• Jolie Blon's Bounce

  • By: James Lee Burke
  • Narrated by: Mark Hammer
  • Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,081 ratings)

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Jolie Blon's Bounce  By  cover art

Jolie Blon's Bounce

By: James Lee Burke
Narrated by: Mark Hammer
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Publisher's summary

When a beautiful teenage girl is killed, the victim of a particularly savage rape, New Iberia, Louisiana police detective Dave Robicheaux senses from the very start of the investigation that the most likely suspect - Tee Bobby Hulin - is not the actual killer. Though a drug addict and general ne'er-do-well, Hulin doesn't fit the profile for this brutal crime. But when another body turns up - a drugged-out prostitute who is the daughter of a local mafia bigwig - all clues point to Tee Bobby Hulin. The dead girl's father sets out to find - and punish - the killer.

Before Robicheaux can bring the killer or killers to justice, he battles a painkiller addiction, a habit brought on by a humiliating beating he suffers at the hands of a diabolical character known only as Legion. Once the overseer on a local sugarcane plantation, Legion scrapes by through doing odd jobs. In temperament, he's still the malevolent bully, seemingly possessed with supernatural skills of survival.

When Robicheaux's longtime buddy Clete Purcel drops by New Iberia for a visit, he is quickly drawn into the struggle between evil forces - including Jimmy Dean Styles, a black man intent on maintaining his empire of corruption; Joe Zeroski, a trailer park mafioso with palatial aspirations; and Legion Guidry, in whom Robicheaux faces an enemy unlike any he has ever known. And soon, what began as a duel of wits turns into a dance of death.

Gothic, dense, brutal, touching, and always compelling, Jolie Blon's Bounce is classic storytelling from a writer who has been dubbed "the Faulkner of crime fiction."

©2002 James Lee Burke, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Recorded Books Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

Audie Award Winner, Mystery, Fiction, 2003

"To read a Burke novel is to enter a timeless, parallel universe of violent emotions and lush, brooding landscapes." (Publishers Weekly)

"Listening to Mark Hammer reading Burke's twelfth novel about Cajun cop Dave Robicheaux, it's easy to imagine you're on the shore of Bayou Teche, hearing a weathered cop tell of past adventures.... With a deliberate pace, Hammer pulls us in, capturing Robicheaux's spiritual exhaustion yet compelling us to hang on his every word." (AudioFile)

"Dave Robicheaux...[is] easily one of the most complex and compelling protagonists in mystery fiction. This is classic James Lee Burke, the master stylist, writing at the top of his game." (Amazon.com)

What listeners say about Jolie Blon's Bounce

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator was great

To each their own. Do not shy away from this great story because or the narrator, I totally enjoyed his presentation of the charactors. Five star for sure

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A good story with only adequate narration

Burke's "Jolie Blon" is a great story that relies more on the character development than on the suspense of the mystery. The author creates a terrific atmosphere and a believable, sympathetic character in this novel; after listening to this book, I will definitely look for more of Burke's works. The narration left a bit to be desired, however. Hammer's narration was adequate to the task, but was fairly monotone throughout. He managed to cover all the basics, but did not truly capture the style of the geographic and cultural setting. All in all, I really liked the story, but could have wished for a somewhat better narrator.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

PS - Please add to my previous review of this book

I love the Audible service. It turns driving time into enjoyable time every time. I called customer service to complain about the narrator of this book and of course Audible has no responsibility for the person the publisher chooses as the reader. The sales rep on the phone pointed out to me that the member can always hear an excerpt from the book before purchasing. To be honest I never noticed that little button on the page, but now I listen to the narrator every time BEFORE I purchase a book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Narrator Issue

An entertaining, well written story. Kudos to Burke for loving and writing about South Louisiana's inimitable people and lands. That said, I'm at a loss as to why the narrator had an irritating, obvious nasal tone of voice for the books characters , and this nasality was more pronounced when speaking the women's voices . And to top it off - to differentiate one person from another the narrator added a congested stuffed nose cold tone to the nasalmess .

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Just ok

I liked the book but it is not the same without Will Patton reading. It was very hard to get into the book, narration is so important, and Will Patton is the voice of Dave. Stick to the ones Will reads for audible and read the others.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Another Terrific Story from Burke

This is a terrific story.

The bad guys in this book give evil a unique face and a different level wickedness with each one, as do most of Burke's story.

I found this book to be one of the more enjoyable JLB books. As always the dialogue is witty and near-genius level.

I would have loved to give this a 5-star or even 4 and 1/2 stars, but I just didn't like the reader that much. He was not bad, he just in no way lived up to the abilities of Will Patton, who I wish had read the story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

STOP! Listen

Listen to the sample of this book before comitting - the narrator is horrible for this book. True, I became very attached to Will Patton's narrating - he brought Dave Robicheaux to life for me. But this narrator ruined this entire book for me - couldn't get through it at all, pure torture.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Mark Hammer is amazing

I am surprised and disappointed by some of the comments about Mark Hammer's narration. I've now read (er... listened to) all the Dave Robicheaux books that have been narrated by Hammer. He so captures the feel of Southwest Louisiana, with its various accents, subtle innuendo and unusual characters, that I have found it almost impossible to continue listening to other JLB books. I know that Will Patton is a fine actor, but Hammer has gotten into my skin in a way that's rare in my experience, and I am a little grieved that there isn't more by him to look forward to. I certainly hope to hear more from him in the future.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Story OK with too much description of violence.

I enjoyed the story and the reader. I was at times nauseated and depressed by Burke?s too vivid description of the crime and killing. I would also have preferred his love scenes were somewhat less graphic.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Love Mark Hammer's Narration Style

I've read a few reviews where Hammer's narration style is criticised heavily. I couldn't disagree more - Hammer takes an already great story and adds his style to create genuine syngergy. Fabulous complex story, and narrated equally fabulously. I liked Hammer's style so much I'm struggling to enjoy those Burke books read by Patton. Narrator changes are a pain with character based novels.

I'd rate my enjoyment of JB's Bounce up right up there with other Audible books like Memoirs of a Geisha, The Human Stain, and Tis/Angela's Ashes - all great stories enhanced by great narrators.

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