Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but definitely not great.
Review: As a rabid fan of James Ellroy, I find myself comparing other authors in his genre to the Demon Dog. I heard good things about Burke, and picked this book up.While certainly not a bad book, it didn't live up to the hype for me. The dialogue seemed unnatural, and the characters seemed extremely one-dimensional. The whole book seemed like an amalgamation of other authors, and didn't really find it's own. I was entertained, but I can't see myself running out to get any more stuff by Burke.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Great Gumbo!
Review: I went to a Borders reading with James Lee Burke and his humble, yet confident voice added new dimension to his characters...as if that's possible. Dave Robicheaux and his buddy Clete Purcel just about walk into the room anytime I open the pages of these books. Unfortunately, Burke's antagonists are just as palpable. The evil lurking beneath the surface of certain scenes is dark and frighteningly real. It's hard not to cheer for Robicheaux as he faces his foes and, usually, reacts before he thinks. Burke wraps this gritty realism and dialogue in some of the most beautiful and vivid metaphors around. Some accuse Burke's writing of shallow plotting, and I understand their viewpoint. I choose, though, to wander along with Dave Robicheaux through the heat and sound and smells of his day and see where it may lead us. Somehow this style gives his stories an uncharted realism that I personally appreciate. Like the cajun food Burke writes of, his words are alive with flavor and texture and subtlety beneath a layer of eye-popping spices. And--as his fans well know--your sense of smell will also be invited to the meal. Pull up a chair and savor some good Louisiana cooking.
Rating:
Summary: Some Great Gumbo!
Review: I went to a Borders reading with James Lee Burke and his humble, yet confident voice added new dimension to his characters...as if that's possible. Dave Robicheaux and his buddy Clete Purcel just about walk into the room anytime I open the pages of these books. Unfortunately, Burke's antagonists are just as palpable. The evil lurking beneath the surface of certain scenes is dark and frighteningly real. It's hard not to cheer for Robicheaux as he faces his foes and, usually, reacts before he thinks. Burke wraps this gritty realism and dialogue in some of the most beautiful and vivid metaphors around. Some accuse Burke's writing of shallow plotting, and I understand their viewpoint. I choose, though, to wander along with Dave Robicheaux through the heat and sound and smells of his day and see where it may lead us. Somehow this style gives his stories an uncharted realism that I personally appreciate. Like the cajun food Burke writes of, his words are alive with flavor and texture and subtlety beneath a layer of eye-popping spices. And--as his fans well know--your sense of smell will also be invited to the meal. Pull up a chair and savor some good Louisiana cooking.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner!!
Review: I've working my way through the Robicheaux series, and I must say this is the best by far; I was under the impression that Burke had hit his peak with BLACK CHERRY BLUES. As the series progresses Dave becomes a more intriguing figure--the demons and inner conflicts that Dave deals with mentally whips you by the end of this novel--and the "bad guys" take on an image of pure genius. The novel revolves around a sunken SUB, and the ramifications of Robicheaux knowing the exact location. The book takes off when the trouble invades Dave's home, and threatens to tear the fabric of his marriage. I've read many crime novels and I must say that Will Buchalter is one of the best characters to come about in a long time. The lucky ones that have read the entire series must agree with me when I say Clete Purcel is in rare form in this novel. For the casual Burke fans, this book is being developed into a movie by Tommy Lee Jones; after finishing the novel, I can see why. This is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner!!
Review: I've working my way through the Robicheaux series, and I must say this is the best by far; I was under the impression that Burke had hit his peak with BLACK CHERRY BLUES. As the series progresses Dave becomes a more intriguing figure--the demons and inner conflicts that Dave deals with mentally whips you by the end of this novel--and the "bad guys" take on an image of pure genius. The novel revolves around a sunken SUB, and the ramifications of Robicheaux knowing the exact location. The book takes off when the trouble invades Dave's home, and threatens to tear the fabric of his marriage. I've read many crime novels and I must say that Will Buchalter is one of the best characters to come about in a long time. The lucky ones that have read the entire series must agree with me when I say Clete Purcel is in rare form in this novel. For the casual Burke fans, this book is being developed into a movie by Tommy Lee Jones; after finishing the novel, I can see why. This is a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Finely tuned evocation of crime in the Big Easy
