Black Cherry Blues

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: Burke's Robicheaux is a unique entry in this genre for at least two reasons: first, the writing in the series is both hard boiled and literary -- to some degree, burke is a bit like a modern day Raymond Chandler in that regard; and second, the hero is complex, tortured, and sympathetic (not unique) but he is also convincing as a real person. Scenes from this book, as well as the others in the series, will be with you long after you finish.

Rating:
Summary: Same old Robicheaux
Review: Despite the beautiful poetic descriptions of nature which are peppered throughout his books, James Lee Burke falls short as a mystery writer. An author shouldn't concentrate more on describing the environment than developing the plot, which is exactly what he does. And after you've read a number of his novels about the jaded ex-cop Dave Robicheaux, you start to realize that they all follow a very strict, formulaic pattern, so formulaic that I think I can summarize the generic plot of every one of Burke's novels. They all go pretty much as follows:

First, Dave Robicheaux unwittingly becomes involved in some sordid affairs, so he decides to start poking his nose around. He is threatened by criminals to stay out of their affairs, but instead of complying he beats them up and continues investigating. Despite the warnings, he is utterly shocked when the villains retaliate by harming someone close to him. The case having become more personal, Robicheaux begins running from place to place, making obtuse accusations and threats to various people until he earns the animosity of almost every character in the book. He eventually stumbles upon the solution to the mystery, and he never manages to punish those responsible because his hands are tied legally. Ultimately, it turns out that things would have worked out better for everyone had he simply not stuck his nose where it didn't belong, and there is nothing quite as disappointing as finishing a book and finding out that nothing worthwhile was accomplished by the protagonist.

Aside from this, Robicheaux becomes tiresome quickly. Though he is a decent enough guy, it is very difficult to have sympathy for a man who brings all his troubles on himself with his stupidity and unwillingness to stop poking his nose into other people's affairs.

If you feel that you absolutely have to read one of these books, my advice is to pick one at random, read it, and then don't read any of the others. Believe me, they are all the same.

Rating:
Summary: The first is one of the best
Review: Having read James Lee Burke's entire Dave Robicheaux series, I have to say that this novel, which introduced the flawed ex-cop with the mystical bent, is still one of the best. There are several things about this book that hit me as unique and made me want to return every time Burke served up another helping; the first is that Burke's ability with description and locale are unparalled, the second is the depth of character he was able to give Robicheaux by focusing on his personal demons (drink, violence and inner torment from loss and regret), and third is the 'mystical' element that informs each book - sometimes more than others - and allows the plot to be advanced by such devices as messages in dreams and intimations of a 'higher power.' Since Burke himself is a recovering alcoholic he is able to make this side of Dave's life quite real and moving.

This book (which won the Edgar Award in 1990) differs from later ones in the series in that Dave strays far afield from the rural Louisiana coast setting readers normally associate with him. But he is also, in the beginning, a more complex and interesting character. As the series progresses he becomes stiffer and more self righteous. Here he is unsure of himself and trying to come to grips with a life that has him on the ropes.

This is some of Burke's best writing and I would highly recommend it to mystery fans who have never tasted this rich Louisiana stew. It is unique and memorable.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I was excited when I picked up this book because I had heard good things about Burke and the Robicheaux novels. Plus, this novel had won the Edgar Award a few years back, so I figured it had to be good. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Reading this book was one of the more excruciating experiences in recent memory. There is very little action in this book and very little suspense. The main character has got to be one of the more dull leads in modern crime fiction that I've read. For a good quarter of the novel, I swear he's just sitting on his porch, drinking iced tea feeling sorry for himslef, and the rest of the book he's driving around threatening people, telling them to leave him alone.

Boring, bad, waste of time. This is my first Burke and Robicheaux novel and certainly the last.

Rating:
Summary: Still the best
Review: I've read them all and this one is still the best in the Robichaux series. Start with this one. Geaux Tigers!

