Crusader's Cross

A Dave Robicheaux Novel

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Critically acclaimed and best-selling crime writer James Lee Burke returns to Louisiana where his ever-popular hero, Dave Robicheaux, sleuths his way through a hotbed of sin and uncertainty.

For Dave Robicheaux, life in Louisiana is filled with haunting memories of the past. In Crusader's Cross, a deathbed confession from an old schoolmate resurrects a story of injustice, the murder of a young woman, and a time in Robicheaux's life he has tried to forget.

Her name may or may not have been Ida Durbin. It was back in the innocent days of the 1950s when Robicheaux and his brother, Jimmie, met her on a Galveston beach. She was pretty, and Jimmie fell for her hard, not knowing she was a prostitute on infamous Post Office Street, with ties to the mob. Then Ida was abducted and never seen again.

Now, decades later, Robicheaux is asking questions about Ida Durbin, and a couple of redneck deputy sheriffs make it clear that asking questions is a dangerous game. With a series of horrifying murders and the sudden appearance of Valentine Chalons and his sister, Robicheaux is soon involved with the murderous energies of the New Orleans underworld.

©2005 James Lee Burke (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division.

Real atmospheric

Interesting book. Dave Robicheaux
is a complex character and the supplemental characters are well thought out. The action seemed compressed toward the very end of the book.

new series discovered!

wonderful language, narration and story. looking forward to more! Fun, entertaining and intelligent.
which. one is next!

Yet another take the long way home audiobook!

James Burke's style of writing is the kind that all novelists green or seasoned should aspire to. The detail with which Burke writes will have you sitting in front of your house or sitting in your car in the garage because you got home from a long day but you haven't reached the end of the chapter or any type of stopping point. Putting such amazing work in the hands of Will Patton to make it come to life is like peas and carrots, they just go together. The way Will performs Burkes stories brings each of the characters to life in such an individual and amazing way it's like you are a fly on the wall while the lives of the characters is unfolding in front of you. Absolutely Wonderful!

Thank God irs Will Patton.

Love the all the Dave novels with the exception of the most recent one. Crusaders Cross was a great story with interesting characters and thank God narrated by Will Patton. Will does a great job on all the dialects and pronunciation of locations. Unfortunately, this is not true of other who have narrated the Robicheaux series.
A five star across the board from me.

No spoiler?

It is hard to review this book without spoiling it for a non-reader. Dave has some old problems recur and fights his way thru them. Clete is pretty subdued, ie, no trailer destruction in this one. Just a couple of good 'ole boys tweaking the rich folks, and Dave gets a new romantic interest. Crusader's Cross is thoroughly enjoyable and had me hollering out loud at him at one point.

Outstanding!

This is almost enchanting. No one can turn a phrase or describe a scene better than James Lee Burke. And Will Patton nails it! New to the audio format of Burke's novels. I was skeptical because I don't particularly like Patton as an actor. But, boy oh boy, he sure does a good Dave Robicheaux. To those familiar with the series: this is one of Burke's best Robicheaux stories. To new listeners: give it a shot, you won't be disappointed. Burke writes a compelling story and Patton pulls you right into it.

JLB has done it again!

I usually do not read crime novels, but from the first James Lee Burke ,Dave Robicheaux, book I read I was a decacaed fan. It is simple this is a great book. There is humor,tragedy, mystry and suspens. If you have read this series before, I think this is one of the best one. If you are new to James Lee Burke, try this one, your do not have to have read the others to read this one it is a great stand alone book.

good listen

Not the best Burke novel I have listened to, but not bad either. I cannot rave enough about the reader. His voice, attitude and accent are perfect for these stories.

I loved this book in ways I didn't know I could

The smells, the poetic descriptions, the names of the characters, the colloquialisms, the flaws of the characters make this book perfection. This series, Burke and Patton, are beloved to me. They take my expectations of any other book to a level that is unfair. Crusader's Cross is a great story. You get to know Dave even better and join him in a major life event. Clete is on fire and adds the right amount of color and an "oh my gosh how are they going to get out of this" feeling. The mystery is complex and believable and personal. Just a work of art.

Another wonderful book and narration in a series

What made the experience of listening to Crusader's Cross the most enjoyable?

James Lee Burke is a great story teller and Will Patton as narrator tells Burke's stories as no one else can. The pictures Burke paints with his words are unbelievable and the way Patton narrates is unequaled, utilizing different voices for each character. Only downside to this book is the very poor professional sound editing. Too often the story moves to a new chapter too quickly without a pause. As the book went along this became very irritating, however, the story and narration make up for it. Shame on the professional technicians involved in producing this book.