Review: It can be a terrible thing for the avid reader to discover the works of an already established and prolific author. If the author is not to the reader's taste, no problem exists; if, however, the author's work grabs the reader by the throat and refuses to let go, the reader is faced with the daunting task of reading everything else the author has written. Such is the case with James Lee Burke and his series of Dave Robicheaux novels; while I already have a sizable list of novels on my summer reading list, I am forced, after reading DIXIE CITY JAM, to seek out more of Burke's mystery novels. DIXIE is set in and around the city of New Orleans (always a vivid setting for an atmospheric mystery). Dave Robicheaux is a detective with the Sheriff's Office who is juggling many balls at once. In addition to his police duties, he has been hired to locate a WW II U-boat that was sunk in local waters many years ago. He also has the added predicament of helping out his old comrade Clete Purcel stay alive as he constantly and foolishly aggravates local crime figures Max and Bobo Calucci. But things come to a head when he finds himself warding off the unwelcome advances of Will Buchalter, an enormous neo-Nazi who's ultimate motives for terrorizing Robicheaux's family remain frighteningly obscure. Clearly, Burke has no problem with handling many different plot threads. The narrative leaps from element to element; an ailing gangster who wishes to make amends; a young man who is trying to become more than be believes he can be; an interrogation scene that will make the reader squirm. His management of these disparate elements is so skillful, so loaded with portent, that the eventual solution to Robicheaux's many dilemmas comes off as anti-climactic. In the genre of crime writing, perhaps only James Ellroy can be trusted to pull together myriad subplots into a satisfactory conclusion. But that doesn't mean it's not a travel worth taking. Burke shows a genuine flair for capturing the idioms of New Orleans speech; it may not be authentic, but in relation to the story, it is vital and alive. What may come across as precocious and obtrusive in a lesser writer is transformed in Burke's hands into true characterization and ambiance. The native patois becomes integral to the novel's success at presenting New Orleans as a character, rather than a setting. Burke has crafted a marvelous variety of characters to inhabit his world. Robicheaux is a hero firmly entrenched in the classic detective mode, an honourable man, tough yet tender, who operates with one eye towards justice, and the other towards his own inner demons. Clete is an absurdly erratic yet loyal companion, a man who cannot control his own impulses, even at the risk of self-destruction. And among the wide diversity of supporting characters, none is more frightening or memorable than Buchalter, a creation of monstrous proportions. He is among the creepiest of psychopaths I can ever remember meeting in print, a pleasure/pain lover with severe racist overtones, a genuinely despicable monster with no redeeming qualities. It takes real craftsmanship to construct a portrait of evil so convincingly. As I said, the ending, coming after multiple storylines involving mobsters, anti-Semitism, corrupt cops and blatant racism, seems a letdown. It wraps up the story convincingly, but perhaps it's a testament to Burke's abilities that it seems a shame to end the tale. As in all the great mysteries, Burke creates a world unto itself, rife with passion and rage. That the mystery can be solved at all is secondary to the people who inhabit the world. Burke's New Orleans is a dangerous place, a jungle of seething violence and corruption, a site on par with Ellroy's Los Angeles and Ian Rankin's Edinburgh. One can only hope his further explorations into Dave Robicheaux's universe remain as entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Finely tuned evocation of crime in the Big Easy
Review: It can be a terrible thing for the avid reader to discover the works of an already established and prolific author. If the author is not to the reader's taste, no problem exists; if, however, the author's work grabs the reader by the throat and refuses to let go, the reader is faced with the daunting task of reading everything else the author has written. Such is the case with James Lee Burke and his series of Dave Robicheaux novels; while I already have a sizable list of novels on my summer reading list, I am forced, after reading DIXIE CITY JAM, to seek out more of Burke's mystery novels. DIXIE is set in and around the city of New Orleans (always a vivid setting for an atmospheric mystery). Dave Robicheaux is a detective with the Sheriff's Office who is juggling many balls at once. In addition to his police duties, he has been hired to locate a WW II U-boat that was sunk in local waters many years ago. He also has the added predicament of helping out his old comrade Clete Purcel stay alive as he constantly and foolishly aggravates local crime figures Max and Bobo Calucci. But things come to a head when he finds himself warding off the unwelcome advances of Will Buchalter, an enormous neo-Nazi who's ultimate motives for terrorizing Robicheaux's family remain frighteningly obscure. Clearly, Burke has no problem with handling many different plot threads. The narrative leaps from element to element; an ailing gangster who wishes to make amends; a young man who is trying to become more than be believes he can be; an interrogation scene that will make the reader squirm. His management of these disparate elements is so skillful, so loaded with portent, that the eventual solution to Robicheaux's many dilemmas comes off as anti-climactic. In the genre of crime writing, perhaps only James Ellroy can be trusted to pull together myriad subplots into a satisfactory conclusion. But that doesn't mean it's not a travel worth taking. Burke shows a genuine flair for capturing the idioms of New Orleans speech; it may not be authentic, but in relation to the story, it is vital and alive. What may come across as precocious and obtrusive in a lesser writer is transformed in Burke's hands into true characterization and ambiance. The native patois becomes integral to the novel's success at presenting New Orleans as a character, rather than a setting. Burke has crafted a marvelous variety of characters to inhabit his world. Robicheaux is a hero firmly entrenched in the classic detective mode, an honourable man, tough yet tender, who operates with one eye towards justice, and the other towards his own inner demons. Clete is an absurdly erratic yet loyal companion, a man who cannot control his own impulses, even at the risk of self-destruction. And among the wide diversity of supporting characters, none