke fan. I can find little to fault in any of Burke's fiction, but I'm especially drawn to the Robicheaux novels. That said, this is simply the best in the series since "Black Cherry Blues". It is a meticulously plotted page turner full of the steamy ambience of the So. Louisiana Parishes. You can smell the bayou and feel the sticky heat in Burke's prose. There are enough fully realized, fleshed-out characters in this book to fill three novels. Burke has an amazing ability to create dibolical villains and sympathetic yet earthy protagonists. Dave Robicheaux and his compatriots have reached new dimensions in character developement. This is fiction (prose) at its best.
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