Rating: 
Summary: SOMETHING NEW OR IS IT?
Review: Like many of James Lee Burke's legion of devoted fans, I have read all of the Dave Robicheaux novels (in the order in which they were written). Before I added my review for Cimarron Rose I read many of the ones written by fellow fans. It was interesting to see that while JLB still has a loyal following, there are those who were (and are) disappointed by some of his recent efforts. The other thing that truly amazed me has been the quality of the writing in the reviews submitted by other readers. It made me wonder if many of them worked as literary critics or college English professors. Needless to say, there is a surprising lack of consensus on the quality of Cimarron Rose. When the book first came out, I was initially disappointed that Dave, Clete, Batist, Alafair and Bootsie would not appear between the two covers. The move to small-town Texas also did not appeal to me at first but, as I got into the book, I realized here was something new ---James Lee Burke was venturing further afield than New Iberia parish or even his other erstwhile home, Montana. I am a Northerner who has lived in the South and find Burke's writing evocative but also very unsettling. He knows from whence he writes but for me, he reminds me of everything I saw in Georgia and came to hate. Cimarron Rose, while set in Texas, stresses that there are truly vile, ignorant, bigoted people populating these newly popular Sun Belt States who deserve nothing more than our enmity and vilification. The Billy Bob Hollands and the Dave Robicheauxs of the world notwithstanding, the novels of JLB, while beautifully written, paint a sordid picture of the South (and Southwest)that confirm the rightness of my decision to return to the Northeast. All of the books JLB has written have stressed a darker side of life. While he has heroes, there is nothing heroic about these books. They are almost always well crafted and yet, they remind me of things I'd thought I'd left behind in the Coastal Empire of SE Georgia. His writing also makes me wonder if his southern readers like him or hate him for showing the rest of the world the darker side of the region they call home. The Robicheaux novels are set in Louisiana and if as it appears, Billy Bob Holland continues as an alternate character in another series, will he make us cringe while he writes about the bigoted half-wits in Deaf Smith, Texas? I often wonder, is James Lee Burke trying to tell us all how much he despises us? I ask this question because he makes a lot of money from his readership. His single most popular character, Dave Robicheaux is the one that got him noticed as a writer and yet, JLB had at least 6 other novels out years before that barely brought him attention. Almost all of them have been or will be re-released and all because of the popularity of the troubled cop from New Iberia. Is Billy Bob different from Dave? Not really. Does that change the fact that I really enjoyed the book? Nope. But, some of my fellow reader critics seem to have hit the nail squarely on the head. JLB may just well be starting to turn out novels on a formulaic basis. I say this because I came to that conclusion about John Grisham. I also have wondered if Hyperion has hooked JLB into a multi-book contract and the only way he can fulfill his end of the bargain is to churn out Robicheaux "look-alike, sound-alikes." After all, Grisham, while changing his characters from book to book, is already well past his prime. He should try to enjoy those royalties; he doesn't really need to work anymore. In any case, I say all of this from a distance but not with malice. After all, James Lee Burke is making a very nice living indeed from doing something I wish I could do and that's write popular fiction that's well received. For that I am grateful, because he keeps me entertained and wanting more. I just hope that he and Dave (and Billy Bob over there in Deaf Smith, Texas) find their voices again. All three of them still have a lot to say.
Rating:
Summary: New name, same voice
Review: Billie Bob Holland replaces Dave Robichaux in this tale of Texas violence. As usual, the author creates an intense and steamy atmosphere among the rednecks and backwaters of the south. His narrator is really the same voice as the indomitable,but flawed Dave.Once again the bad guys are truly evil, but meet their fate via the honesty and courage of a strong, decent, but somewhat tainted hero.
Rating: 
Summary: "Billy Bob isn't even in the same league as Dave Robicheaux"
Review: Having been born and bred in Texas but having traveled extensively throughout Louisiana, I was eager to delve into Cimmaron Rose, having read all of the Dave Robicheaux novels. My first empression upon finishing the book was that I had read a novel written by a Cajun ABOUT a Texas, while in all of Burke's Robicheaux novels I felt I was reading a book written by a Cajun about events that may have occurred in his own back yard. With Robicheaux, Burke created a protagonist that is REAL - with a wife murdered, a child adopted, run- ins with mob characters, and most importantly being fired from two different law enforcement agencies. That's real life, and as a reader and also a former police officer, I found myself actually "smelling" the swamps and feeling the dampness of the New Orleans "dives". Dave is real life, while Billy Bob feels much more fictional. The Texan lingo and locale was real enough, but the character himself lacked depth, which is at the core of the Robicheaux tales. Without background for the reader to feed off of, it was hard to get into the book, although Burke has the phenomonal ability to make his readers feel the events rather than just read the words. I feel he should either let Billy Bob go, provide a great deal of depth and/or background to him (wife, children, childhood, etc.) or come back to the New Iberia Parish and the bait house and give the readers what they love the most - their Cajun Cop.
