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Creole Belle: A Dave Robicheaux Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,856 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
“America’s best novelist” James Lee Burke returns with another New York Times bestselling entry in the Dave Robicheaux thriller series (The Denver Post).
Set against the events of the Gulf Coast oil spill, rife with “the menaces of greed and violence and man-made horror” (The Christian Science Monitor), Creole Belle finds Dave Robicheaux languishing in a New Orleans recovery unit since surviving a bayou shoot-out. The detective’s body is healing; it’s his morphine-addled mind that conjures spectral visions of Tee Jolie Melton, a young woman who in reality has gone missing. An iPod with an old blues song left by his bedside turns Robicheaux into a man obsessed…And as oil companies assign blame after an epic disaster threatens the Gulf’s very existence, Robicheaux unearths connections between tragedies both global and personal—and faces down forces that can corrupt and destroy the best of men.
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"Guilty pleasure number seven. I love Burke, love his romanticism, love his prose and love his characters. Every time I get to go on an adventure with Purcel and Robicheaux, it's a better day. Now with the addition of their daughters, the reader gets to see just how their quirks and courage translate into the feminine personality. Burke loves Louisanna. He hates the despolation of paradise. The books are wonderful and sad at the same time. It fits me."
— Gordon (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Burke is the reigning champ of nostalgia noir…To be sure, the destruction of a pristine natural environment is a thematic staple of the regional crime novel, but nobody can touch Burke in the lyrical expression of howling grief…[Creole Belle is] a novel that shows how the sins of the fathers poison the ground their children walk on.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“All the characters…are superbly drawn, and the plot is heart-pounding…Sure to be embraced by author James Lee Burke’s fans.”
— Washington Post -
“Gripping.”
— People -
“Reading James Lee Burke is a religious experience…Creole Belle may be one of Burke’s best; it is certainly one of his most complex…Intense doesn’t begin to describe a Burke story…Biblical…now that about does it.”
— San Antonio Express -
“Burke weaves a rich example of his trademark bayou noir. Filled with cruelty and valor, greed and sacrifice, and surprises of the worst and best kind, Creole Belle is a dark but irresistible cruise.”
— Tampa Bay Times -
“Another stunner from a modern master.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“This tale plays out much like The Glass Rainbow—intimations of mortality; melancholic musing on the pillaging of once-Edenic South Louisiana; cathartic, guns-blazing climax—but, as always, Burke brings something new to the table…Dave and Clete may still be unbowed, but they are certainly broken—and all the more interesting for it.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“As a crime novel, Creole Belle delivers everything fans of the genre crave, and more: a masterful tale of good, evil, organized crime, and the corporate-led destruction of the once-idyllic land of the Gulf Coast…[Burke] uses the modern crime novel the way a master chef uses local, organic foods to create a gastronomic feast—in this case, a classical tragedy with all the fixin’s.”