is more frightening or memorable than Buchalter, a creation of monstrous proportions. He is among the creepiest of psychopaths I can ever remember meeting in print, a pleasure/pain lover with severe racist overtones, a genuinely despicable monster with no redeeming qualities. It takes real craftsmanship to construct a portrait of evil so convincingly. As I said, the ending, coming after multiple storylines involving mobsters, anti-Semitism, corrupt cops and blatant racism, seems a letdown. It wraps up the story convincingly, but perhaps it's a testament to Burke's abilities that it seems a shame to end the tale. As in all the great mysteries, Burke creates a world unto itself, rife with passion and rage. That the mystery can be solved at all is secondary to the people who inhabit the world. Burke's New Orleans is a dangerous place, a jungle of seething violence and corruption, a site on par with Ellroy's Los Angeles and Ian Rankin's Edinburgh. One can only hope his further explorations into Dave Robicheaux's universe remain as entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Mostly Underwater
Review: Leave it to James Lee Burke to concoct a tale of no less than sunken World War II German submarines, neo-Nazis, Italian gangsters, Irish mobsters, crooked cops and purported nuns, and a vigilante serial killer haunting the projects, all set in Burke's familiar southern Louisiana bayous and New Orleans' seedy back alleys. For a less talented author, such a mishmash of themes, miscreants, plots, and subplots would be a disaster. For Burke, it is yet another convoluted tale where the physical brutality barely overshadows the tortured souls of his unique and eclectic cast of characters. Burke excels in demonic villains, personifications of evil with just a hint of the supernatural. In "Dixie City Jam", the malefactor is neo-Nazi Will Buchalter, a psychopath who seems to materialize from the ether without the trace of a history. The story is far to intricate to adequately encapsulate, but suffice to say that Buchalter, among others, has an unexplained interest in finding a sunken German submarine off the Louisiana Gulf coast that New Iberia detective Dave Robicheaux happened upon decades earlier while scuba diving.
For those familiar with Burke's Robicheaux novels will not be disappointed with this dark and twisted story of hate and depravity. Clete Purvis, Robicheaux's ex-NOPD partner, provides welcome black humor as he demonstrates increasingly more creative techniques of mayhem as an art form. But "Dixie City Jam" nearly collapses under the weight of Burke's liberal social commentary. That Burke, as reflected through Robicheaux, has a message is not in itself a problem, but in this iteration he allows his rhetoric to ramble, adding unnecessary pages and overbearing gloom to the always-humorless Robicheaux. In short, this is not Burke's best effort - "Last Car to Elysian Fields", "Burning Angel", or "Jolie Blon's Bounce" - are all more gripping and less preachy efforts. But this is far from a pedestrian effort, and despite some flaws, far more engaging the average popular fiction novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Lay Off The Discription, J.L.B!
Review: My first James Lee Burke novel and I wasn't impressed. I heard much about him so I decided to read one of his most beloved mysteries. Dixie City Jam. Hmm. If he's one of the finest of the mystery writer's breed, I guess I don't understand the genre. The story itself is fine. Dave Robicheaux, a good-guy detective and loving hubby, battles neo-Nazis, mobsters and his impulsive/assinine best friend. The central story line involves a sunken WWII German submarine that Dave has spotted off the New Orleans coast a few times in his life. Will Buchalter, neo-Nazi and wacko, covets that sub. It will mean much to the cause of tyranny and white supremacy around the world, apparently. So Buchalter goes after Dave hoping he's a sporty guy by telling him where the entombed hero's of yesteryear lie. A couple of encounters, threats, intimidation fill the novel, then ultimatly, climax/resolution. Meanwhile, Dave's brain dead best friend, Clete Purcel, is stirring up a hornet's nest of trouble with the local mobsters. I swear, Clete has A.D.D. Never thinks through a problem, just reacts. He then writes off potential dangerous ramafications for his bone-headed, destructive behavior with a lazy eyed, "Aww, this'll pass over." Dave to the rescue. He's the greatest. Burke's insistence on discribing the infinite smells, colors, and textures in every scene in this book had me rolling my eyes. The sky was this color, the ocean was that color, over and over. I'd sometimes scream at Dave Robicheaux in my head, "Just walk to your damn car and get into town!" Too much, and not done skillfully. Whenever the texure of a scene was filled in, the momentum died completely. Burke made a torture scene boring! His characters are all one dimentional. I didn't believe any of them. Because of this, I never worried about Dave or any one else. Burke holds your hand through an innocuous trip through a fun house with very few surprises. Burke does expostulate on some interesting sociological issues, though. Crime, economic status, jealousy and the ties that bind them. Story is 3 stars, writing is 1 star. This could have been a wonderful mystery, a thought provoking book.
Rating:
Summary: Violence is bad, but.....
Review: Sharply etched characters, violent action, and provocative dialogue where violence is only a word away--all charcterize JL Burke's DIXIE CITY JAM. But as Dave says, violence may not be the worst thing; cruelty is. And, oh, yeah, there's tons of atmospshere.
Hard-case Dave fights not only booze (at second hand, through his wife), but also his hair-trigger temper, where smashing someone seems to be his first repsonse. What saves him for the reader is that he is not cruel, and his violence is directed against those who are.
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