Creole Belle

A Dave Robicheaux Novel, Book 19

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Dave Robicheaux is back, in a gorgeously written, visceral thriller by James Lee Burke, “the heavy weight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly).

Creole Belle begins where the last book in the Dave Robicheaux series, The Glass Rainbow, ended. Dave is in a recovery unit in New Orleans, where a Creole girl named Tee Jolie Melton visits him and leaves him an iPod with the country blues song "Creole Belle" on it. Then she disappears. Dave becomes obsessed with the song and the memory of Tee Jolie and goes in search of her sister, who later turns up inside a block of ice floating in the Gulf. Meanwhile, there has been an oil well blowout on the Gulf, threatening the cherished environs of the bayous.

Creole Belle is James Lee Burke at his very best, with beloved series hero Dave Robicheaux leading the charge against the destruction of both the land and the people he has sworn to protect.

©2012 James Lee Burke (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

“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)

“Another stunner from a modern master.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“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 (2010); 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)

One of the best series ever!

Clete Purcell is the most interesting character I've ever read. Funny, tough, funny loving and merciless when required!

sensational sinister southern scenario

Where does Creole Belle rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

alsways very high on my list.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Creole Belle?

the part when the thug was trying to harm Cleet's Secretary. very funny laugh out loud funny.

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favorite?

I just love to listen to Will's reading. he does all the parts so well and distinctivly you always know which person is talking.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to is daily until finished. I could not wait to get back to hear more of Dave's and Cleets adventures, or is it misadventures?

Any additional comments?

again Burke has written a book so compelling, you must read on. his descriptions are so vivid you can feel the humidity, smell the food and expect to be harmed by the characters

I love James Lee Burke

Would you listen to Creole Belle again? Why?

Yes, because his writing is so descriptive and has a lot of depth to the story line and the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favorite?

Dave

Another great audio from Burke and Patton!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Will Patton is the perfect match for James Lee Burke. No one can do a better job of narrating a Burke novel than Will Patton. Together they are the best!

What did you like best about this story?

The story is a page turner and the characters are a fascinating bunch of both good and bad people. It almost felt like the the ending was going to be terrible for the good guys but things work out.

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favorite?

Clete Purcell

Dave Robicheaux - Better than ever!!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Creole Belle to be better than the print version?

YES! Will Patton is Dave & Clete!!!!

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emotion, dialect, suspense.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to every Dave Robicheaux book and this is the best so far and that’s saying something! I listen to & from work and I found myself sitting in my car as I could not tear myself away! The story was complex and exciting. Several threads all lead to an exciting end! Will Patton IS Dave Robicheaux ! Will Patton brings Dave Robicheaux & Clete to life! I had read all the books but when I heard the 1st audio book I listened to them all from beginning to end and relived them all differently. He mesmorizes you. I will look for more books read by him.

"The Bobbsey Twins From Homicide Are Forever"

Vintage JLB, with his violence, his lyrical settins, his magical realism, and what I can't resist: his keening elegy to a Louisiana that is fading, fading, but not quite extinguished.

JLB writes for the English major and warrior spirit in his readers. The reader is alternately word-struck and pumped full of adreneline during the whole-shebang-fourth-of-July-fireworks finale in this book.

Clete Purcell plays a key role in this book, and he's a larger-than-life train wreck, as usual. Some of the reviewers found the book angry, but I don't know how anyone who loves Louisiana and its once-glorious natural treasures can be anything but angry at the systematic catastrophes caused by human activity there. JLB's level of anger seems appropriate to me. Somebody has to speak up for this lost biodiversity and culture that is unique in the world.

Will Patton is spectacular, as always. A perfect match.

Robicheaux never disappoints

I’ve read so many of the Dave Robicheaux novels (not necessarily in order). The details of both the story and the incredible narration by Will Patton suspend reality and allow me to submerge into New Orleans the way James Lee Burke sees it. Great read!!

Always 5 stars

Great book! Wonderful narration! Another 5 Stars for this one! I have loved all of James Lee Burke’s books and this was no exception.

Dave Robicheaux lives!

James Lee Burke created Dave Robicheaux 25 years ago, in The Neon Rain, in 1987. Burke is a brilliant writer. His ability to describe the place of his birth, Southern Louisiana, is unparalleled. New Orleans and Iberia Parish are places that you want to visit, because Mr. Burke has captured them so vividly. Likewise, Dave Robicheaux is such a vivid creation that you almost believe he is flesh and blood. Dave and his best friend, Clete Purcel, have suffered in their lives, the rages of alcoholism and Viet Nam, among other curses. Dave has married twice and has adopted Alafair, in a rescue scene so extraordinary that I remember it clearly, almost a decade later. Alafair Burke is now a novelist herself, in the real world. These books are full of violence and thoughtfulness, scholarly reasoning and deep moral convictions. In this book the bad guys are horrendous, a family named Duprix, wealthy and sinister, an incestuous grandfather at the top, a man who was also a highly-placed Nazi at one of the death camps. The reading is not for the faint of heart or stomach, but it is brilliant for all of that. Will Patton is perfect for these books. His voices are of extraordinary range and expressiveness. Male or female, his characters speak with astonishingly human voices and a range of emotions that rival those of the best narrators. I began reading Dave Robicheaux books 25 years ago, and I hope to keep reading them for a long time. James Lee Burke has lost none of his unique talent, and it is a pleasure for me to be able to recommend his work to you. It is thrilling.

Clete breaks my heart.

Pegasus Descending used to be my favorite Burke book but I'm pretty sure this moves to #1. Clete has always been the character that's moved me the most and I have to admit I cried at the epilogue --such a wanting soul.

Lots of villains to hate and I loved the appearance of Gretchen Horowitz. It's a hoot to listen to Clete deal with a similar personality. Helen's involvement at the end seemed just thrown in there, but that's my sole complaint. I'm glad it was a much longer book than usual...I wish they all would be six-parters rather than two or three.

The reader will understand Clete a lot better after this book. He's matured with each book and this one seems to land him in a state of self-acceptance. Dave pretty much remains the same. Molly rarely was mentioned (good - I like Dave on his own) and Alafair needs to move to New Orleans for a bit. It's Dave and Clete against the baddies for me. The writing is as beautiful as ever and no one can set a scene in one perfectly crafted sentence like JLB does. I was raised in the South, moved west to Utah for 20 years, then back here for the past 20 years. Believe me, he gets it right in his Lousiana books as well as his Montana books.

Goes w/o saying that Will Patton does a 10-star job; he IS Dave and Clete. Does anyone watch the TV series Falling Skies? Dave against aliens... it's just that voice.

I've read or listened to each of Burke's books and I hope the Bobbsey Twins of Homicide go on forever. This is my favorite series ever. I wish I'd get amnesia so I could read them for the first time again.