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Last Car to Elysian Fields: A Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 2,208 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
For Dave Robicheaux, there is no easy passage home. New Orleans, and the memories of his life in the Big Easy, will always haunt him. To return there means visiting old ghosts and opening himself to new, yet familiar, dangers.
When Robicheaux, a police officer based in the somewhat quieter Louisiana town of New Iberia, learns that an old friend, Father Jimmie Dolan has been the victim of a particularly brutal assault, he returns to New Orleans to investigate, if only unofficially.
Meanwhile, back in New Iberia, three local teenage girls are killed in a drunk driving accident. Robicheaux traces the source of the liquor to one of New Iberia's "daiquiri windows," places that sell mixed drinks through drive-by windows. When the owner of the drive-through operation is brutally murdered, Robicheaux immediately suspects the grief-crazed father of the dead teen driver. But his assumption is challenged when the murder weapon turns up belonging to someone else. Tying together these disparate threads is a maniacal killer named Max Coll, a deeply haunted hit man sent to New Orleans to finish the job of father Dolan.
A masterful exploration of the troubled side of human nature Las Car to Elysian Fields is James Lee Burke in top form.
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"He's my favorite author. Read a Burke book and your in a dark theater by yourself surrounded and engulfed by his images. I've read them all but can only do so once every 3-4 months because in the end they are their message about the human condition is not hopeful."
— Mike (4 out of 5 stars)
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“James Lee Burke is at the top of his game.”
— New York Times -
“Hammer's rendition of the Louisiana misfits and miscreants is right on…And through it all, Burke's magical, descriptive prose flows freely.”
— AudioFile -
“Burke is, above all, an elegiac poet; his sweeping, lyrical sentences give life to the dead and make living worthwhile for the Robicheaux in all of us.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“The writing is beautiful, as always, laced with the author's signature descriptions…This is an outstanding entry in an excellent series.”
— Publishers Weekly
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
Last Car to Elysian Fields Listener Reviews
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" I can't get enough of Dave Robicheaux novels "
— Marcile, 2/9/2014 -
" Very well written, good character development. Predictable but so much fun to read. A great story about redemption, retribution, reconciliation.. "
— Weaver, 2/3/2014 -
" I'm a little mixed up with the timeline of Robicheaux. I can't say more without giving spoilers. "
— Karen, 1/26/2014 -
" Good story with lots of low-life characters who might be guilty of almost anything. Burke sets all of this up in about 450 pages and then unravels to the conclusion in about 5. Worthwhile. "
— Pat, 1/20/2014 -
" Very enjoyable. Robichaux let's himself be used as bait. Very twisty plot. "
— Rex, 1/14/2014 -
" Every book by Burke is special and this one is no exception. "
— Burt, 1/10/2014 -
" I love the plot in this one. "
— Amanda, 12/26/2013 -
" << Alexis Neal wrote on 9/4/2013> << Middlin'. Mark Hammer narrates the audiobook, and I'm told his rendering of the various Louisiana accents is spot on. Not sure if it would be as compelling in written form or with another narrator. >> Not sure what part of the world the person is from that told Alexis that, but Mr. Hammer's accents are terrible. People in southern Louisiana do not have "southern accents" and, having lived and traveled throughout the south and Louisiana for >60 yrs, I can attest that NOBODY talks like the characters in this recording. Mr. Hammer learned his southern accent from the old TV show Dukes of Hazzard. It is obvious these reviews are not only for the audio version, but if you ever buy a Burke audiobook, be sure it is narrated by Will Patton. I give it 2 stars only because it's a good Burke book. "
— EMCreech, 12/23/2013 -
" James Lee Burke writes about NOLA in authentic tones and accents. He is never politically correct as he goes after drug pushers and molesters NOLA style, without too much regard for the law. Impractical but fun to read. "
— Wendy, 12/23/2013 -
" I thought Mr. Burke brought New Orleans to life. As a native New Yorker who only visited that beautiful city I thought that he made you feel you were really there. I'm glad that he didn't make his main character into a "hero". He was a bad cop and paid the price by leaving the force. "
— Daniel, 11/21/2013 -
" As always, beautiful writing that evokes the beauty and sadness of the big easy and Louisiana. "
— Dave, 10/31/2013 -
" Average for the series. Much happened to main character between books. "
— Mailmanr5, 10/26/2013 -