— ShelfAwareness.com -
“Great news for readers who feared that Burke had left Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Robicheaux dying at the end of The Glass Rainbow; Dave and his old friend Clete Purcel are back for an even more heaven-storming round of homicide, New Orleans–style…A darkly magnificent treat for Dave’s legion of admirers.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award
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A Booklist Top 10 Crime Fiction Audiobook in 2013
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
Creole Belle Listener Reviews
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" Dave and Clete really get into the muck with this one. Dave is as introspective as ever (in fact a little overboard at times). And Clete is -- well just Clete. At the bottom of this all is the oil well explosion in the gulf - but it goes way beyond that. A new character shows up too, should be interesting to follow in the future. Will Patton's reading adds a great deal to the story, really bringing in the Louisiana spirit. "
— Nick, 2/18/2014 -
" Another great story by James Lee Burke. I always like the way he shows his charecters, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Few people are completely good or evil, it's an ongoing battle inside our selves. As usual plenty of excitement and twists. Rock on Bobbsey Twins! "
— James, 2/4/2014 -
" Odder by the page. But a good read as usual. "
— Eli, 1/23/2014 -
" Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publisher. Once again, James Lee Burke has put together a literary feast as he explores the theme of sins of the past coming back. This is one of those books that you are sorry to finish. Cannot recommend it enough. "
— Shawn, 1/21/2014 -
" Started well but I found it about 100 pages too long. "
— Mark, 1/20/2014 -
" As always, James Lee Burke grabbed my attention and didn't let go until the last page. Even then, I spent a few more days inhabiting Iberia. Dave and Clete and the other familiar characters are so well developed, so flawed and yet such upright people. Even with such extreme violence, I loved it. "
— Marlo, 1/20/2014 -
" Wonderful book. Keep writing, James Lee! "
— Shirley, 1/8/2014 -
" I love Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell too! "
— Suzanne, 10/7/2013 -
" have always loved this series...Mr Burke is such a descriptive writer - you can get such a good feel for the characters...really surprised that this series hasn't been adapted for cable tv or more movies haven't been made... as stated previously love The Dave Robicheaux series "
— Ron, 8/18/2013 -
" It seems as if JLB is concerned more with death now. Is he trying to get this book made into a movie, John Goodman to play the role of Clete??? John Goodman has already played a part in The Electric Mist as a movie that went straight to DVD. He did play Clete though, he was one of JLB's bad guys. "
— Johnplavelle, 8/10/2013 -
" hard read, but loved it. makes you think. story was phenomenal. characters are heroic. perfect. "
— Bluedaizy, 7/1/2013 -
" Evokes the bayou country and New Orleans vibe beautifully but brimming full of violence..... "
— Karen, 6/20/2013 -
" Burke writes about the rural south better than anybody since Faulkner. Lyrical, luminous prose coupled with the deep resentment at the betrayal of those who have corrupted Eden. His best book in recent years. "
— Celia, 5/8/2013 -
" This is not a great work of literature but it was a fun read and kept my interest until the end. A great way to pass the time while sick. "
— Catherine, 4/6/2013 -
" Dave, Clete and Louisiana are equally developed characters that make the mystery that much more amazing and entertaining. I fell in love with Louisiana and was at the edge of my seat as the story wove its trance on me. Definitely recommend this. "
— Shifra, 2/28/2013 -
" Listened to this on road trips. Bill Paxton as Dave Robicheaux is the best. "
— Linda, 2/23/2013 -
" Another in a series of war ravaged souls. I don't know how these guys survive. It has a happy ending for once, though how contract killers can come across as OK. As I always say this is the last book I'll read regarding this characture. "
— Hrn1947, 2/6/2013 -
" I like Dave Robicheaux (sp?) as a detective. I liked the story. Not the best I've read, but I'd probably read it again. "
— Katy, 1/9/2013 -
" This was James Lee Burke's best Dave Robicheaux! Loved it. Couldn't put it down. "
— Susan, 12/6/2012 -
" This series is becoming very gritty. Not for the faint of heart. "
— Connie, 11/25/2012 -
" I enjoyed the book but it got bogged down with musings on alcoholism. "
— Jennifer, 10/24/2012
About James Lee Burke
James Lee Burke is a New York Times bestselling author of forty novels and two short-story collections. He has won the Edgar Award, the CWA Gold Dagger, and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policièr. He was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. His novel The Lost-Get Back Boogie was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and two of his books, Heaven’s Prisoners and Two for Texas, have been made into motion pictures.
About Will Patton
Will Patton is an award-winning actor and narrator. HIs narrations have earned the prestigious Audie Award for Best Fiction Narration and also won dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards. His numerous film credits include Remember the Titans, The Punisher, The Mothman Prophesies, Armageddon, and The Spitfire Grill. He starred in the TNT miniseries Into the West and on the CBS series The Agency and won Obie Awards in the theater for his performances in Fool for Love and What Did He See.