Rating:
Summary: The start of a great series
Review: If Spenser is introspective and articulate, Dave Robicheaux is haunted with his vision. And visions. If Elvis Cole is funny and irreverant, Dave is sad and wry. If Patrick Kenzie is haunted by his catholicism, Dave can't forget his alcoholism.

But most of all, Dave Robicheaux speaks in metaphors and aliteration. James Burke is the Poet Laureate of detective writing. The plots are intricate, the friends have tarnished feet along with the hero, and the bad guys, well, they're really bad.

All of the series is beautifully crafted. Mistakes he made, loves he cherishes, loyalties he prays for, all of these are part of the man.

Black Chery Blues is the beginning of a great series. Start with this one and read them all. You won't be disappointed. James Lee Burke is one of the best. He'll be on your shelf with Lehane, LeCarre, Parker and Crais, and all the rest.

Rating:
Summary: Not the first one, but the quite possibly the best in series
Review: One reviewer is off by a couple, Black Cherry Blues is the third in the series with Dave.
First one is Neon Rain, second one is Heaven's Prisoners (which was made into a mediocre movie with Alec Baldwin.
James Lee Burke is one of the greatest living American writers.
He will be read in High Schools across the nation eventually as an example of fine American literature.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing, gripping story
Review: Over and above anything else, the first thing that struck me about James Lee Burke's "Black Cherry Blues" was the quality of the writing. Burke has an incredibly ability to beautifully describe his settings, making small town Louisiana and rural Montana vividly real to the reader. His descriptions are so good that I would often have to suppress the urge to have a late night snack after having my appetite whet when reading about something so basic as what Dave and his daughter made for dinner. Take away the whole suspense/mystery/thriller aspects of this novel, and it would almost still be worth reading just for Burke's descriptive abilities.

The plot itself is the classic "innocent man falsely accused" story. Dave Robicheaux, who is trying to live a quiet, simple life running a boat dock/bait shop and raising his daughter in New Iberia, LA, begrudgingly helps out an old college friend who is involved with some unscrupulous individuals. This leads to a series of events involving ominous threats towards Dave's daughter, Alafair, and culminates in Robicheaux being accused of a murder he didn't commit. The majority of the book takes place after Robicheaux heads to Montana to attempt to clear his name before his trial begins.

Burke seems to take great care in formulating his plot to make sure all his bases are covered. One small thing he did in this book that I really appreciated was to actually attempt to logically explain some of those bizarre coincidences that happen so often in suspense novels that immediately take me out of the novel because they come off as so unrealistic. There is a scene in "Black Cherry Blues" that is reminiscent of many thrillers, where a character is a second of two from having a knife stabbed into his chest, but is saved when somebody "happens" to walk in just at the right time. Many authors just take if for granted the readers will actually buy this, when my usual reaction is "yeah, right". Burke, on the other hand, actually takes this thriller cliche and gives a logical, believable explanation as to why this person knew to be where he was at exactly the right moment. This kind of care is taken throughout the book.

If I were to nitpick I would say that I was sometimes confused by Robicheaux's behavior, in that at times he seemed like someone who genuinely wanted to lead a peaceful life, and then would knowingly behave in a way that would get him into trouble with the wrong people. To be fair, if I had read the previous two Dave Robicheaux novels in the series (and after the quality of "Black Cherry Blues" I fully intend to) perhaps I would have had a better understanding of his character and personality.

Rating:
Summary: The Edgar Award was well-deserved.
Review: The mystique of Dave Robicheaux continues in this book, the 3rd installment of the series. Throughout the book you can feel Dave's pain as he remembers Annie, who died in Heaven's Prisoners. He's still struggling with the alcoholism that once wrecked his life, and his main focus is caring for his daughter Alafair. Burke, as usual, does a tremendous job developing his characters, all the while staying in the first person...telling the story from Dave's eyes. Dave is a flawed hero, but you're pulling for him regardless. Another gem from James Lee Burke, and it just adds to the puzzle that the Robicheaux series has become.