" Middlin'. Mark Hammer narrates the audiobook, and I'm told his rendering of the various Louisiana accents is spot on. Not sure if it would be as compelling in written form or with another narrator. "
— Alexis, 9/4/2013 -
" Last Car To Elysian Fields - A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke (2003) "
— Julie, 8/19/2013 -
" Fantastic book! Great read! If you are a fan of true detective/suspense/mystery you will love James Lee Burke. This is actually part of an ongoing series with protagonist, Dave Robicheaux. I could not put this book down! "
— Rebecca, 7/13/2013 -
" JLB loves to write great books and i love to read his great books. "
— Thomas, 5/21/2013 -
" This story was another enjoyable read. Burke's word pictures are delightful to read. Looking forward to another. "
— Frodo, 5/11/2013 -
" Very well written, great characters, good plot and atmosphere, a lot of heart. Sometimes too violent for me but I can skim the tough parts. Very cohesive and atmospheric. Sad, tough stories from the past and present. "
— Cindy, 3/3/2013 -
" Great...felt like I was there "
— Hazel, 1/2/2013 -
" Another great book in the Dave Robiceaux series, this one is a more darker installment. Brilliantly written as usual. James Lee Burke is such a fantastic author - I will genuinly be sad when I finish all his books. "
— Joe, 12/20/2012 -
" A standard James Lee Burke outing, complete with sociopaths who develop a late-blooming conscience, a woman from Robicheaux's drunken past, the Mafia, Southern history, and lots of Cletus Purcell. An entertaining read. "
— Meredith, 9/8/2012 -
" Burke is really a wonderful writer. This was more poignant than usual. The past is done, and we can never go back. "
— Marianne, 5/28/2012 -
" One of the best writers on the planet. "
— Susan, 5/3/2012 -
" Love the characters though I find the mysteries somewhat difficult to puzzel out. Maybe after I have read more (this is my second novel) of Burke I will find it easier to seperate the guilty from the less guilty. "
— Bcoghill, 3/27/2012 -
" I think I'm through with Dave Robicheaux. Just too much vigilante justice for me. "
— Diane, 3/6/2012 -
" I continue to like his stuff,, though I've been reading it in the wrong order and have a little trouble with the chronology and knowing which wife has just died and of what! "
— Lynn, 1/31/2012 -
" i really appreciate James Lee Burke. and i love a complicated, sullied protagonist. "
— dix, 1/16/2012 -
" Good story with lots of low-life characters who might be guilty of almost anything. Burke sets all of this up in about 450 pages and then unravels to the conclusion in about 5. Worthwhile. "
— Pat, 4/21/2011 -
" Listened on tape. Per usual very graphically violent. Held interest. Gives a historical perspective of Angloa. As an African American, topic does anger. "
— Joggingt, 4/13/2011 -
" Part of his sad anthem to New Orleans. "
— Gordon, 1/9/2011 -
" Average for the series. Much happened to main character between books. "
— Mailmanr5, 9/9/2010 -
" I continue to like his stuff,, though I've been reading it in the wrong order and have a little trouble with the chronology and knowing which wife has just died and of what! "
— Lynn, 8/26/2010 -
" gritty Lousiana detective solving everything but the crime that started the book. Falls over the line more than once. "
— Jan, 8/20/2010 -
" Great, classic Dave and Clete. It's a formula, admittedly, but a good one. I love these characters. They are old friends now. "
— Graeme, 8/20/2010 -
" This was the first novel by James Lee Burke that I've read. I was a little disappointed. "
— Tommie, 7/16/2010 -
" I think I'm through with Dave Robicheaux. Just too much vigilante justice for me. "
— Diane, 7/6/2010 -
" Very well written, great characters, good plot and atmosphere, a lot of heart. Sometimes too violent for me but I can skim the tough parts. Very cohesive and atmospheric. Sad, tough stories from the past and present. "
— Cindy, 7/2/2010 -
" Middlin'. Mark Hammer narrates the audiobook, and I'm told his rendering of the various Louisiana accents is spot on. Not sure if it would be as compelling in written form or with another narrator. "
— Alexis, 6/21/2010 -
" Burke is really a wonderful writer. This was more poignant than usual. The past is done, and we can never go back. "
— Marianne, 5/7/2010
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 Mark Hammer
Mark Hammer has had long and distinguished career in the theater. After earning an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, he completed an MFA degree at Catholic University. For twenty-three years after that, he served on the drama faculty at that university and as co-chairman of its MFA acting program. For the last sixteen of those years, he was also a member of the resident acting company at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage. There, he had significant roles in both classic and contemporary dramas. He was twice nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for his performances in Cloud Nine and The Wild Duck. He has also appeared in several Broadway plays. Hammer was proud to be chosen to narrate the opening film of the permanent exhibit for the National Holocaust Museum.