Last Car to Elysian Fields

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Mark Hammer

Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2003 James Lee Burke (P)2003 Simon & Schuster Inc. All Rights Reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"James Lee Burke is at the top of his game." (The New York Times)
"This is an outstanding entry in an excellent series" (Publishers Weekly)

Hooked on Dave Robicheaux

Being from California, I love hearing the tales of Dave Robicheaux and New Orleans. What an interesting and historical place. James Lee Burke always tells an interesting story and I wish I had begun them in chronilogical order so I could keep up with all of his wives and Clete's activity. But, I have nearly listened to them all and am greatful he has kept the same narrator, who does a fantastic job. Love em!

As with All JLB, worth a listen

Classic James Lee Burke story!

His ability to intertwine the story with the inner tormented soul of his characters is a gift!

This may not be one of his best as the story is slow to unfold, but definitely worthy of recommendation!

Mark Hammer is as expected with his usual slurring and slow reading, but it doesn't detract from the story. Of course I wish this were read by Will Patton, but it didn't detract for me.

Overall, another entertaining, can't miss from JLB!

Good Story Well Told

This is my first Robicheaux novel, and I thought that it was great. I liked the interwoven plots and the "small town" feel of the Big Easy. I thought that the narration added to scenes that would have otherwise lacked dynamic. And I learned that Leadbelly wrote "Goodnight, Irene". I'll buy others in the Robicheaux series and narrated by Mark Hammer.

Another Robicheaux winner

Living as I do on the west coast, amidst the sunshine and dry air, I find Burke's books, like Pat Conroy's to be dark, humid and mysterious, with the "South" as another well-developed character. This one is as dark and convoluted as the background against which it is written. The pace is measured, the language distinctly southern, the relationships complicated and the story complex. I have a problem with the abridged versions, so much gets left out that I can't follow the story. This and Jolie Blon's Bounce are the best.

Will Patton vs. Mark Hammer

Oh God I hope I can make it through this. When I could read, I read every Burke book I could get my hands on. Now I listen to them. Listening to Mark hammer is like listening to a micro soft reader. If you want a good comparison , please seek out the Will Patton verison of Jollie Blon Bounce. Aurthors, Please exercise some control over the readers if not for yourself for those of us who even after sight fails have found this wonderful web site.

Mashed Potatoes in His Mouth

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

I love James Lee Burke. I wish Will Patton had narrated all of his books. Sadly, Mark Hammer is just awful at reading this book. Terrible! Wooden, monosyllabic and disinterested in his subject matter. I suggest buying the hard copy and reading it. You won't be able to follow this story by listening to Mark Hammer make mush of it.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Can't grasp it through the mashed potatoes in Mark Hammer's mouth

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Ruined it

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had an extreme reaction to the narrator

Any additional comments?

Avoid any books narrated by Mark Hammer

James Lee Burke, Dave Robicheaux, and Mark Hammer

I think that Mark Hammer does the best possible read for Dave Robicheaux. Simply perfect!

Not Burke's best work

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Change is often uncomfortable. For most audio book listeners, Will Patton IS Dave. However, Mark Hammer's is better suited as the voice of the veteran cop as he approaches the end of his career. The voice is appropriate for a man who has spent too many hours in smoky bars. The reading pace is appropriate for a man who has had too many brain cells stolen by Jack and Jim. The voice puts the listener inside of the head of a good man who always seems to be thinking through a fog. Maybe that is why this was such a difficult listen for me. As a follower for more than 20 years, I don't want this to happen to Dave.

Would you be willing to try another book from James Lee Burke? Why or why not?

Of course.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Mark Hammer?

Probably.

Was Last Car to Elysian Fields worth the listening time?

Yes.

Atmospheric and excellent

If you like Southern lit, you'll really appreciate this novel. At various times, it reminded me of Bobbie Ann Mason, Flannery O'Connor, and Cormac McCarthy (Suttree, in particular)--dark, complex, and yet, sometimes, laugh-out-loud funny. The reader is exquisite--perfect pacing, inflection, and emotion, deftly conveying the patois, the humor, and the reality of the deep South. Characters and plot are multifaceted. Story lines intertwine, diverge, and meld again, like the flavors in a real file gumbo. Go for it. I'm already searching the Audible catalog for my next Burke novel.

Slow maybe, hard and majestic for sure

Some of the other reviews took me aback but then I realized that I've read or listened to the entire Robicheaux series. So I didn't have any trouble following the plot. If I step back a bit, I guess this one may not have the speed of a MTV video but it's not suppose to. What the book has is all the seedy majesty of New Orleans and the sensuousness of the Cajun South. Burk can write about food or the weather and it's as sensual as most folks writing about sex! He's just plain brilliant. They call him the 'Faulkner of Crime' which is great, as long as, no one tries to lock up his charatcers in some some kind of lit. crit. vault because they are just too juicey. So yeah, The price of admission may be a slightly slower tale but it is well worth the time.

As to Mr. Hammer's reading, I have to say it was a slight adjustment. But I have to also add that after a recent trip to Louisana, he sounds about right - especially for the main character. I would hope in later novels that he might separate his characters' voices a bit more. Having listen to a bit of audio, the female characters are a little weak. But if Streak and Clete are right, it really is worth the price of a month's subscription.

Like one of the earlier listeners, it's great to have this series in an unabriged recording. I would defintely vote with my wallet for, the earlier books especially, to be redone without abridgement.