Dave Robicheaux has spent his life confronting the age-old adage that the sins of the father pass on to the son. But what was his mother's legacy? Dead to him since his youth, Mae Guillory has been shuttered away in the deep recesses of Robicheaux's mind. He's lived with the fact that he would never really know what happened to the woman who left him to the devices of a whiskey-driven father. But deep down, Dave still feels the loss of his mother and knows that the infinite series of disappointments in her life could not have come to a good end.While helping out an old friend, Dave is stunned when a pimp looks at him sideways and asks if he is the son of Mae Guillory, the whore a bunch of cops murdered thirty years ago. Her body was dumped in the bayou bordering Purple Cane Road, and the cops who left her there are still on the job.Dave's search for his mother's killers leads him to the darker places in his past, and solving this case teaches him what it means to be his mother's son. Purple Cane Road has the dimensions of a classic -- passion, murder, and nearly heartbreaking poignancy -- wrapped in a wonderfully executed plot that surprises from start to finish.
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"The book group at work chose this one month, and I picked it up as a result. I've since read five or so of the Dave Robicheaux series, and enjoyed them all. If you like Elizabeth George or John Sandford, you'll probably like these, too." — Marguerite (4 out of 5 stars)
"The book group at work chose this one month, and I picked it up as a result. I've since read five or so of the Dave Robicheaux series, and enjoyed them all. If you like Elizabeth George or John Sandford, you'll probably like these, too."
“Purple Cane Road is a beautifully written psychologically complex, stunningly atmospheric page-turner. James Lee Burke is the Faulkner of crime fiction.”
“No other living writer has been more influential on the contemporary crime novel than James Lee Burke. Using a painter’s careful brush strokes of character and place, he has turned the form into a literary exploration of the moral ambiguities that lie in the darkness of our souls. His work has set the watermark so high that I don’t think anyone else will ever reach it. With Purple Cane Road, he has gone and moved it up yet one more notch. This one is his best.”
“A story peopled by a vivid cast of characters…As always, Burke’s prose is muscular and his depiction of the bayou a joy.”
“With a gift for evoking all the beauty of the Edenic natural world of the Cajun country and his wary, savvy eye for the unnatural characters that populate it, Burke creates, once more, a satisfying tension and a rich and complex story.”
" Once again Dave & Clete have taken me deep into the mystical worlds of imagination and time transport...thanks for that :) "
" The best of the series. "
" I really enjoy this author's ability to draw word pictures that enhance the stories, which are good in all of his books that I've read to date. I recommend his books to anyone looking for a good story. "
" One needs a flow-chart or diagram to follow Grant's plots! "
" More of his past is filled in and the character continues to develop "
" Burke is one of my favorite authors. He never disappoints with a great story, great characters and fun settings. His rich descriptions of both Montana and Louisiana are beautiful. "
" New Orleans corruption - Dave Robicheau mystery "
" Right up there with Tin Roof Blow Down, both 5s. "
" Robecheaux goes after his mother's killers. The pacing and characters were, as usual,outstanding. "
" Prototypical Burke, and that's high praise. "
" James Lee Burke is living proof that the genre of crime/thriller can be done with style and impecable craftsmanship. "
" HEARTBREAKING. HOPELESS AND DIRTY AND TERRIFIC. "
" Atmospheric, but I find it difficult to engage emotionally with fictional murder stories. "
" This was a great Dave Robicheaux book. It provides a lot of background information as to Dave's mom and what became of her. Lots of interesting plot twists. "
" The ending's a bit of an anticlimax, but it's still a good read. "
" Note to self: Dave Robicheaux (New Orleans police) is WAY too violent for me. "
" I hated it from page 1. I only finished it because I wanted to know who the killer was. "
" Brilliant addition to the Robiceaux series, this is one of the best stories. Brilliant stuff. "
" Burke takes homicide detective, Dave Robicheaux, forward to purge his past. Burke provides several finely developed characters to aid Robicheaux on his journey. "
" New Iberia, Louisianna, New Orleans, prostitutes, killers, corrupt politics. Solid "
" Tough-as-nails Dave throws you for a loop when you get to the last page. Somber and haunting... "
" a great read from James Lee Burke, particularly liked Clete Purcell in this one. "
" There is no denying my eternal love of Dave Robicheaux. It's always a good trip into the dark corners of the Louisiana bayous with Dave, Clete and company. Dark and violent, beautifully written, never a disappointment. "
" I love James Lee Burke! "
" This man made ma want to go to Louisiana - the sure sign of a good writer. "
" his books are the best.i have no negativity towards Mr. Burke. "
" I liked the characters & the writing style a lot, but the story was just a little too dark for me. "
" Good but not up to some others of his that I've read. Won't stop me from continuing to read the series, certainly. "
" Another solid book that has the usual plot developments but adds literary character in all the right corners. "
" Good story. Seems like ot should have been set in the 50's instead of basically up to date. Interesting look at Louisiana. "
" When Dave Robichaux begins to investigate his mother's death 30 years earlier it unleashes a new series of deaths. "
" Unexpected ending and enjoyed the whole tale. "
" I quite enjoyed this book I like Burke's writing style. It is easy reading. And there were enough twists in the plot to make it interesting. "
" Two things James Lee Burke does especially well-- establishes characterization through dialogue, and weaves setting into the action so that it never seems static. Fledgling writers: Read. This. Guy. "
" This Dave Robicheaux book deals with Dave trying to find the killer of his mother. It's very intense and violent, but well done as always. "
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 Policière 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.
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.
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