Rating:
Summary: Taut, well-written prose demonstrates Burke still the master
Review: Billy Bob Holland, the hero of Cimarron Rose, could not have come at a better time for Burke fans. With Dave Robicheaux now settled, married and off the booze, he's grown a little complacent, and, I'm afraid, a little boring. Holland represents an opportunity for Burke to explore that familiar territory of the errant knight trying to bring law and order to a lawless community, and explore it he does. Burke's lyrical writing is at times breathtaking. His sense of place is keenly felt and he still writes about violence better than anyone in the business. While the plot gets a little confused at times, with all of the various low lifes, Burke manages to pull it off. Here's hoping we see another novel about Holland in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: James Lee Burke is coasting on past success.
Review: I have loved the James Lee Burke novels set in Louisiana. I think he's a wonderful writer, head and shoulders above most of those writing today, especially in the suspense or murder mystery area. Unfortunately, I feel that Cimarron Rose was a disappointment. Three of Burke's qualities that have made him so much better than others are his psychological portraits of the characters, even the minor ones; his evocative descriptions of place; and his almost poetic word imagery. On all three counts Cimarron Rose fails to live up to his previous novels. There are plenty of images and characters and place descriptions; however, many of them seemed strained or contrived, almost like a parody of the Burke style. I felt that Burke was struggling to write a novel in the manner to which we have become accustomed, but he was trying almost too hard. Too many writers run out of things to say (or ways to say them) before they quit writing; I hope this doesn't happen to James Lee Burke. Perhaps his next one will see him back on form.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, wonderful read!!!
Review: At last, an author that does not patronize you with their main character; He was straighforward-truly a Texan. I put my life on hold while I finished this tale. More! More!
Rating:
Summary: Burke, like a later Hemingway, cuts corners.
Review: I still buy his books, I still stay up late to finish them, and they still make me miss the South, but damn it, Burke has gotten lazy. His descriptive writing now hides a lack of plot, and he couldn't seem to care less what his characters are doing. Billy Bob Holland, invited to a picnic of fried chicken, finds himself seated on a blanket eating ham sandwiches. Well, Burke may get rich churning out book after book to mindless critical acclaim, but behind my eyes is the sound of ripped wet newspaper.
Rating:
Summary: A fine work
Review: This novel has bite, piercing prose, and a compelling story line. The characters are vividly drawn. And LQ gave me the shivers. My one (minor) complaint is the over-the-top violence (particularly near the end). But in all this is a fine work. Thanks, James Lee. You are a national treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Fine writing but the same old wine in a new bottle.
Review: Cimarron Rose is well-crafted and engaging, but it borrows too heavily from earlier novels. I enjoyed Billy Bob's dialogues with his dead partner (reminiscent of Electric Mist) but grew a bit tired of the decadent rich people theme from Cadillac Jukebox. If I hadn't read all the Robicheaux books I would recommend this book without hesitation, but I'm disappointed that a writer of Burke's stature appears to be using formulas. I don't think originality is too much to ask for.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting introduction of a new character
Review: Burke has set a standard for the genre with the Dave Robicheaux series; a mystery writer who not only engages the reader with twists, mayhem and suspense but whose command of the language puts him in the ranks of the finest authors. Burke writes in the first person, and while the reader doesn't expect Burke's narrators to take it in the neck in the course of the story, be warned that no one else is exempt - he wipes out principal characters who have survived two, three, or even four novels without breaking a sweat. In Cimmaron Rose, he breaks with his traditional setting of the Louisiana bayou and follows the sun west to Texas, where a Texas Ranger turned small-town lawyer tries to unravel a grisly series of homicides, digging through the mulch of history and turning up ugly revelations with every spadeful. The reader won't be disappointed.
|
